After a fast passage south from Les Sables d’Olonne to cross the Equator last night, the leading skippers in the Vendée Globe can expect the high pace and intensity to continue down the South Atlantic. Forecasters are presently predicting the race record to the Cape of Good Hope may fall thanks to the very south easterly position of the South Atlantic High Pressure system. Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) continues to blaze the trail southwards and this afternoon was still over 58 miles ahead of Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire VIII). Both of the foiling IMOCAs have moved slightly clear of third placed PRB over the day in the beam reaching conditions – averaging 15-18kts of SE’ly breeze. After racing cheek by jowl with his compatriot Le Cléac’h coming out of the Doldrums, now in the slightly windier, more eased, reaching conditions, the orange hulled six year old VPLP-Verdier design with conventional ‘straight’ daggerboards has been a click slower than the two boats in front. PRB has lost about eight miles since last night.
Thomson set a new reference time from the start line to the Equator at 9 days 07 hours 02 minutes. Le Cléac’h crossed 2 hours and 54 minutes later and Riou 3hours and 22 minutes after Thomson. By this afternoon when Yann Eliès crossed, eight skippers were racing in the Southern Hemisphere.
The combination of a newly developing low pressure system between Rio and Itajai and then a second which will help maintain the position of the Saint Helena high pressure far to the south and east, is a mouth watering prospect for the leaders. This should create reaching conditions in a breeze all the way south east with the door potentially closing behind the ten leading skippers.
At present the Doldrums are now well to the north, from the Cape Verde Islands to 5 degrees north, and that is slowing the body of the fleet. Logically Thomson’s extra leverage, he emerged from the Doldrums 50 miles to the east of the chasing duo, should tell, but Le Cléac’h has had a very slightly higher VMG today. Thomson, on the all black Hugo Boss, is about 245 miles east of the NE corner of Brazil this afternoon.
Third placed Vincent Riou said this afternoon from PRB: “I was expecting this level of performance, otherwise I wouldn’t be here taking part. Conditions are difficult for me at the moment. In the Northern Hemisphere, we had high speeds. We know that the foils work. Coming out of the Doldrums, we‘re not upwind, so that doesn’t favour me. The wind will be on the beam for the next few days.
“I’m lucky that the wind isn’t going to strengthen that much, so the difference is not going to be that big, but it does exist. I’m going to have to find a way to hang on in there to avoid getting left behind. There is still a long way to go. We’re waiting to see what we’ll get in the South Atlantic to know whether I need to put my foot down. It looks like being fast. But there’s some disagreement between the models. There are two ways of getting to the Cape of Good Hope. But it’s clear it is going to be quick.”