Vendée Globe

35-40 knots headwinds for Benoît Parnaudeau and Anne Liardet, while Karen Leibovici is becalmed. The end of the race is proving to be very difficult for the four competitors still at sea.

Benoît Parnaudeau (Max Havelaar-Best Western) is heading due north back up the Portuguese coast in gale force 8 winds, which have been blowing for more than 24 hours now. The seas are heavy and the tired boat is being slammed around. These uncomfortable conditions look likely to last for another 24 hours for the competitor, who should be the next to arrive back in Les Sables on Thursday. To make matters worse, the wind is directly head on, which is forcing Benoît to head back up at 60° from the wind, thus slowing his VMG to half his real speed.

At the heart of the low-pressure area
Anne Liardet’s night aboard Roxy was just as rough as Benoît’s, in spite of the much lighter winds. Stuck in the middle of the low, the yachtswoman once again experienced some violent thunderstorms, with very unstable winds going from 30 to 5 knots and constantly changing direction. During the morning, the wind picked up from the north east. Like Benoît, Anne is now to the north of the low with very strong headwinds, forcing her to be very cautious. Moreover, Anne Liardet is a little worried about her rigging, which keeps working loose.

Heavy seas for Dinelli
Raphaël Dinelli (Akena Vérandas) seems to be the luckiest of the four final competitors. He is sailing along at more than 10 knots on direct course towards Europe with a moderate 15-20 knot wind. In reality, Raphaël isn’t really having much fun either. The crossed seas are punishing his boat, which has already suffered a lot during this round the world voyage. Raphaël, who has sustained a lot of damage since the start, especially with his daggerboard casings and rigging, has this sword of Damocles hanging over his head. After two failed attempts in 1996 and 2000, Raphaël Dinelli really wants to complete this edition of the Vendée Globe. The anxiety of breaking something is weighing more and more heavily on him, as he approaches the finish.

Becalmed
Karen Leibovici’s situation aboard Benefic is not a very attractive one either. Stuck in a ridge of high pressure for more than 24 hours, the yachtswoman is trying desperately to make headway north to get out of this wind hole. But with less than 3 knots of wind, it is impossible to go where you feel like going. Karen is all the more worried, as she believes this situation could continue for another week! The end of the race seems so close and yet so far away for the last ones to finish…

LLB

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