Vendée Globe Race - Day 13 - "I can see you!" - 6nm covers front three racers
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World NZ 22 Nov 17:45 NZDT
22 November 2024
Charlie Dalin - MACIF - IMOCA - November 19, 2024 © Charlie Dalin
Race favorite Charlie Dalin, having made an average speed of over 19kts over the last 24hours has, as predicted in our earlier edition, run down race leader Thomas Ruydant, and now leads the Vendee Globe Race for the first time.
Sam Goodchild is third - and just 6nm covers the first three overall. They are almost within sight of each other which makes the racing even more intense.
The three will be looking to maximise the various weather options, to catch a weather system that will take them well into the Southern Ocean and build a gap on the peloton.
Earlier, Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable), the "B" boat of the TS Racing Team was leading the 39 boat Vendee Globe race fleet as they head for the Brazil coast, where they will bounce off the corner and pick their entry point to the Southern Ocean section of the 24,500nm course.
The lead boats are headed towards Fernando de Noronha (not a rounding point) with speeds that vary between 15 and 18 knots. Ruyant, at the time of the 0600hrs UTC sked, had been sailing at just over 7kts - for two or three hours - as he repaired a hydraulic ram on his J3 jib. Despite the slow-down, his 24 average speed was similar to others in his peer group. By the next sked at 1000hrs UTC Ruyant had recovered and was sailing at 16-17kts.
17 of the fleet have now crossed the Equator, and are now enjoying their first day Down Under.
Race favorite Charlie Dalin was in second place, at the 0200hrs UTC sked sailing faster than Ruyant, with the "A" boat of TS Racing, sailed by Sam Goodchild, in third place on the water. The second and third boats had VMG's 2kts faster than Ruyant and therefore we anticipated there will be a lead change if that situation continued for two more hours.
All boats in the lead bunch and peloton are on a heading within 10° of each other. It's a drag race, without too many tactical options.
Once they bounce off Brazil the tactical, or rather the meteorological puddle jumping begins as the sailors try to avoid the many light wind holes in the Southern Ocean, while trying to stay clear of the approaching fronts and low pressure cells with their over strength winds. We have run two weather routing models. The first with the virtual mark, in the position shown. And in a second model with the virtual mark further towards the Kerguelen Islands to test the weather options with the boats sailing for a further two days. Little changed in the context of the race options - other than there is no obvious best way. However their options are simpler in that skirting close to the Ice Gate will see them sail the shortest possible distance to make Cape horn.
The onboard weather routing systems will be treading the fine line between taking advantage of the safety of the light winds, while skimming along the edge of the fronts to keep up speed. It becomes a Velocity Made Good game as the sailors try and pick a route which will get them to the Ice Gate, where they have to turn to port and head through to the Kerguelen Islands.
Proportionately, the women sailors in the 39 boat fleet are outperforming the men, with all six women in the top 21 boats on the water. Leading that race within a race, was Swiss sailor Justine Mettraux in 9th, with Sam Davies (FRA/GBR) in 11th.
More updates to following from the 1800hrs UTC sked and 2000hrs UTC weather update.