Skippers cover around 28,000 nautical miles on the Vendée Globe. These can be divided into three main stages: the first third in the Atlantic, the Southern Ocean and the last third again in the Atlantic. The sailors not only have to master a wide variety of wind and wave conditions, but also cross different climate zones with autumn weather at the start, heat at the equator and subpolar cold in the south.
In addition to the correct setting of the yacht to sail at the highest possible speed, so-called weather routing is one of the most important tasks on board. Using weather forecasts and appropriate software, such as the Adrena routing program, the skippers try to find the best course past calm zones and around heavy storms. They are only dependent on their own knowledge; Outside help, such as external weather experts, is prohibited. Although the programs are fed with the corresponding forecast data, they can already look ahead several days and sometimes weeks, but these are always only calculations of probabilities. In the end, it is up to the knowledge and experience of each skipper to follow the suggestions of the software or to rely on your own intuition.
Through lulls, storms and different climates
In the first phase of the race, the participants usually give full throttle, by the time they reach the Southern Ocean, the wheat is usually separated from the chaff. Because whoever reaches one of the strong winds of low pressure areas moving from west to east can hardly be caught - like with a chairlift in which you catch the first gondola. With the further developed foils and the higher speed, the boats can sail longer than before with these low pressure areas, so that the phases with less wind in between, in which the field can collapse, decrease. However, the virtual ice border brings the participants closer to northern high pressure areas than before, which could result in interesting constellations.
When you reach Cape Horn, the last stage begins. Here, those placed in the front try above all to secure their position to the rear. Exciting boat-to-boat battles can develop because of the changing conditions.