That foxy Le Cleac’h is on the run (meanwhile, trees fall)
THE PERFECT GIFT!
Give or treat yourself to a subscription to the print + digital Journal of Sailing and for only 69 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.
What a foxy Armel Le Cleac’h! Quietly shutting up, he has since the start of the fastest edition of the Vendée Globe (the nonstop solo round-the-world race aboard IMOCA 60s) been trailing Alex Thomson. And while the spotlight was on Hugo Boss, and on the spectacle that the British skipper was able to put on, very fast even without a foil, he stood there behind, but without letting up a mile. All the way to the Cape of Good Hope, he seemed to say to Thomson, “Go ahead, go ahead, take all the honors. But in the meantime I’m here, I’m breathing down your neck, and when the time is right I’ll show you.”
STRUGGLE IN INDIAN, VICTORY IN PACIFIC
In the Indian Ocean, Le Cleac’h, runner-up in the 2008 and 2012 Vendées, teamed up with Thomson, and the two engaged in an ocean-long match race although, at least judging from the images filmed by French TV off the remote Kerguelen Islands, it appeared that Banque Populaire VIII was sailing more conservatively. From Cape Leeuwin onward, Le Cleac’h cranked up the turbo: the Pacific rewarded him; he is now sailing toward Cape Horn taking advantage of a depression (from which Thomson remains outside) with a lead of more than 500 miles. Things have been looking really good for Armel as he prepares to head up the Atlantic as a leader.
CLOSE FIGHT FOR THE PODIUM
The fight to the death has shifted between third and fourth place: Paul Meilhat (pictured) on SMA (1,300 miles from Le Cleac’h) must defend himself from Jérém,ie Beyou on Maitre Coq, who trails him by 30 miles. Beyou can also rely on foils. In fifth place was the good Jean-Pierre Dick, who had taken refuge in Bass Strait to escape the storm and now, in the Pacific, is back in the running.
MEANWHILE, TREES FALL AND BUMP OFNI
Meanwhile, damage ensued among the pursuers: Stephane Le Diraison (skipper of Cie du Lit – Boulogne Billancourt) dismasted while sailing in 35 knots of air. He is fine and and heading for Australia at 4 knots of speed. Even worse damage for Thomas Ruyant, skipper of Le Souffle du Nord pour le projet Imagine: he hit yet another OFNI. The collision caused a waterway and rudder breakage. By motor, Ruyant is heading toward Bluff, the southernmost town in New Zealand.
RUYANT’S VIDEO IN DISTRESS
Share:
Check out the latest issue
Are you already a subscriber?
Ultimi annunci
Our social
Sign up for our Newsletter
We give you a gift
Sailing, its stories, all boats, accessories. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the Sailing Newspaper editorial staff each week. Plus we give you one month of GdV digitally on PC, Tablet, Smartphone. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button. You will receive a code to activate your month of GdV for free!
You may also be interested in.
Transat Café l’Or: another twist for Class 40s, could still change everything
Day 18 of racing at the Transat Café l’Or, with the Class 40s still in the middle of the Atlantic for a race that is proving to be much longer than expected for them. Some are also starting to complain
How well Zorzi and Gamenara did at the Mini Transat! And meanwhile, the Class 40s at the Transat Café l’Or…
After Francesca Clapcich’s splendid second place at the Transat Café l’Or, with Ambrogio Beccaria’s fourth, there is still plenty of Italy to talk about in the Ocean. From the Mini Transat, with the arrivals in Guadeloupe, to the still-open fight
Tigullio Race 50 Event: what a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Tigullio Winter Championship! videos and rankings
On Saturday, November 8, the Gulf of Tigullio welcomed the Tigullio Race 50 Event, a regatta open to all sailing boats, regardless of size or age. A true celebration of sailing. Tigullio Race 50 Event In fact, the event is
Transat Café l’Or: Francesca Clapcich strike, overtaking Macif and second place in Martinique!
We are in the final throes of the Transat Café l’Or for the Imoca 60 class, with Jeremie Beyou and Morgan Lagraviere’s Charal taking a well-deserved victory after leading the race for almost the entire Atlantic. Beware, however, because in
