Vendée Globe history was made today when three solo skippers
crossed the finish line at one after the other within three hours of
each other, the closest finish between a trio of boats since the solo
non stop around the world race was first contested in 1989. Jean Pierre Dick crossed the finish line at
13:47:45hrs UTC to secure fourth place for the second consecutive time.
Yann Eliès exorcised the ghosts of his horrific 2008-9 accident when he
broke the finish line at the Nouch Buoy to complete the Vendée Globe for
the first time at 15:13:09hrs UTC, one hour and 25 minutes after Dick.
In fifth place Eliès’ Quéguiner-Leucemie Espoir is the first IMOCA
configured with straight daggerboards as opposed to the new generation
foils. One hour and 30 minutes later, at 16:43:54hrs Jean Le Cam brought
his Finistère Mer Vent across the finish line to take sixth place.
The trio were largely compressed together by a big storm to the south
of Australia. Dick routed over 400 miles to the north to pass through
the Bass Strait, the first Vendée Globe skipper ever to route north of
Tasmania in order to avoid the worst of the violent weather. Meanwhile
Eliès and Le Cam slowed and rode out the worst of the weather in the
south of the system, Eliès spending more than 24 hours hove to in gale
force winds.
On his foil assisted latest generation St Michel-Virbac,
Dick was able to build his lead again but was caught each time in calms.
Eliès and Le Cam spent long periods racing in close proximity to each
other. Suspense held right into the final hours of their race. Dick’s
lead of 70 miles last night was cut to seven at one point before he was
able to extend away when the breeze finally build again for him this
morning.
Dick
admitted that although he was disappointed to have missed his target, a
place on the podium, he was satisfied to have held off the attacks of
the two highly experienced and successful French skippers, Eliès and Le
Cam, both three times winners of La Solitaire du Figaro, the one design
solo offshore stage race which remains the proving and training ground
for French ocean racers. Indeed, for his tenacity in fending off Le Cam
and himself, both three times winners of La Solitaire du Figaro, Yann
Eliès decreed JP Dick an ‘honorary Figariste’ when they shared the same
stage this afternoon.
“It was good in our race within the race,
competing against such incredible skippers as Yann and Jean with a lot
of experience and it gives me a good feeling to finish ahead of them.
The podium was my target and so to miss out is disappointing,” admitted
Dick. “There were a lot of calms and a lot of comebacks. It was good for
spectators but hard for me.”
Dick’s St Michel Virbac IMOCA spent last winter being structurally
reinforced after problems forced him out of last autumn’s Transat
Jacques Vabre, the new boat’s maiden race. The skipper who originates
from Nice pointed to his lack of time on his boat, not knowing the fine
detail of how to trim and set up his boat in the first weeks of the
race, as the root cause of his initial losses to the top five boats.
“I
am happy to get back. I enjoy being at sea. But I missed the knowledge
of the boat, the small details, I missed the keys to the boat in the
first weeks and that was hard psychologically. To lose 500 miles was
hard psychologically. I felt like I was missing little things like how
to set up and trim the boat, the finesse. But I had a good climb back up
the Atlantic to start with.”
Eliès
was objective, admitting that he thought memories of his 2008-9
accident and rescue would not really affect him as much as they did. “I
watched Jérémie Beyou’s press conference and was very moved by what he
said. It didn’t really surprise me because we’re so close out on the
water and in life. I may well have said that the accident wasn’t a
problem, but I realised in the first few hours that it was affecting me.
I found it hard to settle into the race. It was hard leaving the family
behind. I hadn’t realised it was going to be so hard. Then I started to
have a few technical problems with my sails. Gradually I overcame the
problems and managed to exorcise that moment from my life. This Vendée
Globe resembled how I imagined it with my team and sponsors – a
reasonable approach. Eighty days is long, so finding myself in a battle
with Jean-Pierre and Jean kept me busy. I preferred the 52 and 60-day
Jules Verne attempts as 80 days is so long. Next time I'll go on a
foiler! I was a bit worried when JP went through the Bass Strait and I
got my fingers burned. I told myself a little bit more wind and I would
really have been in a mess and not be able to bring the boat home
safely.”
4. Jean Pierre Dick, St Michel-Virbac, Elapsed Time 80d 01h 45m 45s,
+5d 22h 09m 59s after first, average 12.75kts on theoretical route of
24,499.52NMs. Sailed 27,857.09NMs at average of 14.5kts
5 Yann Elies, Quéguiner-Leucemie Espoir, Elapsed Time 80d 03h 11m 09s, +5d 23h 35m 23s, +1h 25m 24s after fourth. 12.74kts average on theoretical course. Sailed 27,138.58NMs at 14.11ktrs
6 Jean Le Cam, Finistere Mer Vent, Elapsed Time 80d 04h 41m 54s, +6d 01h 06m 08s after first, +1h30m45s after 5th, 12.73kts on theoretical course. Sailed 27,114.91Nms at average 14.1kts.
5 Yann Elies, Quéguiner-Leucemie Espoir, Elapsed Time 80d 03h 11m 09s, +5d 23h 35m 23s, +1h 25m 24s after fourth. 12.74kts average on theoretical course. Sailed 27,138.58NMs at 14.11ktrs
6 Jean Le Cam, Finistere Mer Vent, Elapsed Time 80d 04h 41m 54s, +6d 01h 06m 08s after first, +1h30m45s after 5th, 12.73kts on theoretical course. Sailed 27,114.91Nms at average 14.1kts.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento