Arkea Ultim Challenge: when flying monsters risk boredom

Can a race around the world with Ultim maxi trimarans, the Arkea Ultim Challenge, capable of covering 800 miles in 24 hours, become boring? The risk, as we are seeing these days exists. For while these flying Ocean monsters, when perfectly in place, cover sidereal distances, it is also true that it only takes a little to knock them out.

Arkea Ultim Challenge – Stopping in Cape Town

In fact, three stopped in Cape Town: SVR Lazartigue, who was fighting for the lead, Actual and Adagio, were forced to make technical pit stops in Cape Town and it is unclear when and if they will be able to restart. The regatta thus loses chunks but mostly spectacle, compared to the early days when trimarans were battling it out in a handkerchief of miles.

Benefiting, despite himself, from the situation is Charles Caudrelier who, he with no breakdowns of any kind, is marching fast and solidly in the lead and now has a 1700-mile lead over Thomas Coville with Sodebo. Beware, however, of taking the race for dead, 1700 miles at the averages these boats can do is a little more than 48 hours away, not an eternity in short. Considering also that all it takes is a small slowdown due to the slightest problem to see the pursuers remount at great speed.

Caudrelier gives thanks

Caudrelier has recently entered the Pacific Ocean, in fact about half the race is now behind us and it took 19 days to cover this part of the course. At the pace Edmond de Rotschild is keeping, not only is victory in his sights, but he is still in the running for a possible world lap record or otherwise trying to close the test in about 40 days. That alone would be a new record, as the record belongs from 2017 to François Gabart who took 42 days.

Tracking