Since it was announced last night that Isabelle Joschke has abandoned she has been nursing her MACSF and its damaged keel carefully to get out of the windy low pressure system as quickly as possible, helped by Race Direction and the Vendée Globe’s meteo consultant Christian Dumard.
At the front of the fleet Yannick Bestaven’s lead has shrunk but gradually he is getting back into new wind pressure whilst the chasing duo’s speeds have been more erratic as they close to the same light winds anticyclonic ridge that has slowed the leader.
Team Director Alain Gautier confirmed MACSF’s abandon to Race Direction at just before 2130hrs UTC last night. That official confirmation allowed her to be assisted by Race Direction and weather routing expert to find the best timing and routing out of the worst of the low pressure which was generating winds in excess of 40kts and big seas. Joschke had been sailing upwind when the ram which had been securing the canting keel since the it failed on January 4th let go. Maxime Sorel, who was sailing close to Joschke reported gusts to 54 knots when he spoke to Race HQ on this morning’s early call schedule. MACSF is being routed and carefully monitored by Race Direction and by Dumard as they help her out of the worst of the weather system which is moving east.
It is cruel fate for Joschke who has been one of the most popular skippers on the race, telling her story accurately and objectively often with good humour in times of adversity, she had visibly grown in her drive and competitiveness as she climbed through the rankings. She was fifth just after Christmas in the South Pacific.
Maxime Sorel, who had been messaging Joscke in recent days as the two approached the big low pressure in close company, said this morning,
“ We both knew we were going to get hit by this depression. I didn't get it until the end of the day yesterday. She was telling me 'this is shit, my keel restraint has given up. I was so sad for her: I saw her in the top 5 at the finish. It's really bad because we were here in the Atlantic and we could not wait to get together "at home" to celebrate this round the world race together. Isa was looking after he damaged keel but she deserved to finish. But this is the brutal law of the Vendée Globe".
With 5076 nautical miles to the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne this Sunday morning the losses sustained by leader Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV) continue with Charlie Dalin (Apivia) at around 170 nautical miles behind. Racing about 300-350 miles off the Brazilian coast the leaders will cross another small psychological milestone today when they pass Itajai, the finish port of last year’s Transat Jacques Vabre which most of the IMOCA skippers raced and many sailed the return journey home single-handed. Few at that time would have ever considered the Vendée Globe which they were working up to prove to be so close and so intense. But for sure this landmark will make the leaders feel closer to the home stretch.
Damien Seguin, in fourth on (APICIL Group) and Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) in fifth have done well overnight significantly reducing their gap to the tope three. So too Benjamin Dutreux (OMIA - Water Family), Jean le Cam (Yes We Cam!), Boris Herrmann (SeaExplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco) and Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group) have been quick making over 19 knots overnight.
The Fox and the Hare
With around 460 miles to Cape Horn this morning, it looks like Alan Roura and Arnaud Boissières are sailing within sight of each other on La Fabrique and La Mie Caline – Artisans Artipole respectively (the only two boats in the race backed by bakery companies) while about 70 miles further back Jéremie Beyou may be poised to catch Britain’s Pip Hare in the chase into the Cape. Beyou – predictably on his 2020 generation foiler – is about two knots quicker then Hare on Medallia, but as usual she is doing all she can to resist, pushing hard over the last 24 hours which have been brutally tough. Beyou reported he was sailing under a triple reefed main and J3 and was anticipating going to main only.