Dalin, Herrmann, Burton: to whom this crazy Vendée Globe?
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Last 700 miles of this crazy Vendée Globe, last gybes off Portugal, before returning to the Bay of Biscay and heading for the finish line in Les Sables. The fight for the podium seems to be reserved, at the moment, for the trio consisting of Charlie Dalin on Apivia, in the lead, Louis Burton and Boris Herrmann. The German among others is the special observer, also having 6 hours of bonus time that could weigh in at the finish line. The other two skippers who can claim bonuses are Yannick Bestaven, 10 hours, and Jean Le Cam, 16, but given current mileages it appears difficult, the impossible in this Vendée is now banished, for them to get back into the fight for the podium.
The one who seemed to draw the best trajectories at this stage was Charlie Dalin, who we recall has been sailing for about 15,000 miles, practically more than half a round-the-world voyage, with one of the two foils, the left one, blocked. Apivia is therefore very fast on port tack when the starboard foil is dipped, less effective on the other tack where she cannot stretch the entire appendage. Despite this major handicap Dalin remained in the lead for many days and succeeded in the recovery on Bestaven during the Atlantic ascent when he was over 500 miles behind. The figarist from Apivia in short is proving from a technical point of view to be one of the best skippers of the Vendée and his performance from a sporting point of view is of the highest level. Always in phase with the wind rotation, Dalin is the one who has gained the most miles to the east and seems in the next few hours to have the best course as a compromise between speed and approach to the goal. If Charlie Dalin wants to win this Vendée Globe he will have to manage in the next few hours to pull away as much as possible from Boris Herrmann, who with his 6-hour allowance is the most threatening rival, and at the same time beware of leaving doors open to an ever-indemonious Louis Burton. A difficult but not impossible feat for the 36-year-old from Le Havre.
French fans are left with bated breath, left out of the race Alex Thomson not many expected Herrmann to be the most dangerous to go and interrupt the French dominance in this race that has lasted since its first edition.
Meanwhile, Giancarlo Pedote engaged in a no-holds-barred struggle with the very talented Damien Seguin, the Paralympic sailor who races without a hand, for sixth place. Seguin, who races on an older generation drift boat, is as tough an opponent as ever, and he is proving it in these hours, having had an extraordinary race. Pedote for his part does not seem to be in perfect shape, as he also recounted on his Facebook page, “I’m trying to concentrate as best I can because tonight was really bad walking, there was much less wind than announced, and it’s the VMG stern conditions, in which the boat, as in the Big South, has some bad to express itself.” A sixth place, therefore, far from easy to earn, but which would be the icing on the cake of a race that was prudent but also of a high level and above all with a result that, if achieved, would be by far the best that Italian sailing has ever achieved in the mythical Vendée Globe
Mauro Giuffrè
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