Friday 25 December: Direction Cape Horn
Jérémie Beyou, victim of a major damage at the start of the race - forcing him to turn back - is making the powder talk with his foiler. Since entering the Indian Ocean, the triple winner of the Solitaire du Figaro has overtaken eight competitors still in the race. Since last night, he has been in 19th place.
Charlie Dalin (Apivia) has taken over control of the fleet since the midday rankings. He is sailing upwind in light winds and is heading north to avoid the heart of the high pressure. Further north - around 200 miles - Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq) is not going much faster. His idea is to cross the low he has entered and come out of it upwards to get the wind shift. The leaders should round Cape Horn on 2nd January, one day ahead of the established routing.
Thomas Ruyant - 3rd - juggles with the means on board and the weather. To avoid the soft winds, he had to climb north and saw his gap with the leader gradually increase. But not only because this position in comparison with the very southern chasing pack made him fall back in the rankings.
In the group of hunters - led by Boris Herrmann (SeaExplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco) - it will be necessary to choose between a direct route along the EEZ in small steps or an ascent towards the North.
Maxime Sorel is 25 miles from Giancarlo Pedote, himself 30 miles from Benjain Dutreux, 8th in the fleet. Louis Burton is also catching up with less than 500 miles behind Charlie Dalin.
At the rear, Clarisse Crémer has finally let the depression which cut her off and with Romain Attanasio and Armel Tripon, they are now entitled to a session of light winds. From Alan Roura (La Fabrique) to Didac Costa (One Planet One Ocean), things are going well.
Saturday 26 December: The return of the Rooster
Yannick Bestaven took back the pole position ahead of Charlie Dalin. As he approached the centre of the low pressure system, all that remained for him to do was to slide south-eastwards in a still steady wind (25-30 knots) and very rough seas to find the edge of the zone approaching Cape Horn. Thomas Ruyant was on his way around the low pressure centre on Saturday afternoon and could make a very strong comeback, but a bubble was forming on his way. As for the chasing pack led by Jean Le Cam, they are not managing to get past the high.
We'll have to wait until the end of the weekend to get a clearer idea of who's doing what and where everyone stands. It's very likely that after a burst of acceleration, 'there will be a slowdown which will once again redistribute the cards with a general regrouping before tackling the funnel at Cape Horn.
It's Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline-Artisans Artipôle) and Pip Hare (Medallia) who seem to be the most in a tangle: a violent low from Australia will overtake them next night (French time) before evacuating towards Antarctica. And for the following ones, the weather situation is rather favourable with an almost generalised W'ly air flow in the Indian Ocean.
Alan Roura informed his team on the morning of Saturday, December 26 that he was again the victim of an oil leak at the level of one of the two hydraulic jacks of his sailboat.
Sunday 27 December: The leaders in the same weather system
After 7 weeks of racing, Yannick Bestaven leads the fleet with a 101 mile lead over Charlie Dalin. Both are now sailing in the same weather system after having chosen divergent routes - north and south.
After dropping back to 10th place due to the on-water placements, Thomas Ruyant was now in 3rd place in the 9:00 am rankings this Sunday morning.
The hunters are forced to put north in their route to get around the high pressure zone which is about to slide permanently under the Antarctic Exclusion Zone line. In this shift, Damien Seguin (Apicil), the new 4th, Jean Le Cam (5th) and the rest of the pack of 10 skippers are losing a bit of ground. In 11th place, Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) is 533.1 miles from the leader. Clarisse Crémer is 12th at 837.6 miles and Armel Tripon at 1053.6 miles.
Further on, Arnaud Boissière (La Mie Câline - Artisans Artipôle) and Pip Hare (Medallia) had the presence of mind to land at the front of a low in which westerly winds of around thirty knots are blowing and are benefiting from perfect conditions to make headway.
Monday 28 December: The return of stormy seas
After 10 rather calm days, the sailors have to get used to the more typical conditions of the southern seas. There is wind, sea, it is cold, the boats are lightly covered and the sailors are warmly dressed. From Boris Herrmann (7th) to Isabelle Joschke (5th) to Benjamin Dutreux (10th), all of them recognise that these brutal changes in conditions are morally exhausting.
Yannick Bestaven, who celebrates his 48th birthday on Monday 28th December, has no heart to celebrate either. Brinquebalé, in the rough, he is sailing downwind with 40 knots of NW'ly wind and head on seas. For the past 12 days she has held the throne and is still in danger of increasing the distance with Charlie Dalin, slowed down in the centre of the low.
This low concerns the first 14 boats, all of which are sailing in sustained winds, at speeds flirting with 20 knots. After more than 15 miles covered, the fleet is still as compact as ever. Only 387 miles separate the first from the 10th. In comparison, this gap was more than 5?700 miles 4 years ago.
Behind them, they are all progressing eastward as best they can. Stpéhane le Diraison (19th) has put his race on hold, his mainsail carriage is broken. He is considering taking shelter downwind of Macquarie Island, as Louis Burton did before him. Finally, Alexia Barrier (25th) rounded Cape Leeuwin this morning.
Tuesday, December 29: Beware of depression
Thomas Ruyant lost a lot at Christmas when he went north to get around an anticyclonic outgrowth. He thus leaves his 3rd place to Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil), who leads his boat with a masterful hand. The gaps are extremely narrow, 370 miles separating Yannick Bestaven (1st) and Giancarlo Pedote (10th).
Within the top 14, the fleet is making a series of gybes at 55 degrees South, in a steady westerly wind (30 knots) and heavy seas. The positions could well change rapidly. However, a secondary low from the north is melting over the head of the race as it deepens. This phenomenon is shifting round to the SE and will come up against the Chilean coast, to windward of the high peaks of the Andes Cordillera and slide along the land as far as Cape Horn, in a formidable corridor of acceleration..
But before thinking of this deliverance, the days follow one another with their share of annoyances. A headsail problem for Armel Tripon (13th), an autopilot upside down, causing a big start for Arnaud Boissières (16th), a mainsail hook rail finally patched up for Stéphane Le Diraison (19th), a broken (but repaired) runner for Alexia Barrier (25th).
Wednesday, December 30: Avoid the bad weather
At 1?300 miles from Cape Horn, the weather pattern that the leaders have to deal with in order to reach the third of the three great capes of this round the world race is rather complex. A secondary low in their North, which will deepen to give strong conditions along the Chilean coast, as far as the tip of South America and a corridor of softer, unstable winds.
The former have to avoid being hit in 45 knots of wind and 7 m of waves, while the pursuers are multiplying gybes along the EEZ. In this context, depending on their position on the chessboard, each person adapts their strategy to avoid "breaking" or losing ground.
Clarisse Crémer celebrates her 31st birthday today and realizes how lucky she is to be so well placed (12th) at this stage of the course.
Thursday, December 31: A day like any other
Reaching out in a steady NNW'ly wind, the red boat, stuck to the EEZ, is making an average speed of over 20 knots to stay ahead of the front, which is propelling it towards the exit of the Pacific, Yannick Bestaven is on the attack. He still has 850 miles to go before rounding Cape Horn.
150 miles north of his predecessor, Charlie Dalin is in the same state of mind and is engaged in a chase with the front leaving him no choice but to press the accelerator. If the two men succeed, they could well gain a big advantage - several hundred miles - when they round Cape Horn on the night of 2nd to 3rd January.
In 4th position, Thomas Ruyant is also one of the fastest this Thursday afternoon. The skipper of LinkedOut is attempting a passage to the North and is currently benefiting from fine conditions to accelerate around the big secondary low.
Behind, from Damien Seguin, 3rd, to Giancarlo Pedote, 11th, it's not champagne and streamers. The chasing pack is trapped in an air hole. These hunters are being caught up by the trio Crémer/Tripon/Attanasio who are running behind the depression in a good south-westerly flow.
If the sailors have a thought for their loved ones and the land, this 53rd day at sea is like any other and will be experienced at the pace imposed by the boats, the strategy and the weather.
