Nicolas Lunven always on high alert in the Vendée Globe
by Team HOLCIM - PRB 23 Dec 2024 12:26 GMT
23 December 2024
Holcim-PRB - Vendée Globe © Adrien Nivet / polaRYSE
The Vendée Globe is a grueling marathon that wears down sailors and boats alike, ocean after ocean. Having passed south of Point Nemo this morning, Nicolas Lunven is holding up to the marathon pace without flinching.
Still in the midst of an active group with Jérémie Beyou and Thomas Ruyant, the skipper of Holcim-PRB has been delivering an impressive performance since the start. While the two leaders, Yoann Richomme and Charlie Dalin, as expected, continue to widen the gap, intense battles rage behind them as skippers manage the inevitable wear and tear of their boats after 15,000 miles of racing.
Nothing major has happened aboard Holcim-PRB, but minor repairs are draining energy and time in the heat of competition. Nicolas, for instance, had to replace a broken batten car on his mainsail on Saturday. Yesterday and last night (his time), he dealt with additional issues that caused him to lose some ground.
"I tore my FRO (a downwind sail, ed.). I'm pretty frustrated! I had already spotted a small tear in the Indian Ocean and had repaired it. But now, right below that spot... the same issue again. It wasn't a huge tear, about 20 cm, but I decided to play it safe. I had to drop the sail and patch both sides. All of that takes a lot of work. I had to furl the sail, drop it onto the deck, unfurl it again on the deck... Luckily, there wasn't much wind at that time. The weather was fairly dry and nice, so I was able to stick the patches on without a problem. But just as I was putting it away, I got hit with 35 knots of wind and hail. Imagine me, trying to roll up my sail in those conditions. It was freezing. After that, I had an issue with the foil's downline—it wouldn't hold in the jammer (the rope that lowers the foil, ed.). I replaced the jammer, but unfortunately, that wasn't the problem. It's the sheath of the line that's too worn and won't grip anymore. I'll have to come up with another solution."
It's frustrating, of course, but with the Holcim-PRB skipper, every problem seems to find a quick solution, and most importantly, his incredibly solid morale remains unaffected.
Nicolas is just 6 miles behind Jérémie Beyou, who also encountered mainsail problems over the weekend. As for Thomas Ruyant, he's managed to pull away slightly, now sailing about 80 miles ahead of Holcim-PRB. The final miles in the Pacific will demand constant vigilance, but Nicolas is determined to make the most of the favorable downwind conditions to push his IMOCA forward: "The weather situation has cleared up a bit. We've fallen behind the routings, so the nasty depression should pass in front of us now. It's downwind sailing with 20-25 knots of wind until Cape Horn, possibly a bit more near the end. It's not easy to keep the boat moving efficiently. The sea has calmed down, which is nice, but the wind is erratic. There are lots of shifts to manage and irregular gusts with passing clouds... Sometimes you've got 20 knots, and suddenly it shoots up to 30-35 knots! You'd better jump out of the bunk quickly, pull on your boots, and reduce sail," Nicolas detailed further.
Four to five days of sailing remain before he can round the famous Cape Horn.