Day 58: In search of the trade winds
It's made out of very little on the Vendée Globe! After seeing Alex Thomson 28 miles from his transom four days ago, Armel Le Cléac'h still has to be wary of his tough opponent. Alex Thomson is not giving up. Separated by 145 miles this evening, the two skippers will be looking for the trade winds off Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. It's Armel who should logically be the first to catch this E'ly air flow to finally slip towards the equator... If that's the case, the gap should therefore increase. Meanwhile, Conrad Colman, in the middle of the South Pacific, is experiencing some difficult hours in gusts to 60 knots with rig damage which he can't resolve for the time being.
Day 59: The road is long
A cascade of damage in the South Pacific: Conrad Colman, Alan Roura, Didac Costa and Sébastien Destremau (at anchor in Tasmania) are battling to continue their route towards Les Sables-d'Olonne. After 58 days at sea and in solitude, the 18 skippers in the race and their boats are feeling the pinch. "There's physical and mental fatigue, it's putting a bit of a strain on the body. We're in the final kilometres and we have to hold on," confided the leader Armel Le Cléac'h at noon today. This evening the fleet in the 8th Vendée Globe stretches over more than 16,000 km, from Tasmania to the latitude of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. For everyone, even the frontrunners, there is still a long way to go, as each day is a challenge..
Day 60: 7 in the South Atlantic
Since Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée) rounded Cape Horn at 8:00 am this morning, there are now seven IMOCA boats sailing in the South Atlantic. The 11 others are continuing eastwards in a calmer Pacific. Among them, two sailors are still licking their wounds: Sébastien Destremau, still at the dead reef in Hobart Bay in Tasmania and Conrad Colman still at the cape to look after his forestay. Alan Roura is back in business and is making headway at 10 knots 150 miles from his closest playmate, Fabrice Amedeo. In the lead, in these light tradewinds, the 5-day lead in Armel Le Cléac'h's Horn is melting like snow in the sun..
Day 61: 16,000 km difference between Le Cléac'h and Destreameau
While the equator looms ahead of Armel Le Cléac'h's bow, Sébastien Destremau is still in Hobart Bay, waiting for the wind to pick up before heading east again. The gap between the first and last competitor in the 8th Vendée Globe is huge. There is still 15% of the course to go for the Breton, and more than 50% for the Mediterranean! The problems according to the positions are not at all the same: at the front, we're racking our brains to tackle the Doldrums, which are becoming more and more active, then to find the right route in some unusual weather conditions, behind in the Pacific, we're tinkering, sleeping, dreaming of Cape Horn and milder temperatures..
Day 62: The Doldrums
Here we are. The Doldrums, the equatorial doldrums so dreaded by circumnavigators, have just picked up the leader of the fleet in the 8th Vendée Globe. Armel Le Cléac'h is therefore sailing between calms and squalls, at 4 knots, sometimes 15, in stifling heat and under capricious skies. A meteorological no man's land, a big mess! As a result, Alex Thomson has had another cherry on his cake: he has recovered 80 miles in 24 hours by flying along on starboard tack at an average of 19.7 knots... Jérémie Beyou, in third place, is also accelerating. It's a safe bet that the dice will be thrown again in this Doldrums, which is getting bigger by the minute. The North Atlantic will also hold some surprises. In short, a good suspense film is in the making.
Day 63: Alex Thomson in charge
If Armel Le Cléac'h has been sailing with his head on the right side of the boat since 1:23 am last night, Alex Thomson should cross the equator tonight. As such there's a little less than 24 hours of separation between the first two who are sailing in the heart of a doldrums... very dark. Surprisingly very active for this time of year, this inter-tropical convergence zone is going to slow the two leaders down considerably, while those chasing after them should be less penalised. No luck for Armel and Alex! "The Doldrums are abnormally active for this time of year, but you have to make do with it. It's heading north with me. Behind me, it should be easier for those chasing after me," stresses the first of the fleet in the 8th Vendée Globe, whose lead is shrinking by the hour: Alex Thomson is now only 119 miles away.
Day 64: Zones of calm
In the northern hemisphere, Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson are fighting hard to try to make headway in this Doldrums, which has become a cauldron. They are 134 miles apart this evening and should be freed from the light and unstable winds tomorrow. In the South Pacific, Arnaud Boissières, Fabrice Amedeo and Alan Roura are bemoaning the fact that they haven't been making headway for 24 hours in a very sticky high pressure zone. The Hungarian skipper Nandor Fa is also finding the time very long as the Horn is on the horizon. "I had the impression that it was never going to end and that I'll never get to Cape Horn," confided the 63-year-old sailor, who will be rounding Drake's passage for the fifth time this lunchtime. 63 days of racing and still a long way to go, even for the frontrunners, as the weather transitions will be legion right up to the finish line of the 8th Vendée Globe ahead of Les Sables-d'Olonne!
