Although she still has some brisk winds Isabelle Joschke is out of danger and making about 8 to 9 knots under reduced sail taking care of MACSF since she retired from the Vendée Globe with damage to her keel canting system such that the keel is not secured and pivoting free.
Her team and Race Direction are in regular contact with the Franco-German skipper as they evaluate where the best port will be for her to head to, almost certainly on the Brasilian coast.
“The port could be Itajai, Rio de Janeiro or Salvador de Bahia. The goal is for her to move north as quickly as possible to find a flow of easterly trade winds in latitude 25-26 south.We are in the process of setting up arrival solutions to have a team ready to welcome Isa.Beyond that the repair of the boat in situ so that it returns to France by sea or whether we load the IMOCA MACSF on to a cargo ship has not yet been decided.” a recent team update stated.
Not too blessed these last few days, Yannick Bestaven isn't where he would have liked to be, but he’s still in the running. You have to put your heart into it: the squall passages take up a lot of energy from the sailors.
Gains Are Small And Hard Won on the Climb To Recife
Racing 170 miles offshore of Porto Seguro, Brasil any gains are small and hard won among the leading pack of the Vendée Globe as they climb northwards in a modest 12-15kts trade wind.
Charlie Dalin (Apivia) has managed to be consistently slightly faster than second placed Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) and his now 20 miles ahead of the skipper from Saint Malo who is racing the boat which won the last Vendée Globe in January 2017.
Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori One) passed Cape Horn this evening at 1703 UTC in 20th place. He rounded 01hrs and 01 mins after Didac Costa.
News13 January 2021
A Drag Race To Recife…..And Beyond!
Dalin Leads Speed Test Up Brasilian Coast.....Six boats in 88 miles..Costa, Le Diraison At Cape Horn, Shiraishi this evening
With nothing more than a handful of small miles separating them, the leaders of the Vendée Globe are engaged on a straight head-to-head speed test which may yet prove decisive, and which may finally show the ultimate value of a fully functioning latest generation foil package.
