Must do without a large tree: Patrice Carpentier "VM Matériaux"
On the 45th day at sea, the four leaders of the Vendée Globe will sail in the South Pacific with the wind from the front. Third-placed Mike Golding ("Ecover") is currently more and more able to distance himself from his direct competitor Sébastien Josse ("VMI").
Golding and Josse, as well as the leaders Jean Le Cam ("Bonduelle") and Vincent Riou ("PRB") are currently sailing in the same weather system. At 15 knots they get the wind from the east on the stems of their Open 60s. In the direct battle between Golding and Josse, these conditions show that Golding's new "Ecover" has clear advantages high on the wind. It sails just as fast as the "VMI" (the former "Sodebo" of fifth-placed Thomas Coville in the Vendée 2000/2001) from Josse, but around 10 degrees higher upwind. Golding has been sailing a good 20 nautical miles on Josse since yesterday evening.
The leader Jean Le Cam ("Bonduelle") and almost 30 miles back Vincent Riou with his "PRB" are sailing 300 miles ahead of the two sailors who are doing a true match race on their cross course. As far as Cape Horn, the skippers at the head of the fleet still have to leave around 3400 nautical miles in their wake.
Bad news came late yesterday afternoon from Frenchman Patrice Carpentier. Around 630 nautical miles south of Cape Leeuwin, the skipper of the "VM Matériaux" broke the boom in tenth position while sailing. During the night, the Eleventh Vendée sailed exclusively with his headsail while he and his base crew tried to find a way to repair the damage. "I don't have the supplies on board to fix the tree," he said. "So I have to try to end my race with other solutions, even if all hopes for a good position are obviously gone."
Ranking on Wednesday at 10 a.m.:
1. Bonduelle, Jean Le Cam, 55 ° 46'68 S, 177 ° 46'20 E, 1.0876.5 nautical miles to the destination in Les Sables d'Olonne 2. PRB, Vincent Riou, nautical miles behind leader (ShF): 28.73. Ecover, Mike Golding, ShF: 311.34. VMI, Sébastien Josse, ShF: 331.65. Temenos, Dominique Wavre, ShF: 1,117.96. Virbac-Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick, ShF: 1,498.67. Skandia, Nick Moloney, ShF: 1,837.18. Pro-Form, Marc Thiercelin, ShF: 2,027.49. Arcelor Dunkerque, Joé Seeten, ShF: 2,331.610. VM Matériaux, Patrice Carpentier, ShF: 2,411.011. Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, ShF: 2,739.912. Max Havelaar / Best Western, Benoît Parnaudeau, ShF: 3,171.213. Roxy, Anne Liardet, ShF: 3,366.3 14. Hellomoto, Conrad Humphreys, ShF: 3,535.015. AkenVérandas, Raphaël Dinelli, ShF: 3,658.316. Benefic, Karen Leibovici, ShF: 3,799.3Eliminated: Sill Véolia, Roland Jourdain (Kiel damage)Eliminated: Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson (hole in the deck / tear off of the lounger fittings)Eliminated: UUDS, Hervé Laurent (rowing damage)Eliminated: brother, Norbert Sedlacek (Kielschaden)