Leaders into Pacific shortly and passing race midpoint tonight, Bestaven v Ruyant Drag Race in the 50s, Dalin Repairs and Says ‘I am here and I am back and I have them in my sights.
Yannick Bestaven, skipper of Maître Coq IV took the lead of the Vendée Globe early this morning. And though the 47 year old from La Rochelle who is sailing a 2015 launched boat has threatened the lead before sailing an accomplished, express passage on his first time across the Indian Ocean, ‘Besta’ today becomes the 10th different leader on the 20th lead change on this remarkable Vendée Globe since the start in Les Sables d’Olonne back on Sunday 8th November.
Bestaven is now jousting with Thomas Ruyant as the pair scythe eastwards leaving the Indian Ocean behind and passing into the Pacific tonight, on a fast port gybe running as close to the Ice Exclusion Zone as they dare in the decidedly chilly ‘Fifties. The leaders will also pass the midpoint of the 24410 nautical miles course this evening.
Bestaven and Ruyant are 15 nautical miles apart this evening. Earlier in the day they spoke on VHF radio. The LinkedOut skipper noted on the morning call that maybe Bestaven’s older generation VPLP-Verdier design might prove quicker as the 25 kts breeze moves aft to give more VMG downwind conditions. Meantime the Maître Coq skipper has continued to show high average speeds on what will be a long port gybe drag race for the next three days at least.
One hundred and fifty miles behind them previous leader Charlie Dalin is back in the game after an exceptionally tough and exacting repair made to the foil bearing and housing on the port side of his APIVIA. Dalin told today how he worked steadily through a detailed plan including accurate drawings of the replacement carbon composite part he had to cut and replace into the foil housing, while suspending himself from a halyard.
Dalin explained, “The hardest part was fitting it. I was going back and forwards between the cockpit and the foil exit location on the hull I was suspended by a halyard to reach the point where I could fit the chock and I don’t know how many times I went back and forth, I don’t know 30 or 40 times to adjust the carbon piece to fit in the foil case. And in the end just before nightfall I managed to fit the piece in and tinker it. It was a big relief as I could see the sun going down. I was saying to myself ‘Charlie you really have to do this, you have to do this before it is dark because after that it is going to be too late. I worked really hard and managed to do it.”
Wearing a smile of relief he had admitted, “ I have had a few problems. But this one puts the rest in perspective. Before a small problem felt big for me, a big concern, and after this one all my problems before they feel small. I am glad this one is over and I feel I have gained confidence in my ability in fixing the boat and I really hope the repair will hold. I now know what the Vendée Globe is about it is about surviving, managing to carry on with the boat. Boats tend to lose percentages of performance as you go on and the game is to lose fewer percentages than the opposition. So I hope I wont lose any more percent from now.
Now I have to cross the biggest ocean in the world, the Pacific and in my line of sight is Cape Horn, it seems so far, far away, so many thousands of miles, but believe me I am glad the Indian Ocean is over soon.”
He concluded “I happy to do this and to still be in the race. I am only 150 nautical miles behind the leaders. It is not unachievable to come back, so I am here and I am back and I have them in my sights.”
Charlie Dalin (APIVIA) It has been hectic ever since I realised one foil bearing was gone so the foil was not maintained any more at the exit of the hull, the foil cage was full of water and under pressure and a bit a of a leak inside the boat. More importantly the foil was moving a lot and constraining the whole thing against the foil case so I could not go on any longer like this. It was a really difficult moment for me I immediately thought that the race was over for me and that I could do nothing about it and I would end up somewhere in Australia . But I have a wonderful team and they worked really hard, Apollo 13 style, listing everything I had on board, trying to find a solution. They sent me drawings of a new bearing to make. The first thing I thought when I received the list of all that I had to do I felt it was unachievable. There was a mountain of work ahead of me. But I took it step by step and started by withdrawing the bearing and cutting with the jigsaw and doing it. T
This morning I went and did an inspection of the new bearing, everything is fine the foil is not moving much at all any more. I am confident in my repairs so far. I hope it will hold like this until Les Sables d’Olonne. This morning I really felt confident in my repair. I hope it will work. I happy to do this and to still be in the race. I am only 150 nautical miles behind the leaders. It is not unachievable to come back, so I am there and I am back and I have them in my sights.
I have had a few problems. But this one puts the rest in perspective. Before a small problem felt big for me, a big concern, and after this one all my problems before they feel small. I am glad this one is over and I feel I have gained confidence in my ability in fixing the boat and I really hope the repair will hold. I now know what the Vendée Globe is about it is about surviving, managing to carry on with the boat. Boats tend to lose percentages of performance as you go on and the game is to lose fewer percentages than the opposition. So I hope I wont lose any more percent from now.
Now I have to cross the biggest ocean in the world, the Pacific and in my line of sight is Cape Horn, it seems so far, far away, so many thousands of miles, but believe me I am glad the Indian Ocean is over soon. 
Ari Huusela (FIN) STARK: I am so happy. I just woke up from my sleep. The boat is dong fine. It is so great. It could not be better. Yesterday when it was light winds I was able to do some maintenance jobs and I am very happy with that. There were small issues, no big ones, so we have clear skies and no clouds. Nice conditions. We will get some more wind later. I love this. I have seen albatross since the Indian Ocean and right now they are flying behind me. It is such a wonderful sight. Its capability of flying is so beautiful. Yesterday I had two media phone calls from Finland and because of the situation where other sports are not happening there are huge amounts of followers in Finland, lots of publicity. It is going well. Almost everybody in Finland knows the Vendée Globe now. Everybody is following it. Everybody is asking about sleeping and eating. Some people ask funny questions like did I see land when I passed the Cape of Good Hope. I have been so lucky with the weather, a few chilly mornings and evenings. I have used my heater three times in the whole race. After the morning when the sun has warmed things up I am in my greenhouse in the sun and I will enjoy my morning coffee outside, watching the Albatross flying. It will be really nice. The only thing is I am running out of cookies. So I will soon have no biscuits. 70 days to go. I feel confident with the boat now. I feel very confident in the manoeuvres, for example when I packed the gennaker on the foredeck today it went so easy, so nicely I wondered how it was so difficult before. Day by day by day it gets better.