28th December 2020
On the Vendée Globe front line the Christmas truce is over. Days of light winds and mild temperatures have been summarily replaced by 30-35 knot winds. Deep reefed sails are the order of the day. It is cold, miserable and wet with freezing South Pacific water sluicing the decks.
As the leading duo Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV) and Charlie Dalin (APIVIA) pass Point Nemo today, the loneliest point on the Southern Ocean - the Furious Fifties offer a rude reminder why they are so called.
From Point Nemo it is nearly 2,000 miles to Cape Horn where deliverance waits. This stage, to the Horn, is about remaining prudent, preparing perfectly for the Cape and knowing the timing of the weather transitions as accurately as possible.
Vendee Globe - back to reality 29 December 2020
On the Vendée Globe front line, the Christmas truce is over. Days of light winds and mild temperatures have been summarily replaced by 30-35 knot winds. Deep reefed sails are the order of the day. It is cold, miserable and wet, with freezing South Pacific water sluicing the decks.
As the leading duo Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV) and Charlie Dalin (APIVIA) pass Point Nemo today, the loneliest point in the Southern Ocean - the Furious Fifties offer a rude reminder why they are so called.
From Point Nemo it is nearly 2,000 miles to Cape Horn, where deliverance waits. This stage, to the Horn, is about remaining prudent, preparing perfectly for the Cape and knowing the timing of the weather transitions as accurately as possible.
AMEDEO ABANDONS, DALIN IS BEING CAUGHT
KEY POINTS:
Dalin’s margin is halved
Merron, Shiraishi Cross Good Hope
Leader Charlie Dalin has seen his margin more than halved in the last 36 hours as he negotiates a high pressure zone of lighter airs some 630 nautical miles west of the longitude of Australia’s Cape Leeuwin.
The perils of being first to break into gentler winds are obvious as he sees the chasing duo have closed up to within 100-120 nautical miles of him, albeit partly as he repositioned himself further to the south. But while some have been questioning if Dalin is hiding damage which might account for his slower speeds the 35 year old who originates from Le Havre has been sailing into the lightest wind of any of the top 15 boats.
Vendée Globe Day 34: Amedeo abandons, Dalin is being caught sail-world.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sail-world.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.