On this ninth day of racing, Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère – Armor-lux) regained the lead in the Vendée Globe rankings after losing it on Sunday to Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable). He is four miles ahead of his first pursuer at 7 p.m. (Paris time).
At 65 years old and for his sixth participation, he hit a wind zone off the Mauritanian coast that he had chosen to sail along unlike the rest of the fleet, which set out on an option further west which came up against a windless area. He was traveling at 14 knots while the Briton Goodchild and his closest pursuers, Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) and Nicolas Lunven (Holcim PRB), were moving at between 4 and 7 knots.
“Yes, I lost a little speed in the last few hours, but everything is fine. It’s a little frustrating to find yourself without wind, nothing serious. The advantage is that I don’t put too much pressure on myself about the result. We adapt, that’s all. But anyway, we take advantage of these moments to check the boat. I did some repairs, checked the autopilot and adjusted a few things here and there,” Goodchild told AFP.
A very close race
The race remains close with 15 skippers standing within a radius of nearly 120 miles at the 3:00 p.m. check-in, according to the organization. For his part, Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée), victim of structural damage to his monohull since Saturday, has embarked on a major project to keep his IMOCA in the race.
“There is a crack there, another there, they cross the deck and it comes on the exterior bulkhead of the cockpit (…) we attack with a big sanding session inside,” launched the skipper equipped with a protective suit, a mask and glasses in a video relayed by the race direction. Next strategic area for solo sailors, this week’s negotiation of the Doldrums, the famous calm zone located off the African coast, north of the equator.
Ranking at 7 p.m. (GMT + 1):
1. Jean Le Cam (It all starts in Finistère – Armor-lux) 22,267.36 nautical miles from the finish
2. Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) 4.34 miles from the leader
3. Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) at 16.18 miles
4. Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB) at 40.32 miles
5. Thomas Rettant (Vulnerable) at 40.87 miles
6. Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé Prévoyance) at 55.03 miles
7. Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Coeur) at 57.23 miles
8. Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq V) at 57.77 miles
9. Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) at 65.24 miles
10. Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team Snef) at 67.47 miles
