Charlie Dalin, the 36 year old French skipper of Apivia, doubled Cape Horn early this morning at 0439hrs UTC in second place on the Vendée Globe. It is Dalin’s first ever passage of Cape Horn and he rounded some 14 hours and 56 minutes after the race leader Yannick Bestaven on Maître Coq IV. He passed some seven miles south of the famous rocky island on the very tip of South America, passing into the Atlantic to complete his first time in the Southern Ocean.
Bestaven Concludes Accomplished First Time in the Big South....Dalin Due At Horn Small Hours Sunday....Hare Battles Wind Vane Problems
Alone, surfing north eastwards in the grip of stormy winds and seas, passing 85 miles south of the famous solitary rocky islet, the huge whoop of delight from 48 year old Vendée Globe leader Yannick Bestaven when he finally passed Cape Horn this afternoon marked in an instant his victorious end to the relentless Southern Oceans and the start of the 7000 miles climb homewards to Les Sables d’Olonne.
Yannick Bestaven, 48 year old French skipper of Maître CoQ IV, the leader of the Vendée Globe passed Cape Horn this Saturday afternoon 2nd January at 1342hrs UTC , passing out of the Pacific Ocean back into the Atlantic with a lead estimated to be over 160 nautical miles over second placed Charlie Dalin (Apivia).
Destremau Fighting Issues That Might Cause Him to Abandon
In a message sent to the Vendée Globe editorial team, Sébastien Destremau thinks he is running out of solutions to his streering and pilot problems and may have to get parts from ashore and so is once again fighting the prospect of an official abandonment.
Paul Larsen, Australian sailor who holds the world sailing speed record (65 knots) and also technical consultant for Pip Hare on this Vendée Globe, was on the Vendée Live.
