Vendée Globe

Anne Liardet is just a few miles from Les Sables d’Olonne, as we write these lines. Tired, but « not as tired as the boat, » in her own words, the young yachtswoman has struggled in vain to catch the tide. That is due to several elements. Firstly an unfavourable wind in terms of strength and direction, and secondly, a series of technical problems, which are only normal after covering 24,000 miles. What with the pilot, halyards and reefing points causing difficulties, Anne had a very busy final night at sea. That’s without talking about the tacks upwind that were necessary to reach the latitude of Les Sables, which dramatically slowed down Roxy’s progress towards the finishing line.

«I didn’t make it as far north as I had hoped. I have a steady northerly flow coming straight at me, so I’m going to have to continue to tack.» The final stretch for Anne Liardet will thus be very similar to the experiences of her predecessors in this Vendée Globe. A north easterly, blowing more or less violently, forcing the competitors to struggle all the way to get through a very gruelling finish. It was out once more with the toolbox too. «It’s time for us to finish. Roxy is starting to get fed up.» On shore, the children, family and friends are doing their best to offer a warm welcome home to the first woman to complete this edition of the Vendée Globe, as Anne obtains eleventh place and is the third woman in history after Catherine Chabaud and Ellen MacArthur to complete the official race. Today is Mothering Sunday in Britain, so it seems the perfect day for her children to welcome their mother home. Raphaël Dinelli (Akena Verandas) is sailing abeam of Cape Finisterre. The route way out west that he chose after the Equator is offering him a nice run up to the latitude of Les Sables. The problem is how will he regain position in longitude towards the finish, without getting caught up in the huge high-pressure area, stretching out from Ireland to Madeira? Raphaël is continuing to swallow up the miles. «I think I will have to cross through the ridge of high pressure up level with the English Channel and then head back down on the north easterly» he explained, fearing nevertheless the disappearance of the wind in the next 48 hours close to the centre of the high. Raphaël remains cautious about his time of arrival. For the moment he is thinking more about next Thursday. «I don’t know how I’m going to get through this final stretch.» Karen Leibovici (Benefic) has had to struggle with yet another technical problem, just at the moment when the young woman managed to pick up a south easterly flow, favouring higher speeds, although requiring all her energy and putting the boat under strain. 35-knot winds, crossed seas, and then the pilot gave out, unable to recognise the angle of the helm. «Such a repair job is impossible at sea,» admitted Karen bitterly. 60 miles off the island of Santa Maria to the east of the Azores, Benefic is being tossed around by the elements. Karen, who is still having to put up with severe back pain, has to remain at the helm to keep up the speed and stability. At the same time, she managed to fit a spare pilot while she awaits a better solution from her shore crew.

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