On the Vendée Globe front line the Christmas truce is over. Days of light winds and mild temperatures have been summarily replaced by 30-35 knot winds. Deep reefed sails are the order of the day. It is cold, miserable and wet with freezing South Pacific water sluicing the decks. As the leading duo Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV) and Charlie Dalin (Apivia) pass Point Nemo today, the loneliest point on the Southern Ocean - the Furious Fifties offer a rude reminder why they are so called.
Tunnel Vision, Towards Cape Horn, less than 2000 miles ahead
At just under 2000 miles to Cape Horn, the leaders of the Vendée Globe have a long, tough week of work ahead to reach the big left turn, the release out of the Pacific back into the home ocean. There is some relief that speeds are quick again as their position on the depression finally yields reaching conditions, cold SW’lies for the chasing peloton, NW’ly for Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV) and Charlie Dalin (Apivia).
Didac, "Yesterday, I had the most difficult conditions of the race so far "
Yesterday, I had the most difficult conditions of the race so far. For days I had seen the low that would cross from a SE'ly direction. I was finally able to avoid its center, going directly south to under Tasmania from the AMSA Australia.
