While Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), the race leader, is due to pass into the Pacific this evening or tonight, and also cross the theoretical half way point of the 23,890 nautical miles course for the Vendée Globe 10th edition, way far to his west – nearer the Kerguelen Islands – skippers in the second half of the 38 boat fleet are struggling with robust conditions generated by a tough low pressure system.
Three sailors who ventured further south – all Vendée Globe race rookies – have suffered various sail or sail related damage. Guirec Soudée (Freelance) suffered damage to his J2 in the wild conditions and is considering shelter in the Kerguelens to repair it, Antoine Cornic (HUMAN Immobilier) pulled some cars out and damaged his mast track and also needs shelter to make some kind of fix and Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare) also has sail damage.
In contrast the line of skippers who have stayed in the north have been able to straight line more directly east led by 18th placed Isa Joschke (MACSF) with the wily old fox Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère Armor-lux) but they too are going to see big winds,
“The forecasts are quite precise in the Southern Ocean in terms of position and timing of the lows, but the winds are often underestimated in strength”, highlights Basile Rochut, weather consultant for the Vendée Globe.
The group in the north coped best, picking the best strategy Switzerland’s Alan Roura (Hublot, 19th), Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère, 20th), Italy’s Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian 22nd), Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur – DUO for a JOB, 23rd), Sébastien Marsset (FOUSSIER, 25th), Violette Dorange (Devenir, 26th), Arnaud Boissière (La Mie Câline, 29th) and Éric Bellion (STAND AS ONE, 30th).
@VendeeGlobe
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