Gabart’s lead extends
Thomson focused on next few days
Golding set his sights on Le Cam
Fleet News
Around 900 miles away from the duelling duos at the front of the fleet Friday night in Rio De Janeiro breathes party, fiesta, mojitos and caipirinha. But on the ocean a ferociously intense battle has begun, with skippers electing tactical choices, which vie for bold strategic positions. The true outcome is yet to be determined but every pretender is investing in the fight with heart, body and soul. The long awaited great battle of the South Atlantic is now underway and promises to upset hierarchy, confirm the ambitions of some and challenge the existing status quo.
The road ahead is to leeward
As head of the fleet, François Gabart (MACIF) strategic choices are paying dividends without a hitch. By choosing an easterly option, it was road with the least amount of risks and has given him the advantage over Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire). He currently remains in control of the lead, ahead and to leeward. His decision to tack first when sailing around St. Helena High gave him enough of a margin to head directly tip of Brazil. This blend of strategic insight and tactical rigor means that François Gabart (MACIF) has a relatively comfortable cushion, not to mention a psychological advantage over his adversary during this critical time.
Thomson clings to third
Some could say that Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) is a gambler but really it is simply logic. He was 300 miles behind Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) when he rounded Cape Horn. By deciding to follow the shortest route along the South American coast, he took the risk of being stuck in the unstable air off southern Brazil. Small depressions often form here. Today on Vendée Globe LIVE he said the models were not truly depicting the conditions he was experiencing, “the models say I am doing 15 knots but in truth I am doing zero. I expect the true situation between Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) and me to be realised in around 24 hours. When I run the routing for me and him it comes out more in my favour.” Said Thomson. Thomson is focused on getting passed Brazil, clearing the Doldrums and then the Azores High. He is taking it all one step at a time. For now we must all wait and watch the rankings every four hours to see who will lose and gain in the Atlantic battle.
Duels ahoy.
There is a battle at the front and there are battles at the back. With his primary objective being to reduce his deficit on Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) who is 136 miles ahead of him this morning, Mike Golding (Gamesa) has gained about some miles on his rival in the last 24 hours, and is consistently around one knot quicker. They are reaching at around 12-14kts on the edge of a big, messy area of high pressure to their west. Longer term it looks as if Le Cam will go into lighter airs first, but this period of the race in the South Atlantic is going to be subject to some ongoing compression and expansion.Meantime, since Cape Horn, Golding has extended on Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud) and the boats behind him, all still south of the Falklands Islands this morning, making less than 10kts and now 260 miles behind.
Behind Mike Golding (Gamesa), there is a new trio Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud), Javier Sanso (Acciona 100% EcoPowered) and Arnaud Bossières (Akena Verandas) who may now see a door open providing them options on the direct route along the coast of Argentina.
At some 800 miles from Cape Horn, Bertrand De Broc (Votre Nom Autour du Monde avec EDM) leads the dance of the last warriors of the Pacific. For now, the ocean air gives them some respite: a westerly wind 15 to 20 knots, sun and deep blue sea. But for Tanguy de Lamotte (Initiatives Cœur) it gave him some time to effect repairs on his mainsail, which he wasn’t anticipating until after Cape Horn.
Alessandro Di Benedetto (Team Plastique) has been fixing his rudders and engine. Up to his elbows in grease offshore sailing is not always a bed of roses.
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