Day 37: Violent depression approaching
As they approach a violent low-pressure system that is blocking their route south of Tasmania, Yann Eliès, Jean-Pierre Dick and Jean Le Cam are prioritizing their safety and that of their boat. Their strategies for getting through the bulk of the system are diverging. And even if the race is temporarily put on hold, Jean Le Cam could well make a good move... The fleet is still led by Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson, followed by Paul Meilhat and Jérémie Beyou. Tonight, these four sailors are sailing in the Pacific, while the eighteen others are in the Indian Ocean. In the evening, Thomas Ruyant will be the eighth to cross the longitude of Cape Leeuwin, southwest of Australia.
Day 38: Extreme Navigation
Jean-Pierre Dick Yann Eliès and Jean Le Cam are negotiating a very deep depression off Tasmania . The sailing is extreme, the nervous tension at its highest level and these three experienced sailors are looking forward to better days. The atmosphere is different for the two leaders, Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson, who will finally enjoy a moment of respite on the way to Cape Horn. The match for third place is epic and the very combative Jérémie Beyou is gaining ground on Paul Meilhat south of New Zealand. Behind, in the Indian Ocean, the groups are made and broken according to the weather conditions, strategies and technical problems encountered by the competitors..
Day 39: For some and for others...
South of New Zealand, it is now Paul Meilhat and Jérémie Beyou who are suffering from the violent depression that has shaken Jean-Pierre Dick, Yann Eliès and Jean Le Cam - three sailors who are halfway through their journey and entering the Pacific. At the same time, the two leaders (Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson) are benefiting from manageable, albeit strategically complex conditions. Carried by the British Alex Thomson, who is still in the game to win, the seven other foreign skippers are performing well in the second part of the fleet.
Day 40: A little rest for the leaders, heavy weather for the tail enders
In the lead, Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VIII) and Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss), 334 miles apart, are beginning to emerge from the windless bubble that has prevented them from making headway for the past 24 hours. The two leaders have therefore given themselves a little respite in this brutal Vendée Globe, which has been going on since the start in Les Sables d'Olonne at an average speed of more than 17 knots! Behind them, several competitors are still eating their heart out. Alan Roura (La Fabrique), Enda O'Coineen (Kilcullen Voyager-Team Ireland) and Rich Wilson (Great American IV) are holed up inside their Imoca boats and are facing a big gale. They are not the only ones who are struggling...
Day 41: 12,000 km between the first and the last
While the leader, Armel Le Cléac'h is getting closer to Cape Horn, which he should reach in about six days (probably during the night of 22nd to 23rd December), Sébastien Destremau is closing the gap to Banque Populaire VIII, nearly 12,000 km away! This means that there is still a long way to go in this 8th Vendée Globe for those who have not yet passed the Kerguelen archipelago... On this fortieth day of the race, while the Christmas celebrations are being prepared on land, at sea, the 22 sailors are satisfied with small pleasures: a hot coffee, a ray of sunshine, a visit from an albatross, a successful repair. And for all the gold in the world, they wouldn't change a thing in their daily lives.
Day 42: Fight for the rest of the fleet
If the France-England match between Banque Populaire VIII and Hugo Boss has lost some of its intensity over the last 48 hours (nearly 400 miles apart tonight), behind, in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, there is plenty to thrill, tap your feet, bite your nails, and even throw a hola! Five superb battles are taking place at this very moment under the most inhospitable skies on the planet. Beyou/Meilhat, Eliès/Dick/Le Cam, Le Diraison/Fa, O'Coineen/Roura/Wilson and Attanasio/Destremau. Place your bets, the suspense remains on the 8th Vendée Globe!
Day 43: Damage to Stéphane Le Diraison and Thomas Ruyant
While Stéphane Le Diraison heads for Melbourne after his dismasting yesterday evening 700 miles off the Australian coast, the 21 solo sailors still racing between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific are experiencing very different weather conditions. Even the two frontrunners, Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson, separated by 440 miles, are no longer sailing in the same systems. The routing shows a two-day gap at Cape Horn! While the Eliès/Dick/Le Cam trio is enjoying some nice slippery conditions, Thomas Ruyant, 8th, is jumping out of the breakers, as are Arnaud Boissières and Conrad Colman, who are still struggling with a nice low pressure system under Cape Leeuwin. At the end of the evening, collision with a UFO for Thomas Ruyant which now joins New Zealand.
