Race paused for the safety of the fleet
After a modification of the initial course, which removed the rounding of Iceland due to a strong depression, the race management of the Vendée Arctique has finally decided to put the race on hold. Gusts of more than 50 knots and very heavy seas are expected from the end of the afternoon of this 17th June 2022, conditions that the tail of the fleet is already experiencing
"For the leading skippers, the conditions will be particularly unfavorable tomorrow afternoon because of this low pressure system that is gradually deepening towards the north-east of Iceland. We are expecting strong winds of 35 to 40 knots, with gusts of over 50 knots.
In the interest of fair play and equity, we have decided that the skippers will be able to take shelter as soon as they pass the gate located in the South East of Iceland. We will record everyone's time at the gate before they can take shelter. We have started discussions with ports that might be able to accommodate them. The race will then resume in a way that we are currently defining explains Francis Le Goff.
For everyone's safety, the skippers will have to take shelter after passing the gate located south-east of Iceland. Charlie Dalin (Apivia) and Jérémie Beyou (Charal) are the first two to have reached the first waypoint and should soon be joined by Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut), Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur - Duo For A Job), Guirec Soudée (Freelance.com), Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée) and Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot Environnement - Water Family)
A suspenseful first week
Launched on June 13, 2022, the Vendée Arctique is now in pause mode. After an invigorating start with conditions favorable to the foilers, a ridge of high pressure, well installed between Ireland and the Azores, finally reshuffled the cards. Those who had chosen an eastern position, mainly daggerboard boats, did best in the rankings, relegating the foilers to the back of the pack in terms of distance from the goal. The latter, shifted to the west, were however the first to touch the wind at the exit of the ridge and took the lead. Some daggerboard boats, shifting back to the west, like Benjamin Ferré, a newcomer to the class, managed to stay at the head of the fleet.
On June 16th, almost all the fleet found downwind conditions and speed, and Charlie Dalin, eternal leader of the last races, took off for Iceland. The same day, the race direction announced a modification of the course because of very difficult weather conditions expected. The course was initially planned to go around Iceland by cutting the Arctic Circle. Finally, they will have to turn a virtual marker located under the southwest coast of the country. That is, until the weather conditions deteriorate further
For its second edition, the Vendée Arctique has been modified again because of the difficult conditions in the north of Iceland. Was the course too ambitious? The reasons for the changes are probably multiple, from the will of the management to protect themselves from accusations of endangering the skippers to the importance for the sailors to take it easy on their mounts before the Route du Rhum. In any case, the Great North objective is proving to be more complex than expected for the IMOCA boats.
