Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments BFD 2024 Leaderboard

Vendée Globe Day 17 morning update: Bang, bang, chop, chop, busy, busy, Thomson on the nightshift

by Vendée Globe 24 Nov 2020 09:02 GMT 24 November 2020

Overnight only race leader Charlie Dalin (Apivia) is the only skipper among the top 10 to have managed to hold speeds in double figures as the leaders of the Vendée Globe continue their slow but steady progress south, trying to wriggle their way across a band of light winds to get to the Southern Ocean.

Dalin and second placed Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) are desperately trying to track and stay with the breezes they have, a narrow, isolated band of wind which they are working to get the most, Successfully staying under this wind flow could reward them with a perfectly timed arrival on the top of an eastwards moving low pressure system which in weather modelling would slingshot them east to more than double their 298 miles lead on third placed Jean Le Cam (Yes We Cam!). Dalin is certainly benefiting from leading into stronger breeze and appears to have a faster sail combination, likely a spinnaker, than his rival Ruyant. Their regime is demanding, manoeuvre, nav station, rest. Repeat, as described by Ruyant this morning tracking the wind in real time is key.

"We spend time at the chart table to find the way. We know the basics, but there are a lot of subtleties to deal with and, for now, Charlie (Dalin) does it very, very well. My position in second with a good cushion behind me is quite satisfying but we are not in the Indian Ocean yet. That is to say we are far from the goal. There is a rhythm from the star and thay is still the case, and there will be more in the coming days we will run through the whole sail inventory and combinations."

Behind the top duo, Le Cam is sticking to his philosophy of sailing fewest miles, working a more direct route, always on the inside of the fleet relative to the centre of the Saint Helena high pressure which is now to their north. He seems intent on staying with this straight line to the SE and working as best he can through the very light winds which are ahead of him. Le Cam has repositioned slightly to put himself directly ahead of Kevin Escoffier In contrast Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) gybed away from the second pack yesterday afternoon and is looking to work a more direct course due south. He will forego south-eastwards miles in the short term - the optimal direction - but believes that his gain will be by getting reaching a fast moving train ride east.

Meantime Alex Thomson has clearly been on the nightshift on HUGO BOSS. After resuming race mode yesterday afternoon, taking the opportunity to trundle down the track in relatively benign breezes and flat seas after the first phase of his repairs to the internal longitudinal framing in the bow of his IMOCA, the British skipper followed his plan to work the cooler night hours to finish his laminating repairs. As a consequence he has been slow during the night and slipped to seventh but he is in a good pack of boats and is very much still in the race.

Rankings at 08H00 UTC:

PosSail NoSkipper / Yacht NameDTFDTL
1 FRA 79Charlie Dalin / APIVIA192150
2 FRA 59Thomas Ruyant / LinkedOut19251.936.9
3 FRA 01Jean Le Cam / Yes we Cam !19496.2281.2
4 FRA 85Kevin Escoffier / PRB19548.7333.7
5 FRA 17Yannick Bestaven / Maître Coq IV19632417
6 MON 10Boris Herrmann / Seaexplorer ‑ Yacht Club De Monaco19639.5424.4
7 FRA 4Sébastien Simon / ARKEA PAPREC19682.9467.9
8 GBR 99Alex Thomson / HUGO BOSS19686.1471.1
9 FRA 18Louis Burton / Bureau Vallée 219746.9531.8
10 FRA 109Samantha Davies / Initiatives ‑ Coeur19763.3548.3
11 FRA 09Benjamin Dutreux / OMIA ‑ Water Family19887.9672.8
12 FRA 1000Damien Seguin / Groupe APICIL19922707
13 ITA 34Giancarlo Pedote / Prysmian Group19936.8721.8
14 FRA 53Maxime Sorel / V And B Mayenne20046.4831.4
15 FRA 27Isabelle Joschke / MACSF20062.8847.8
16 FRA 30Clarisse Cremer / Banque Populaire X20190.7975.6
17 FRA 49Romain Attanasio / Pure ‑ Best Western Hotels and Resorts202201005
18 SUI 7Alan Roura / La Fabrique20260.81045.7
19 FRA 92Stéphane Le Diraison / Time For Oceans20507.41292.3
20 GBR 777Pip Hare / Medallia21104.91889.9
21 FRA 14Arnaud Boissieres / La Mie Câline ‑ Artisans Artipôle21114.41899.4
22 ESP 33Didac Costa / One Planet One Ocean21121.11906.1
23 FRA 71Manuel Cousin / Groupe Sétin21146.41931.4
24 FRA 02Armel Tripon / L'Occitane en Provence21296.82081.8
25 FRA 56Fabrice Amedeo / Newrest ‑ Art et Fenetres21489.12274.1
26 FRA 72Alexia Barrier / TSE ‑ 4myplanet214992284
27 FRA 83Clément Giraud / Compagnie du lit ‑ Jiliti21512.12297.1
28 FRA 50Miranda Merron / Campagne de France21516.22301.2
29 FIN 222Ari Huusela / Stark21537.72322.7
30 FRA 69Sébastien Destremau / Merci21551.12336
31 JPN 11Kojiro Shiraishi / DMG MORI Global One217202505
32 FRA 8Jérémie Beyou / Charal22279.23064.2
RET FRA 6Nicolas Troussel / CORUM L'Épargne  

Find out more...

Related Articles

Vendée Globe - It's a wrap
Belgian skipper Denis Van Weynbergh is back in Les Sables d'Olonne Belgian skipper Denis Van Weynbergh completes solo non stop round the world passage but finishes outside the 2024 Vendée Globe ranking. Posted on 8 Mar
Vendée Globe 2024 Documentary
An extraordinary event recaptured over 52 minutes There were 40 solo skippers who set off on November 10 in front of a cheering crowd, for a race that will go down in history. Posted on 8 Mar
Fabrice Amedeo finishes 32nd in the Vendée Globe
Only Belgian skipper Denis Van Weynbergh (D'Ieteren Group) is now left racing Former political journalist turned ocean racer Fabrice Amedeo completed his second Vendée Globe today (Tuesday) when he crossed the Les Sables d'Olonne finish line at 14h UTC to take in 32nd place. Posted on 4 Mar
Manuel Cousin finishes 31th in the Vendée Globe
The 57 year old ocean racer completes his second successful Vendée Globe After 111 days and 38 minutes racing since leaving Les Sables d'Olonne on 10th November French skipper Manuel Cousin crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe today at 1240hrs UTC. Posted on 1 Mar
Armel Le Cléac'h: “An epic race with a great win”
Le Cléac'h is a true Vendée Globe legend Armel Le Cléac'h won the 2016 Vendée Globe and held the Vendée Globe record for eight years. That was until Charlie Dalin came along and finally smashed it out the park this time. Posted on 28 Feb
Complex final miles for the three musketeers
Cousin, Amedeo and Van Weynbergh are into their last days racing in the Vendée Globe The last three skippers competing in the Vendée Globe are into their last days racing. Manuel Cousin (Coup de Pouce, 31st) is expected to finish on Friday. Posted on 25 Feb
Jingkun Xu finishes 30th in Vendée Globe
First Chinese skipper to finish the race Emerging jubilant from a cold final night at sea Chinese skipper Jingkun Xu fulfilled a goal which has possessed him for many years when he crossed the finish line of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe this Tuesday morning at 0708 hrs. Posted on 18 Feb
Oliver Heer finishes 29th in Vendée Globe
Swiss German solo racer fulfils a childhood dream Swiss German solo racer Oliver Heer fulfilled a childhood dream, one which he has harboured since growing up sailing as a youngster on Lake Zurich. Posted on 17 Feb
Antoine Cornic finishes 28th in Vendée Globe
Concluding an adventure that he had been nurturing for more than two decades This Friday at 13:02, after 96 days and 1 hour at sea, French solo skipper Antoine Cornic crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe in 28th place, concluding an adventure that he had been nurturing for more than two decades. Posted on 14 Feb
Vendée Globe Monday 10th February Update
Getting there one step at a time After an unforgettable weekend during which five skippers finished their Vendée Globes and enjoyed welcome back into the Les Sables d'Olonne channel, there are six racers still out on the Atlantic ocean racing and two continuing their respective journeys. Posted on 10 Feb