Vendée Globe Thursday 16th January Update - Simon cruising in safe mode towards a Sablais podium

by Vendée Globe media 16 Jan 16:57 GMT 16 January 2025

Sébastien Simon aboard Groupe Dubreuil - Vendée Globe 2024 © Sébastien Simon

While the Les Sables d'Olonne skipper Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) is completing his final miles towards his home port to complete an emotional, important third place on the Vendée Globe - he should cross the finish line around midnight tonight, Germany's Boris Herrmann (Malizia-Seaexplorer) is facing a whole new level of challenge after damaging his port foil in the small hours of the morning.

Herrmann, who is lying 10th in the race hit an unknown object or animal in the water at 02:31 UTC when he was approximately 900 nautical miles off Brazil's northeast corner while sailing at 13.7 knots. H is safe and unharmed, and the boat remains seaworthy. The damage, however, is severe and beyond repair. After consulting with his team, he assessing whether the foil can be retracted and secured. If this is not possible, he may need to cut it off, a complex and time-consuming operation.

Despite the setback he is determined to finish the race. "It's another difficult day, but it can always be worse. The boat is safe, I'm unharmed, and we keep going. We keep trying our best, as always."

Herrmann was slowed to a boatspeed of a couple of knots in the middle of the afternoon.

Towards a local triumph

The 35 year old Simon was heading slowly but surely towards Les Sables d'Olonne, where he is expected between 10pm and midnight UTC tonight. And no matter the hour of day or night the 35 year old who grew up in the town and started his Optimist dinghy sailing career will be afforded a huge welcome. Already this afternoon locals were putting plans in place to salute Simon who had to retire from his first challenge in 2020 after suffering damage to his foil and foil casing.

About a week, or over 2200 miles, behind him those who are between fourth and tenth are contemplating a big low pressure system which is coming their way, due to impact them on their final days of racing. In sixth Paul Meilhat (Biotherm), for example, is having to deal with a broken forestay, which is complicating his challenge.

As he approaches Les Sables d'Olonne Simon is still working hard "I didn't sleep all night because of the heavy marine traffic, and I had to do multiple tacks in the current, because my timing to pass the Raz de Sein was not ideal. As a result, I am a little tired, but it's okay even if at the moment I am sailing on my wrong side. This forces me to constantly trim everything to maintain a good speed, because I easily gain two knots by having the boat more stable, And I might as well push a bit. Otherwise it will be even longer to get home! After playing with the currents, it is now the small windshifts that I try to exploit to the maximum. Every detail counts, and my motivation is simple: it will make me arrive earlier. There is no reason not to do it, on the contrary!"

He continued, "I'm really looking forward to arriving. The conditions are great, everything is going well, but I want to wrap up this third place, get back to the land, my loved ones, and fully enjoy this moment." Both nostalgic and focused on the finish, he also confides: "It's strange, I feel like the start was yesterday. Everything has gone by so quickly, and yet these last miles seem endless. I've already forgotten the difficult moments, as if they belonged to another life."

The art of adapting

Paul Meilhat's, as ever, is adapting to circumstances and making the most of it. He lost his upper J2 forestay swivel two days ago and so after making some kind of repair to keep his rig secure, the skipper of Biotherm is currently operating in a degraded mode under J3, with his foil reduced in power to 70%,. "There are no real rules in ocean racing: each situation is unique. Nothing is black or white, everything is in nuances, in compromises. So first priority is safety, then second is racing and competition. In fact, this epithet has applied from the start. I have to do as I feel," notes Meilhat, "My situation is not ideal, but it allows me to continue moving forward. As soon as possible, I will climb the mast to fit a new halyard. In two days, a ridge of high pressure should bring light winds, which could be a favorable time to carry out this operation. However, at that time, the swell caused by the big depression, expected in three or four days, will already start to be felt. My dilemma: climb with little air but a strong swell or do it in windier conditions but on a more stable sea. Whatever happens, there will be no perfect timing,"

As for the big depression which is looming, he considers it objectively, "The bulk of the strong wind will be quite easy to avoid. Staying a little further south by adopting a more southerly trajectory towards the Canaries should be enough".

However, things are looking more difficult for his two competitors further ahead, Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) or Jérémie Beyou (Charal). For them winds of 45-50 knots near the Azores and, above all, waves of seven to eight metres expected at the heart of the system. "At the moment these are the options but at the moment there are three days, maybe four before we have to make that decision. But right now we are just watching and hoping it evolves into something nicer or a bit less powerful. Home is starting to feel a bit closer, it is the first time in his Vendée the race is starting to feel a bit long, I suppose that is something to do with the proximity to the finish which is next week. I am trying to not over think the finish and just trying to keep sailing like I have been for the last couple of months." Observed the British skipper Goodchild.

"We know that the North Atlantic in winter can be much harder than the Southern Ocean during the austral summer", observed Meilhat of the final challenges of their race.