Romain Attanasio - Vendée Globe Day 48 ©Romain AttanasioAri Huusela, Stark - Vendée Globe Day 48 ©Ari Huusela / StarkKojiro Shiraishi, DMG Mori Global One - Vendée Globe Day 48 ©Kojiro Shiraishi / DMG Mori Global OneStéphane Le Diraison on Time for Oceans - Vendée Globe Day 47 ©Stephane Le DiraisonCharlie Dalin - Apivia - Vendée Globe ©Charlie Dalin / ApiviaIsabelle Joschke - Vendée Globe ©Isabelle Joschke / MACSFIsabelle Joschke - Vendée Globe ©Isabelle Joschke / MACSFIsabelle Joschke - Vendée Globe ©Isabelle Joschke / MACSFSeaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco - Vendée Globe ©Holly CovaVendée Globe Position Report 21H00 UTC 23/12/2020 ©#VG2020Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) during the Vendée Globe ©Isabelle Joschke #VG2020Maître Coq - Vendée Globe ©Jean-Marie LIOT / Maître CoqVendée Globe ©Jeremie Lecaudey / BPCEBenjamin Dutreux - Vendée Globe ©Benjamin DutreuxVendée Globe ©Ch BreshiVendée Globe ©Charles Drapeau ILP VisionYannick Bestaven leads the Vendée Globe ©Jean-Marie Liot / Matre Coq #VG2020Thomas Ruyant / LinkedOut - Vendée Globe ©Thomas Ruyant / LinkedOutVendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 21/12/2020 ©#VG2020Maxime Sorel at Macquarie Island in the Vendée Globe ©Maxime Sorel / VandB - Mayenne #VG2020Pip Hare - Vendée Globe ©Pip Hare / MedalliaVendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 20/12/2020 ©#VG2020Yannick Bestaven crosses the Antimeridian first in the Vendée Globe ©#VG2020Vendée Globe Position Report 04H00 UTC 20/12/2020 ©#VG2020Vendée Globe Day 42 ©Alexis CourcouxVendée Globe Position Report 21H00 UTC 18/12/2020 ©#VG2020Giancarlo Pedote, skipper Prysmian Group - Vendée Globe ©Martina OrsiniGiancarlo Pedote, skipper Prysmian Group - Vendée Globe ©Jean-Marie LiotGiancarlo Pedote, skipper Prysmian Group - Vendée Globe ©Jean-Marie LiotCharlie Dalin still in 1st place - Vendée Globe ©Charlie Dalin / ApiviaVendée Globe: Cape to Cape ©PlanetSailVendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 17/12/2020 ©#VG2020Louis Burton on Bureau Vallée 2 during the Vendée Globe ©Stephane Maillard #VG2020Vendée Globe Position Report 21H00 UTC 16/12/2020 ©#VG2020LinkedOut - Vendée Globe ©Pierre Bouras / TR RacingVendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 15/12/2020 ©#VG2020Thomas Ruyant on LinkedOut takes the lead in the Vendée Globe ©Pierre Bouras / TR Racing #VG2020Vendée Globe ©Yannick Bestaven / Maitre CoqVendée Globe Position Report 21H00 UTC 14/12/2020 ©#VG2020Two large tears in a headsail for Maxime Sorel aboard V&B Mayenne in the Vendée Globe ©Maxime Sorel / V And B Mayenne #VG2020LinkedOut - Vendée Globe ©Pierre Bouras / TR RacingSeaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco - Vendée Globe ©Holly CovaVendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 13/12/2020 ©#VG2020Charlie Dalin on Apivia leads past Cape Leeuwin in the Vendée Globe ©Charlie Dalin / Apivia #VG2020Vendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 08/12/2020 ©#VG2020Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV) - Vendée Globe Day 35 ©Yannick Bestaven / Maître Coq IVVendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 11/12/2020 ©#VG2020Fabrice Amedeo on Newrest - Art & Fenêtres during the Vendée Globe ©Pierre Bouras #VG2020Vendée Globe Position Report 08H00 UTC 11/12/2020 ©#VG2020Boris Herrman on Seaexplorer - Yacht Club De Monaco during the Vendée Globe ©Jean-Marie Liot / #VG2020Vendée Globe Position Report 17H00 UTC 10/12/2020 ©#VG2020
But as Thomas Ruyant finally profits from his more northerly position of recent days and returns to third, the leading pair have their buffer of nearly 270 miles.
Bestaven’s position and timing remains better than his nearest rival’s. Dalin is closer to the ice barrier and will have to tack again but they have still not found the faster reaching conditions yet.
They are now just less than one week to Cape Horn which all of the top three skippers should round for their first time. Certainly for the two leaders the forecast suggests they will get the full Cape Horn experience with winds in the Drake Strait exceeding 45kts with big seas and as of just now it is hard to see how they will avoid it without slowing down from the middle of the week.
The chasing group should be able to enjoy better breeze from this afternoon, not on Ruyant’s best side but he is best positioned to the north of this group and he should be able to open miles at the head of the peloton.
The light winds for the group should continue to benefit the hard pressing Louis Burton who has been very close to the exclusion zone during the night (European time) but he will be the first of this group to get the new wind and can be expected to close right up. His closest ‘target’ Benjamin Dutreux had technical problems yesterday with a headsail which required him to go north to make a fix. He is doing just over nine knots this morning and may still benefit from his positioning.
As for the other skippers who are more than 900 miles from the leader (almost three days), They will have to work hard to maintain that delta: Clarisse Crémer (Banque Populaire X) is able to sail straight along the AEZ, but will have to watch in her rear view mirror because Armel Tripon (L’Occitane en Provence) should benefit from ideal conditions for his foiling scow: reaching fast on relatively flat seas. He can still harbour hopes of catching the lead group for the climb up the Atlantic.
Alan Roura (La Fabrique) has sorted his keel problems and his boat watching carefully. Behind him, Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline-Artisans Artipôle) and Pip Hare (Medallia) are being affected by a depression coming from Tasmania which should abate for them on Monday, but in the meantime it is a chance to make great speeds under New Zealand.
As for the Beyou-Le Diraison-Costa trio further back, under Tasmania, they are in the tail of the system with a very crossed sea which does not allow them to take any real advantage of the strong N’ly winds. Manuel Cousin (Groupe Sétin) on a more northerly route has it better as does the Japanese sailor Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One) behind it in the south-west sector flow.
Finally Miranda Merron (Campagne de France) followed by Clément Giraud (Compagnie du Lit-Jiliti) were able to finish the straight line of the AMSA plateau defined by the Australian maritime security services: the way is now more open for them to dive south to get out of the Indian Ocean.
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by Vendée Globe
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