Icebergs on the Vendée Globe course

(January 1, 2025; Day 53) – The first few hours of 2025 have brought a big, unwelcome surprise. For the first time since 2008, three Vendée Globe skippers have seen an iceberg. Though they were warned in advance, and the position and track in the Pacific Ocean were transmitted to the skippers, it has been a fascinating and chilling encounter.

“My radar alarm went off and I had an echo four miles ahead,” said Sébastien Marsset. “I stuck my head out, and straight away I saw the iceberg. There it was all hands on deck because I was at 17 knots under small gennaker! So you have to furl to avoid the iceberg. I luff up which temporarily makes me aim at it even more, I furl and I find myself 2.5 miles from the iceberg.

“I try to luff but without accelerating too much, I end up taking a second reef to really slow down, and I wait a long time! Because frankly, it knocks the wind out of me, I was heading straight for it! So this iceberg had ultimately not drifted towards the North at all, but due East, so I was at the same latitude as it, and I found myself… facing it!

“I admit that I hadn’t slept much last night, but now… it’s tense! It’s nerve-wracking because we’re scrutinizing everything, I have all my alarms, I spent I don’t know how much time outside looking at the slightest foam, thinking it was a piece of ice! I have to take a breath, everything’s fine, there’s another one further east, but I think I’m going to put more distance between it and its theoretical position.

“My idea is to take off from the ice zone, I admit that it has knocked me off my feet! The year 2025 is starting off very intensely, and I saw an iceberg for the first time in my life! “I remind you that my hull is 3.6 mm thick”

At least two icebergs had been spotted by satellite outside the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ), with alerts sent to all the sailors currently sailing along the ice zone, right in the middle of the Pacific.

Race updates – Tracker – Ranking – Facebook

Attrition:
Nov. 15: Maxime Sorel (FRA), V and B – Monbana – Mayenne – ankle injury, mast damage
Dec. 4: Louis Burton (FRA), Bureau Vallée – rigging failure
Dec. 15: Pip Hare (GBR), Medallia – dismasted
Dec. 16: Szabolcs Weöres (HUN), New Europe – broken D2 shroud
Dec. 30: Yannick Bestaven (FRA), Maître CoQ V – steerage 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