Vendee Globe Ocean Race, Day 52 - A Strait Exit

- Leaders chose the prudent option
- Macif leads by 12 miles
- Superfast Thomson makes gains

After passing Cape Horn last night just 1 hour and 15 minutes apart Vendée Globe leaders François Gabart (Macif) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) chose to exit the worst of the ice danger zone by passing through the Le Maire Straits, gybing through the 16 miles wide gap between Tierra del Fuego and Staten Island. In third place Jean-Pierre Dick is expected at Cape Horn during tonight.

Although it was the younger skipper, François Gabart, who broke the longitude of Cape Horn last night at 1820hrs UTC, it was Armel Le Cléac’h  (Banque Populaire) who broke the silence first, revealing the stress of passing Cape Horn in challenging visibility with the ever present threat of ice. Deliverance is the word used most often to describe a safe passage of the Horn and Le Cléac’h chose wisely : « When we have all this ice around it makes it much more difficult. We have 150 complciated miles with icebergs on the course. And when night comes it will more difficult. Once we are past Staten Island we will be back to simpler sailing conditions. » said Le Cléac’h whose second solo passage of the greatest cape it was, passing at 1935hrs five miles further offshore than his rival Gabart.

Prudence first
Even when the real strategic advantage was considered to be held by punching east on the same starboard gybe, the duo chose the safe, fast exit, moving more directly north after the cape through the Straits of Le Maire. Sailing away from the ice which is reported to the east of the Cape and south of Staten Island required some smart gybing through the 12 miles wide channel, a series of manoeuvres which ensured that it was a long and stressful night for the leaders. The real relief will likely come today but it will be short lived as they apply themselves to the weather conundrum that is the South Atlantic. Initially they need to decide whether to leave the Falklands Islands, to the west or east. The simple maxim is to climb north as fast as possible. In the west there is less wind because of the prevailing high pressure, to the east more wind but more miles need to be sailed. This morning, once again, there is just 12 miles between the leader Gabart and second placed Le Cléac’h.

Whilst Jean-Pierre Dick on Virbac-Paprec 3 should reach Cape Horn sometime after midnight (UTC) tonight, the direct gains of Alex Thomson continue. The rapid British skipper made a 24hrs run of 457 miles to 0500hrs this morning which stands comparison to his best 24hrs of the race so far at 477.14 miles. He has gained more than 160 miles on the leaders and was 869 miles behind Macif this morning.

First solo passage
Thomson had 776 miles to make to his first solo passage of Cape Horn.  Whilst Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) in fifth place closes towards the East Pacific gate which is 475 miles ahead for him, Briton Mike Golding has now doubled his lead on Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud) to 85 miles. Spain’s Javier Sanso is now 61 miles behind the Swiss soloist Wavre who is on his tenth circumnavigation of the planet.

To date Arnaud Boissières (Akéna Verandas) has managed to stay ahead of the fast advancing Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) who is 37 miles behind. But meantime Tanguy de Lamotte (Initiatives Heart) struggles with next to no wind: "This morning aboard Initiatives, there is no wind, zero, nothing ... So there is no progress! I am glued to the International Date Line ... This is diametrically on the opposite side of the earth, if you (in Europe) dig a tunnel straight under your feet through the center of the earth, you come away not far from my Boat". Stuck in the anticyclone, Tanguy has averaged 8 knots over the past 24 hours. Alessandro di Benedetto (Team Plastique) remains prudent, continuing with his autopilot problems. For the Italian skipper the next gate, New Zealand is still 940 miles. For him, Cape Horn is still close to a month’s racing away.