A 320-mile lead with 380 miles to go: Corentin Horeau (IMOCA) holds a substantial cushion but knows nothing is decided until the finish line. The battle in the Ocean Fifty class is wide open once again: after losing a sail, Basile Bourgnon has seen his pursuers close the gap to just 15 miles—down from over 120 previously.
The battle in the Ocean Fifty class is wide open once again: after losing a sail, Basile Bourgnon has seen his pursuers close the gap to just 15 miles—down from over 120 previously.
The scrap continues among the Class40s: Achille Nebout has pulled nearly 20 miles ahead of a tightly packed group of four pursuers, while the weather conditions set the stage for another grueling test of strength.
The podium for the giants is now completed but for the rest, the final outcome has still to be decided. Corentin Horeau has a really comfortable lead in the IMOCA class, the Ocean Fifty fleet is now back locked in a major tussle for supremacy and the Class40s are also jostling in a leading peloton.
In the Ultim class, the top three spots are locked in. Following the victory of Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue), Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) and Louis Burton (Armand Thiery) rounded out the podium last night, taking second and third place, respectively. The next to arrive in Pointe-à-Pitre should be Guirec Soudée (Liamm), expected mid-afternoon (UTC).
Horeau's not counting his chickens
And so the spotlight now moves to the other classes. With 380 miles to go until the finish, Corentin Horeau (MACSF) finds himself in a position he certainly would not have dared dream of when he set sail from Saint-Malo. The sailor from La Trinité-sur-Mer now holds a 320-mile lead over Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4), who has managed to pull slightly ahead of Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) and Élodie Bonafous (Association Petits Princes – Quéguiner). Horeau has now achieved that magical mental boost when the distance to the finish is now less than the distance to his closest pursuer. "In my wildest dreams, I never imagined this! But I have to stay cautious. I’ve never sailed around Guadeloupe, and by all accounts, it can be quite tricky. If I still have a 100-mile cushion by the time I reach the island, that would be a great result."
Presently the skipper of MACSF is clocking speeds of over 20 knots, holding a near-direct course toward the Antilles. There is now the prospect of a general slowdown, "We have a pretty good idea of what’s in store. The wind will gradually die down, and we’re likely to hit a calm patch lasting about 24 hours. The routing models show that everyone is going to slow down. My lead allows me to be a bit more relaxed about speed, get some extra sleep, and arrive in good shape for the light-wind conditions—and whatever follows."
Corentin Horeau has earned this luxury, the ability to pace himself without feeling like he’s losing ground. Still he cannot be complacent. Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4) is now holding a good second place ahead of Elodie Bonafous (Association Petits Princes Queguiner) who is now up to third ahead of Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé et Prévoyance) who has consistently been a little slower. And Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) is fighting a good fight in fifth, sailing at over 23 knots this morning.
Bourgnon fighting after sail loss
Not far from the leading IMOCA, the Ocean Fifty trimarans are jostling for position. Basile Bourgnon (Edenred), who once held a lead of over 120 miles, now sees his two main rivals closing in, threatening at just fifteen miles off his stern. Pierre Quiroga (Wewise) and Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires En Peloton by Delanchy) have the scent of blood and are closing in. The young Bourgnon sent a video showing he is visibly moved by the victory of his childhood friend Tom Laperche—admitting that the last few days have been grueling: "It’s tough out here. I’m hanging on, really hanging on, but these past few days… phew—not easy! And it’s going to stay that way right to the end."
Bourgnon has been unreachable during the official scheduled check-ins for several days. It is Thibaut Vauchel-Camus who gives his theory which: "I’ve been hunting down Basile, who’s dropped back within reach after a minor technical hitch. We hit some extremely violent squalls, and he lost a sail in the process. He’s been limping along a bit ever since. Between that loss of speed and the time it took to get the boat back up to full capacity, we’ve managed to close the entire gap. It’s really injected a new intensity into the race for us!"
Vauchel Camus on Solidaires En Peloton knows it might come down to the sailors own stamina nd ability to keep pushing at the highest levels. "We know how to push these boats to the absolute limit—that’s what we do. But right now, we’re pushing ourselves to the absolute limit, too! We know we need to save some energy for the Tour de la Guadeloupe, except that you never know when you’ll get a real break. It’s such an incredibly intense journey.” Vauchel Camus has has his first hallucinations, reflecting how tired he is “I had some clothes drying on the boat, and a few times, catching them out of the corner of my eye, I thought there was someone there with me. I even caught myself thinking, ‘Great! Now I can delegate a bit and go get some rest!’ But no—I’m all alone! You go through these brief hallucinatory phases where you feel like you have company. It’s quite strange.”
Wind is back for Class40s
The leading Class40s were desperately looking for wind yesterday in a sloppy, leftover sea. But now the wind has returned, the speedos have spiked. Achille Nebout (Amarris) was the first to find better pressure and is now in the lead by nearly 20 miles. Close on his heels, a tight pack has formed, consisting of Guillaume Pirouelle (Sogestran – Seafrigo), Pierre Leboucher (Institut Imagine), Guillaume L'Hostis (Alternative Sailing – Constructions du Belon), and Robin Follin (Solano). It is like a Tour de France peloton in the later stages, everyone wondering what the others might still have left in the tank.
Pierre Leboucher said "I really messed up in the light patches and let Achille get away.The wind was extremely unstable, with a massive swell. Finding the right line was far from easy—and it still isn't; it’s hard to find a balanced setup that allows for any rest, but right now, I’m flying the J2, hitting 20, 22, 23 knots—I even touched 24 a little while ago! We still have one more depression to cross in the next six or seven hours, and then it’s about positioning ourselves correctly for a long, fairly direct run down to Guadeloupe. My boat is doing fine; there’s just one minor issue that shouldn't require much attention. On the other hand, I have no idea what condition the others are in, or what percentage of their potential they’re still able to tap into. I only know that Achille is having some trouble with his sail changes." This is a reference to the problems mentioned the day before by the skipper from the Med, who notably broke his J2 furler and a backstay. The challenge is set to become even more complex. Conditions will continue to deteriorate with gusts of 30 to 40 knots, heavy rain, and seas of two to three meters. Then a high-pressure ridge threatens to slow the leaders again.
Further back, the two 'Rhum' categories are continuing their crossing at very different paces. In the Rhum Mono class, Kieran Le Borgne (Armor-Lux – Le Finistère Assurance) remains in the lead, ahead of Patrick Isoard (Groupe Cogedis pour Enfants du Mékong) and Tanguy Caradec (Eurvad). Among the Vintage multihulls, Damien Seguin (Arkéa – Handicap International) continues to set the pace, holding a lead of around a hundred miles over Éric Péron (French Touch – Oceania Hôtels). There is also good news from the Azores. After arriving in Horta yesterday—having been forced to divert his course—Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei) underwent medical examinations at the hospital. No fractures were detected; however, the Italian skipper is suffering from a severe rib bruising
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