Friday November 22, heading for the oRio-Express
On November 22, the skippers of the leading group left the Doldrums to enter the trade winds of the southern hemisphere. As they crossed the Equator, everyone made an offering to Neptune to celebrate the change of hemisphere. Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable), until then in first place, was snapped up by Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance), who was on form!
The objective was clear: to quickly reach a low-pressure area to the north of Rio de Janeiro, nicknamed the "oRio-Express", capable of propelling them towards the Cape of Good Hope. The sailors had to choose between passing to the east or west of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, a crucial decision to optimize their trajectory and maximize their speed. Thomas Ruyant, along with Charlie Dalin, Nicolas Lunven (Holcim âeuros PRB), Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkea), Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V) and Jérémie Beyou (Charal) chose to pass between Fernando de Noronha and the atoll das Rocas. Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) and Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) preferred to pass to windward of these islands.
The rest of the fleet was still struggling with the Doldrums, even if it was less active than for the leaders. Jean Le Cam (Tout Commence en Finistère âeuros Armor-lux), who had opted for a route to the east of Cape Verde, paid for this daring choice in the grip of a storm cell, while Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe), who had taken shelter in the Canaries to repair his sails, was relegated 1,4000 miles from the leader.
Saturday, November 23, hang the depression
On November 23, the long-awaited low-pressure system opened up between Brazil and the Trindade and Martin Vaz archipelago. The leaders managed to hook onto it, benefiting from downwind conditions that propelled them at high speed towards the Cape of Good Hope. This exceptional weather situation enabled the frontrunners to widen the gap with the rest of the fleet, suggesting record times for this stretch of the course to the Cape of Good Hope.
Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot environnement âeuros Water Family) has opted to head east, as have Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Coeur) and Clarisse Crémer (L'Occitane en Provence) to benefit from lighter winds, but for longer.
Sunday November 24, analysis by Anthony Marchand
On November 24, Anthony Marchand, skipper of Actual Ultim 3, shared his analysis of the situation. According to him, the top ten to twelve skippers have managed to hook onto the low-pressure system, but only the two leaders, Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) and Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable), could take advantage of it as far as the Cape of Good Hope. He points out that the fleet, already split in two, could split further, with significant gaps between the groups.
Record-breaking Monday, November 25
On November 25, the head of the fleet was the scene of a series of speed records. Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkea) covered 579.86 miles in 24 hours, averaging 24.16 knots, setting a new solo monohull record. Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable) also put in a remarkable performance, covering 568.35 miles. These impressive speeds testify to the total commitment of the skippers and the favorable weather conditions. A total of 6 skippers broke Yoann Richomme's previous record set on November 20.
However, this zone of low pressure is narrowing, forcing the sailors to maintain a precise trajectory to avoid losing the favorable wind. At the front, Charlie Dalin and Thomas Ruyant are extending their lead, while the rest of the fleet is stretching out over several hundred miles. The skippers now have to sail carefully to stay in this narrow corridor of wind and avoid the calms that could slow them down.
