The Vendée Globe, A Gift That Keeps on Giving, Right Into January
At the moment the deltas, the time differences, between the top ten boats is in hours. Recall that in the least two editions there were two runaway leaders. Francois Gabart was just three hours and 17 minutes ahead of Armel Le Cléac’h in 2013 when he won in 78 days and 02 hours but the gap back to Alex Thomson in third was another 2 days and 10 hours, Jean Pierre Dick, who sailed the last 1100 miles with no keel finished eight days after Gabart.
Bestaven Might Forge An Escape, Dalin, Ruyant Choose their Options, New Low Threatens Burton, Attanasio, Cremer. Destremau Heading Towards Decision Time
The Vendée Globe seems set to deliver a South Pacific Ocean cliffhanger worthy of Christmas Holiday week fireside viewing as the front running group try to negotiate a large, tricky high pressure system which is blocking their route east.
Burton Back, Bestaven Lights The Way, Boris Reflects
"This is one of the hardest things I have done in my life! We have a new mainsail track, I can set the full mainsail and we will be able to go fast again back to Les Sables! " Louis Burton’s cries of delight from the top of the mast of Bureau Vallée 2 would have been heard by no-one on the lonely, mist shrouded Macquarie Island some 930 miles South East of Tasmania but his words are a welcome warning to his Vendée Globe rivals that Burton is back. After that fateful involuntary gybe on December 6th when he was second, Burton has been compromised significantly and dropped to this morning’s 11th place some 750 miles or so behind the leader Yannick Bestaven,
This morning is an Aretha morning - she's been blasting out in my cabin and on deck and I have been singing along like a strangled cat but she doesn't seem to mind.
I've had an incredible couple of days run, Medallia has been on fire and has made a great job of sneaking along to the South of my competition and gaining some miles. I've been pushing hard, driven on my best tunes and I think it's impossible not to put your heart and soul into your work when backed up by Aretha.
