Vendée Globe

Raphaël Dinelli has been making a high speed climb up from the Azores. At the beginning of last week, Akena Verandas hooked onto the Western edge of the vast anticyclone which is largely responsible for the Siberian temperatures we have been experiencing. By making a wide arc around Cape Finisterre he is still benefiting today from a favourable SE’ly wind flow. The Vendée sailor is now reaching the latitude of Les Sables d’Olonne. He will have to cross the ridge of high pressure at some stage but may be able to benefit from a shift in this system that has been blocked for a considerable time under Newfoundland. Some more typical trains of depressions are beginning to jostle the high pressure, putting some wind into Akena Verandas’ sails.

Raphaël is currently level with Les Sables d’Olonne, around 600 miles of reaching ahead.

Karen Leibovici (Benefic) is still making headway with a cold front, making good speeds in the strong wind with gusts of up to 45 knots. Finally, it is the scenario that she had expected and hoped for so as to make a rapid climb up to the North. She is reaching the latitude of Lisbon this morning and will pass under  the 1000 mile barrier to the finish during the course of the day. Her automatic pilot failure has really come at a bad time as without it she is likely to make less headway and less miles on Raphaël Dinelli’s lead of over 400 miles to the North. The seas are still big but the swell should propel Benefic along as it organises itself from the South. Fortunately this more regular swell is likely to mean less back pain for Karen, who is more determined than ever to loop this Vendée Globe loop.
Translation Kate Jennings

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