Vendée Globe, Imoca 60 foil show (with record) in the South Atlantic

We anticipated it in the route analyses in thelast installment of The Vendée Globe Process that this South Atlantic depression, in the area where Ericsson 4 in the 2009 Volvo Ocean Race set a historic 24-hour record, would be a super-fast train for the Imoca 60 fleet. And so it was, the first ones hooked up super-fast toward Good Hope, and the blogs literally exploded: in sequence Dalin, Ruyant, Richomme, Simon, went beyond the last 551-mile benchmark set on November 20. The stopwatch eventually said it was again Yoann Richomme who signed the longest distance, 579.86, at over 24 knots average speed.

Vendée Globe – Foilers make the cut.

The break from the rest of the fleet and the non-foil boats this time was definitive. Le Cam’s east option now costs almost 1,000 miles of delay from the foilers, but in fact it is the latest generation of boats that, regardless of east-west strategies, are literally making another sport out of the others. Hooking up in the northern part of the depression, the one with the best conditions (wind around 20-23 knots and seas still very manageable), the Imoca 60s took off with averages consistently above 20 knots devouring the South Atlantic and digging an unbridgeable gap behind them. Particularly impressive was the acceleration of Charlie Dalin on Macif, who took the lead by storm, making use of speed skills of his Verdier plan at times superior to the others in the medium wind, and is now a very solid leader in the march toward the first big head of the round-the-world race. The outriders have also made selection among the foilers; in Dalin’s little group there are now not only Richomme and Ruyant, but also Sebastien Simon (at 100 miles), Jeremie Beyou at 116, Sam Goodchild at 117, and Nicolas Lunven at 121. The others are gradually pulling away, partly because it is so difficult to keep up with the frenzied pace of the aforementioned, and partly because they are beginning to be in a zone with less wind than the head of the breakaway.

Vendée Globe – Difficult stage for Pedote

Giancarlo Pedote with Prysmian, battling around 25th position, slipped out compared to the leaders’ weather system, after a crossing of the equatorial calms that was not easy. In fact another group has been created here, where there is Pedote, Le Cam and other drift boats, which at this moment are actually experiencing a different race than the first block of the fleet. For Pedote, a situation certainly not easy to handle from a mental point of view, as the potential of skipper and boat would want him far ahead, but to which the Tuscan can react. Catching up with the breakaways at the moment is not realistic, but starting to position himself well in this group of competitors is, and that is what Prysmian is trying to do in these hours, to start moving up the rankings of this Vendée Globe.

Review the Vendée Globe Trial

In the latest installment of the Sailing Newspaper’s Vendée Globe Trial we had anticipated the possibility that there might be a new 24-hour record. We analyzed this phase of the world tour with Francesca Clapcich, Alberto Bona, Antal technical aplication manager Bernardo Zin and weather coach Gianni Bianchini. However, don’t miss the next one, the one on Wednesday, November 27 at 6:30 p.m., because we are preparing a super surprise that we will reveal very soon.

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Follow the Vendée Globe with us!

Follow the Vendèe Globe with the Sailing Newspaper! In the section “The Vendèe Globe Newspaper” you will find all the latest news about the race, while on our Youtube channel, every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., “The Vendèe Globe Trial” (in collaboration with Raymarine, Antal and Gottifredi&Maffioli) goes live, where our experts, along with a parterre de roi of great sailing guests, comment on the great adventure of the solo round-the-world race.

Mauro Giuffrè