Vendée Globe leader Armel Le Cléac'h has an advantage of just 69
miles on second-placed Alex Thomson as the solo round the world race
enters its final 500 miles. After an action-packed 73 days the pair were
practically neck and neck today, Thomson nipping at Le Cléac'h's heels
as the pair prepared for their penultimate night at sea.
Frustratingly for the
battling duo, despite already reaching the latitude of the finish line
in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, they are being forced to sail much
further north due to an anticyclone currently blocking their path home.
The routing the pair must follow could take them as far north as the
Scilly Isles, an archipelago off the coast of Cornwall in the south-west
of Britain, before they can tack and finally point their bows towards
the finish.
In the last 24 hours, Hugo Boss skipper
Thomson has scythed another 10 miles off Le Cléac'h's advantage, and at
the 1400 UTC position update was doing 20.4 knots compared to his French
rival's 19.7. But even at that rate he will not be able to reduce the
deficit enough to overhaul Le Cléac'h before the finish line. Thomson's
hopes of becoming the first Brit to win the Vendée Globe in its 27-year
history lie in tactics, namely the precise moment to tack and head for
Les Sables.
Although the advantage is now firmly with Banque Populaire
VIII skipper Le Cléac'h the race will not be over until the finish line
is crossed. Indeed, in the 2004-05 Vendée Globe fellow Brit Mike Golding
lost his keel 50nm from the finish line and had to limp home in third
place at two knots. The current ETA for the leaders is Thursday, with
the routing suggesting Le Cléac'h will cross the line between 1200 and
1400 local time followed closely by Thomson.
The two frontrunners are under no threat
from third placed Jérémie Beyou, his Maître CoQ some 850nm behind, but
equally he is safe for now at least from fourth-placed Jean-Pierre Dick,
who trails by the same amount. Just 200nm adrift Yann Eliès and Jean Le
Cam are now his main concern. “If Jérémie has no technical problems it
will be very difficult to catch him up,” Dick said. “The danger will
come from Yann and Jean so I will have to be very careful to stay in
fourth.”
Louis Burton in seventh was 160nm from
the Equator at 1400 UTC while 1,700nm behind him Nandor Fa was relishing
in champagne sailing in the south-easterly trade winds. Talking to the
Vendée Live show today 63-year-old Fa said he would slow only very
briefly in the St Helena High but that it could swallow up ninth and
tenth-placed Conrad Colman and Eric Bellion.
“I don't think I'll have
much problem with the St Helena High – maybe one day of lighter winds
but no more,” Fa said. “Behind me a huge high pressure is forming and
the guys behind me could be much more affected. Maybe I'll be lucky –
let's see in the coming days.” Fa also heaped praise on Le Cléac'h and
Thomson, but remained tight-lipped when asked to pick a winner. “I've
watched these guys match race round the world and what they've done has
been fantastic,” he added. “Both of them deserve to win because their
performances have been incredible.”
Bringing up the rear of the fleet in 18th Sébastian Destremau was rueing lost miles to 17th
placed Pieter Heerema after he was snared in light winds at the halfway
point between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn. “I was pleased to have won
back 300 miles from Pieter Heerema after Tasmania, but he has just
gained back 200,” Destremau lamented. “I hoped to be within 500 miles of
him by the time I got to Cape Horn, but that isn’t looking likely, as
he is advancing at 14 knots. It’s not easy seeing how much route still
has to be covered before I get home.”
Quotes
Fabrice Amedeo (Newrest Matmut):
“It’s not easy getting back into the swing of things with the coast and
islands. Yesterday, Staten Island got in the way. I found myself in its
wind shadow. And now it’s the Falklands. I’ll probably have to gybe to
get around them. A low passed over during the night with 35/40 knot
winds. It didn’t last very long and everything was fine. After that, the
wind eased off, which wasn’t really forecast. For the past 46 hours or
so, the forecasts have not been reliable. There is the effect of the
Andes and so nothing is as expected. The sea is quite heavy and was
nasty during the night. After Staten Island there was a two-knot current
and the boat was slamming. I’m going to continue towards the NE with
another low moving in tomorrow, which should allow us to head north
sailing downwind at high speed.”
Jean-Pierre Dick, StMichel-Virbac:
“Conditions are variable with light winds, occasional squalls and a
fairly unpleasant swell. But I am making some headway this morning after
the light airs yesterday, which is good news, as Yann and Jean are
speeding towards me… Armel has managed to keep Alex in check and it’s a
similar scenario for me. I haven’t been very lucky in spite of having a
fairly easy time in the Doldrums. A low will be sweeping in in the next
two days, so unfortunately I will have to take the long way around to
get to Les Sables d’Olonne.”
Nandor Fa (Spirit of Hungary): “It's
a beautiful day for me. At last I have this beautiful wind which I've
been expecting for two days. Now it's blowing with 12-16 knots and I can
make 11-15 knots of boat speed in a good direction. The sun is out and
I'm seeing flying fish again. The warmth is very welcome. The air
temperature is good and I'm enjoying this kind of sailing – it's the
Premier League. I don't think I'll have much problem with the St Helena
High.”
(www.vendeeglobe.org)
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