Friday, January 29: 8 arrivals in less than 24 hours!
This is the first time in the history of the Vendée Globe that 8 competitors have succeeded one another in 23 hours and 44 minutes. This round-the-world race will have turned into a real contact race. As a reminder, in 2016, the 8th had crossed the line 19 days and 19 hours after the winner Armel le Cléac'h.
We had to wait for the arrival of Jean Le Cam on Thursday evening to establish a definitive general ranking. For who could have guessed that the rescue of Kevin Escoffier (PRB) could have put the fate of these marins? in jeopardy?
This edition therefore ends with a winner coming in 3rd, a 2nd coming in first and a 3rd coming in 2nd and a 4th who comes in 8th : Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq), Charlie Dalin (Apivia), Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2), Jean Le Cam (4th).
Boris Herrmann takes fifth, followed by Thomas Ruyant (6th), Damien Seguin (7th), Giancarlo Pedote (8th). Benjamin Dutreux, sablais d'adoption, arrived this Friday morning in 9th position.
Relive that crazy day of arrival.
Maxime Sorel is the next one expected at the finish line, Saturday January 30th between 5 and 7 am. Pursued by a winter low, he has to be quick to avoid being caught in 50 knots of wind. Armel Tripon has decided to let the storm pass and wait along the Spanish coast.
1000 miles behind, Clarisse Crémer is concentrating on not breaking anything before the finish. Between Cape Verde and the Canaries, Romain Attanasio saw Jérémie Beyou speed along at 17 knots. Further south, in the NE'ly trade winds, Arnaud Boissières is heading out to sea. He escaped from the Roura/Shiraishi/Le Diraison/Hare group, while Didac Costa entered the Doldrums.
Manu Cousin is sailing in the southern hemisphere off Brazil in 21st place. Behind him, he Miranda Merron and Clément Giraud made a good comeback. They still have 3?800 miles to go. Finally, at the back of the fleet, the duel is being played out between Alexia Barrier and Ari Huusela, only 50 miles apart.
Saturday, January 30: The 10 place for Maxime Sorel
2 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes and 29 seconds after Yannick Bestaven and his compensated time, Maxime Sorel took the 10 e place in the Vendée Globe. The first time the boat has completed a round-the-world voyage in one go. Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel) in 2008, Thomas Ruyant in 2016 (Le Souffle du Nord) had to abandon their round the world voyage on board. And even in the Barcelona World Race, Kito de Pavant was forced to retire.
At this stage of the race there are still 15 of them at sea, spread out between the Argentinean and Portuguese coasts. Ari Huusela, accompanied by Alexia Barrier, is continuing her ascent of the Atlantic, dictated by a high-pressure system. At 5751.7 miles from Les Sables-d'Olonne in the 15:00 rankings, the Finn is around thirty days at sea from the finish line.
1?500 miles away, Clément Giraud, Miranda Merron and Manu Cousin are 247 miles apart.
1?000 miles higher, Didac Costa (One Planet One Ocean), Pip Hare (Medallia), Stéphane le Diraison (Time for Oceans), Alan Roura (La Fabrique), Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori) and Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline - Artisans Artipôle) stand in 382 miles.
600 miles ahead there is a battle between Jérémie Beyou (Charal), 14th and Romain Attanasio, foiler VS drift boat.
At 1?133 miles from the goal, Clarisse Crémer negotiates the passage of Depression 2 which is coming down on the Bay of Biscay. The Banque Populaire X sailor, first woman in the ranking, cut between the islands of the Azores. Armel Tripon (L'Occitane en Provence) wisely huddled along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula to let the bulk of this depression pass.
Sunday 31 January: A break in the arrivals
This Sunday 31st January marks a pause in the cascade of arrivals from the previous days. Armel Tripon has resumed his route and is expected in Les Sables-d'Olonne on Monday. The conditions look set to be stormy with gusts to 55 knots and 5 metre high waves. It's winter in the North Atlantic.
Clarisse Crémer, 12th in the fleet will be the first woman to complete this edition of the Vendée Globe and continues to remain vigilant. From now on, Jérémie Beyou and Romain Attanasio will first have to cross the Azores high before catching the westerly flow that will push them towards the finish line next weekend.
February 10, 11 and 12 will resemble the first days of the finish with a burst of competitors, from the 15 e at the 20 e place: Arnaud Boissières, Alan Roura, Stéphane Le Diraison, Kojiro Shiraishi, Pip Hare and Didac Costa. But for the time being, they are still sailing in the trade winds, to the north of the latitude of Cape Verde.
Then around February 17/20, it will be the turn of Manu Cousin, Miranda Merron and Clément Giraud to make their big comeback. They are still in the trade winds of the South Atlantic, off the Horn of Brazil, in rather unpleasant seas.
Finally, we will have to wait until the end of the month, or even early March, to see Alexia Barrier and Ari Huusela join Les Sables-d'Olonne. At the rear of the fleet, Alexia was delighted to have finally left the 40 e Roaring.
Monday 1st February: Armel Tripon 11th in the Vendée Globe 2020
Armel Tripon reached Les Sables-d'Olonne in 11th position on Monday 1st February at 7 hours 27 minutes and 50 seconds after 84 days, 17 hours, 07 minutes and 50 seconds of racing around the world.
Clarisse Crémer is now only 517.1 miles from Les Sables, which she should reach in the early hours of Wednesday morning, probably before 10 hours, when the channel will no longer be accessible.
Jérémie Beyou should reach Les Sables in the night of Friday to Saturday according to the first ETAs. He still has 977.1 miles to go. 90 miles to the north-west, Romain Attanasion is also expected on Saturday.
We'll have to wait and see the outcome of the race between Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline - Artisans Artipôle, 1?761,1 nm), Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori Global One, 1,795.4 miles), Stéphane le Diraison (Time for Oceans, 1,865.3 nm), Alan Roura (La Fabrique, 1?871,6 nm), Pip Hare (Medallia, 2?030,0 nm) and Didac Costa (One Ocean One Planet, 2,038.5 nm). Manuel Cousin (Groupe Sétin), who points 700 miles behind (2?724,0 nm from the finish, exactly, at 3 p.m.) is at the gates of the doldrums. He is currently leading the game in this three-way match between Clément Giraud (Compagnie du Lit - Jiliti) and Miranda Merron (Campagne de France, 2937.7 nm).
At 4?717.6 miles from Les Sables, Alexia Barrier (TSE - 4myPlanet) is holding the candy high at Ari Huusela (Stark, 4?788.0 miles). The two seem to have partially disentangled themselves from the high pressure zone that was sticking them to the track.
Tuesday 2 February: Heavy weather in the Bay of Biscay
In 24 hours, Clarisse Crémer will certainly have reached the finish line of the Vendée Globe. In fact, there will still be some heavy weather with a 5 metre swell. To protect her boat, the skipper of Banque Populaire X has chosen to slow down the pace. Shaken again this Tuesday by almost 40 knots of wind and a 5 metre swell in the Bay of Biscay, the sailor is expecting to reach the finish in a single mainsail and 3 reefs.
For Jéremie Beyou, the conditions aren't funny either on the approach to the Azores: wind 35 knots, gusting between 45-50 knots. In the end, his ETA is pushed back to Saturday. Romain Attanasio, very slightly to the north, is experiencing the same scenario.
Deprived of the canting of his keel, Alan Roura is still suffering a lot from the conditions without the slightest comfort, whilst Manuel Cousin, pushed by a SE'ly tradewind has passed the Equator. His closest pursuers, Miranda Merron and Clément Giraud also crossed the North Atlantic this Tuesday. Ahead of them, the Doldrums and then a NE'ly trade wind.
Alexia Barrier is rounding the St. Helena High.
Wednesday 3rd February: Clarisse Crémer, 13th and first woman in the 2020 Vendée Globe
This Wednesday 3rd February, at 16 hours, 44 minutes, 25 seconds (French time), Clarisse Crémer crossed the finish line in Les Sables-d'Olonne after 87 days, 02 hours, 24 minutes and 25 seconds at the end of this Vendée Globe. The first woman in this edition, she finished 6 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes behind the winner, Yannick Bestaven.
She also set the record for the fastest single-handed sailor around the world on a monohull The new record was set in 2001 by Ellen MacArthur in 94 days, beating the previous record set by Ellen MacArthur in 2001.
Thursday 4 February: 13 sailors still in the race
There are still 13 of them fighting in the Atlantic. After 87 days, lassitude is probably starting to make itself felt a little, especially as the emulation created by the first arrivals is beginning to fall off.
Jéremie Beyou and Romain Attanasion will be the next to arrive. They are progressing at the latitude of Cape Finisterre and are expected on Saturday, the first at the beginning of the day, while the second could arrive at the end of the day. Both have slowed down considerably due to the unstable wind.
For the next group of 6 (Boissières, Le Diraison, Roura, Shiraishi, Costa and Hare), we'll now have to round the Azores high by passing 1?000 miles to the west of the Portuguese archipelago.
Manuel Cousin has finally emerged from the Doldrums, while Clément Giraud has to deal with numerous banks of Sargasso. For her part, Miranda Merron is still confronted with the torments of the Doldrums.
