Armel le Cléac'h, who has been in the lead in the 2016 Vendée Globe for 20 days now, has just passed the last of the three capes that mark his solo round the world voyage. At 13:34 (French time) on Friday 23rd December, the skipper of Banque Populaire VIII has just shattered the old record set in 2012 by François Gabart by 5 days 5 hours and 38 minutes. It will have taken him 47 days and 32 minutes from Les Sables-d'Olonne to double the Horn.
This is the third time in his sailing career that Armel le Cléac'h has rounded Cape Horn, but only the first time in the lead (3rd in 2008 and 2nd in 2012) with a lead of 762 miles over his pursuer Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss). She has already covered 17,480 miles at an average speed of 15.5 knots.
"I brought out the champagne for the Horn. I try to toast every time. I'm going to enjoy the scenery with the land nearby. It's good to see a bit of the earthy atmosphere. I can see Cape Horn, it's on the horizon. It's magnificent. The sky is varied. There's some lightning and some big clouds. The wind is increasing from 17 to 30 knots." indicates Armel.
