High wire act in the South Atlantic

(November 25, 2024; Day 16) – The 24 hour solo monohull record had already been broken twice on this tenth edition of the Vendée Globe but last night in the South Atlantic it fell successively to an onslaught of attacks as the leaders of the solo non stop race round the world enjoyed perfect conditions for sustained high speed.

Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE), Nicolas Lunven (Holcim – PRB), Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), Jérémie Beyou (Charal), and Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) all pushed the mark higher and higher. But, appropriately it was Richomme who held the record set five days ago, who trumped the fast moving, hard driving peloton with a new mark of 579.86 miles (pending ratification) set in flat water and 17-20 knot winds between 0130hrs UTC yesterday and the same time early this morning.

But there has been little time to celebrate the new mark as the top group push hard to make the most of a low pressure system which is following the perfect axis to propel them towards the Cape of Good Hope and the southern oceans. All are trying to stay with the system which is becoming narrower and narrower. With lighter winds on either side, it is increasingly a fast moving high wire act.

“It is a bit like in life, the rich get richer!” quipped 16th placed Romain Attanasio (Fortinet – Best Western). And indeed, leaders Charlie Dalin and Thomas Ruyant are widening the gap on their pursuers. A few days ago at Fernando de Noronha, the top ten was about 60 miles apart but now stretches to 273 nautical miles back to Briton Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) in tenth.

“I am little bit behind the leaders with a little bit less wind,” admitted Davies. “It is rich get richer and it has been for the last two days and so it is difficult to stay with them for sure. But I am in a good position to hang on to this breeze. So I have slightly less breeze. But it’s pretty good.”

Ruyant, who is in second place about 45 miles behind Dalin, noted how the records are secondary at the moment. “I am just trying to keep the best position with this depression, trying to keep it as long as possible.”

But with the pedal down in winds up to 30+ knots, onboard life is not for the weak. “We live a life a little crouched, holding on, sitting, lying down, being extremely careful because the boat sometimes has movements and reactions that are a little bit unexpected because of the sea state, I feel like a small animal surviving in this hull that goes at Mach 12!”

Attanasio is not overly worried about falling out of the current system as the arrival of another small depression is just behind.

“The Saint Helena high is reforming and will quickly pass in front of us; we are not going to find ourselves trapped in the middle,” explained Attanasio who, as others round him, would just have a short wait for the next low coming down the track.

But behind them, the fleet is forced to follow a much more classical routing along the Brazilian coast – a ‘triple whammy’ sailing slower, further, and less direct than the top half of the fleet which has a gift of a routing.

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Attrition:
Nov. 15: Maxime Sorel (FRA), V and B – Monbana – Mayenne – ankle injury, mast damage

The Vendée Globe, raced in the 60-foot IMOCA, is the elite race round the world, solo, non-stop, and without assistance. On November 10, 40 skippers started the 2024-25 edition which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.

Armel Le Cléac’h, winning in 2017, holds the record for the 24,300 nm course of 74 days 03 hours 35 minutes 46 seconds. Only one sailor has won it twice: Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 and 2009. This is tenth running of the race.

Source: VG2024, SSN