Vendée: Change Of Leadership After "restart"

Vendée: Change Of Leadership After "restart"
Vendée: Change Of Leadership After "restart"

Video: Vendée: Change Of Leadership After "restart"

Video: Vendée: Change Of Leadership After
Video: WoW Vendee Globe Report #27 LINKEDOUT Leading after the Doldrums. Then Hugo Boss and Apivia. 2024, March
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For an entire ocean, the Frenchman Jean Le Cam had struggled to distance himself from his two pursuers Vincent Riou ("PRB") and Mike Golding ("Ecover"). He took high risks in the Pacific, sailed close to the ice line - all in vain.

Shortly after the passage from Cape Horn he found himself in a lull while his competitors caught up with a still good wind from astern. Now they have overtaken and even overtook him. Since yesterday, Riou is back in the lead, albeit only with a wafer-thin lead of just 13 miles. Mike Golding, who was only two miles behind in second place at times, has now landed again in third, this time with 21 miles to catch up.

The reason for this restart is a high pressure bridge that has got in the way of the management trio and requires difficult tactical decisions. In front of Uruguay, a smaller high pressure area joins the St. Helena high and brings weak winds with lull holes for a few days, which is a tricky thing to avoid. While the Frenchman Le Cam opted for an easterly course, Golding and Riou chose the more direct route to the north, which is shorter, but perhaps also brings longer sections of lull than the one in the east. "I saw it coming, the two just had more wind - but let's wait and see if my route doesn't pay off in the long run," said Le Cam yesterday.

Which of the options is ultimately the better will perhaps become apparent today or tomorrow. Because here again, as so often in this race, the following applies: Whoever reaches the trade winds first can break away, and then just half a day quickly gives you a lead of 150 miles or more. While the leading trio measured their way forward, the pursuers Sebastien Josse ("VMI") and Dominique Wavre ("Temenos") were able to catch up. From what was once more than 1,000 miles behind, 670 and 870 respectively remain. Perhaps both can benefit even more from the lull before Uruguay, it should be remembered that Michel Desjoyeaux lost almost 500 miles to Ellen MacArthur at almost the same point in the last Vendée, who came back into the race that way

Further down the field, the situation calmed down somewhat after a severe storm low at the weekend. Jean-Pierre Dick ("Virbac"), Nick Moloney ("Skandia") and Joe Seeten ("Arcelor Dunkerque") are sailing towards Cape Horn in sixth and seventh place.

Conrad Humphreys ("Hellomoto"), on the other hand, is continuing his remarkable race to catch up. After overtaking Bruce Schwab ("Ocean Planet") on Friday, he has now worked his way up to Joe Seeten up to 270 miles. And that after he was the last to start again because of a repair stop outside Cape Town.

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