March 28, 2024
Photo Courtesy of Sam Davies/Roxy/Vendee Globe Race
Photo Courtesy of Sam Davies/Roxy/Vendee Globe Race

Sam Davies said again today that she has not been even looking at the course, the speeds, and the weather that her pursuer Marc Guillemot has been making, so intense has her focus been on reaching Les Sables d’Olonne as quick as possible, but Sam Davies will have 50 hours to fill as best she can, waiting to see if Marc Guillemot can save his time on her and wrest third place on the Vendée Globe podium from the British skipper.

Davies had just 116 miles to sail this afternoon and was making a profitable 10 knots boat speed, which should bring her and her pink, polka dotted Roxy across the finish line around 0200hrs GMT (0300hrs local time), to complete her remarkable race. Overnight and this morning she was parked, hardly moving some 130 miles off the bay of Port La Foret where the British skipper did so much of her training, first in the Figaro in which she raced and trained for four years, and then latterly with the Open 60 which has already won the Vendée Globe twice in succession. If she can hold on to third place it will be a remarkable record for British skippers with Ellen MacArthur taking second in 2000-01 and Mike Golding third in 2004-5. She is assured of being only the fourth woman to finish the course, and the second quickest to MacArthur. She is leading her two British compatriots home, seeming set to land three of the top six places in this most grueling and demanding edition which has seen 19 of the 30 starters retire.

Her rival Guillemot sounded more upbeat and cheerful today, having had some rest last night and pulled back over 80 miles on the young British skipper. He was still saying that third place on the Vendée Globe podium is not his priority but his chances seem to have improved over the last 24 hours, and so far he has not had the slow down or indeed the park up that Davies had at the same time yesterday. He was making 6.9 knots this afternoon on Safran but will be sailing mainly on the wind with no keel and he had not yet tried port tack on his smaller daggerboard.

If Samantha Davies no longer needs to worry, she can happily look in her mirror and see her two fellow Brits, finishing neck and neck.  Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) and Dee Caffari (Aviva) were still speeding towards the Bay of Biscay, which is exceptionally quiet for the season.  They too will have to tack upwind to the finish, but can look forward to crossing the line on Monday… Early in the morning for the « giant »and ten hours or so later for Dee.  The arrival of three boats in the same day is a first for the Vendée Globe.  As is seeing three Brits in the first six…Especially as behind there is another one: Steve White (Toe in the water), who is unlikely to overtake Arnaud Boissières (Akéna Vérandas), but this is the closest he has been for many weeks.  The French sailor is finding it difficult to get away from the ridge of high pressure and his stop-and-go movement is not allowing him to pick up the SW’ly airstream, which can be found a few hundred miles ahead.  While the Weymouth based sailor is still in the trade winds on his way around the high pressure system via the west.

The South Atlantic is still just as violent.  After the storm which surprised Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport-Kapsch), the wind backed southerly.  It will become variable during the night as another thunder low arrives. No rest for the Austrian who will be facing headwinds in excess of forty knots.  Fortunately as for Raphaël Dinelli (Fondation Océan Vital) the trade winds will be there in a couple of days off Rio de Janeiro. A strong easterly airstream, but at least it will be steady.

Rich Wilson (Great American III), is managing to get away from the coast of Brazil off Recife. But close to the shore, the winds are not cooperating: he had to change tack to get further away, but once around the point (sometime tonight), things should start to look a little more pleasant, but that will only last for a couple of days as the Doldrums lie ahead.

 

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