Two days after snatching second from Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) Yoann Richomme, skipper of PAPREC ARKÉA is hard on the heels of Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance). At just less than 18 miles behind Dalin, who has led since December 2nd, Richomme is consistently quicker.
“I am very happy with the choices I made with the boat and my sails.” Richomme told the French Vendée Globe LIVE! show, speaking of his superior speed with Yann Eliès, the two times Vendée Globe skipper who was his co-skipper on last year’s Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race and his stand in, substitute skipper on this race.
But while Richomme is impressing with his measured attack at the same time all the Vendée Globe skippers have been thinking of Brit Pip Hare (Medallia) who dismasted last night and is now heading under jury rigging towards Melbourne, Australia. Other problems are mounting up through the fleet in an especially brutal Indian Ocean. Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur – DUO for a JOB, 23rd) had to work “for twelve hours” to repair a keel ram problem, Antoine Cornic (Human Immobilier, 33rd) and Denis Van Weynbergh (D’Ieteren Group, 37th) both climbed their masts while Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline, 29th) is dealing with an injured knee.
In other recent news, because of irreparable damage to the D2 shroud on his IMOCA, New Europe, Hungarian skipper Szabolcs Weöres has made the difficult decision to retire from Vendée Globe 2024-25 The shroud, a key component of the rigging that stabilizes the mast, broke on 14 of December, while he was sailing on port tack in winds gusting over 40 knots about 700 miles away from Cape of Good Hope.
@VendeeGlobe
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