Vendée Globe | Dalin still leader, status quo at the head of the fleet

His Close Pursuers, by Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable), 2^eto Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB), 5^e and the fastest in the last 24 hours, have nevertheless closed in on the Normand and are within 100 nautical miles.

The leading fleet, which has been surfing a depression created off the coast of Brazil since Sunday, is still crossing the Atlantic at a steady pace (between 20 and 22 knots over the last 24 hours), towards the south-east.

“It’s really a speed race… I don’t really like this group that bombs randomly, I’m part of it eh, but I think we won’t be able to last two months like that! », declared Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa), holder of the record for distance traveled in 24 hours during this 10^e edition (more than 1000 km between Sunday and Monday).

“It was a tough day, the wind rose quite strongly and the seas formed,” summed up Paul Meilhat (Biotherm), who brings up the rear of the leading group in 9^e position, at 207.79 min. by Dalin.

Behind him, a real break has formed, the British Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur), 10^eclocking in at 338.42 min. of the leader.

“The depression that accompanies us seems to be concentrated. Some people won’t be able to stay on his back, while on our side, we’ll find ourselves right in the middle of it! », Anticipates Sébastien Simon (4^e). “The next 24 hours are going to be intense, it’s going to be mentally tough,” he adds.

A pace which could last until the Cape of Good Hope before the fleet heads south and towards the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ), reduced on Monday by almost 100 minutes. by decision of the organizers, which should allow sailors to shorten their route and take advantage of the southern depressions.

“Echoes” close to the ZEA had been detected at the start of the race, but “since then, new satellite images have made it possible to identify these echoes as being those of fishing boats and to establish that icebergs and growlers ( small icebergs, Editor’s note) are located quite far away,” explained Fabien Delahaye, from the race director.