“I'm not alone in this mess, at least Seb is with me”: Dalin and Simon, leaders of the Vendée Globe, in the middle of a storm in the southern seas

The southern seas are raging in the East for Dalin and Simon MAXPPP – Rachael Talibart/mediadrumworl

Seven-metre waves, violent winds… Break or break for Charlie Dalin and Sébastien Simon, who have set sail for the East, in the middle of a storm? The Vendée Globe is experiencing its first storm.

The Vendée Globe fleet has a date on Wednesday evening with its first storm. Leading in the Indian Ocean, Charlie Dalin and Sébastien Simon are the most exposed but, if they get through without too much damage, they could take a decisive option for the rest.

“It's going round in my head, it's a lot of cycling. I can't figure out what to think of their South option”, Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkea), currently third in the solo round the world race, confided to the organisers on Wednesday morning, referring to the two leading men.

These are conditions that we would like to see stop

Since the Cape of Good Hope, the 41-year-old from Var has been following the Dalin-Simon duo. But like the rest of the pursuers, he finally decided a few days ago to head north-east to try to avoid the worst of the storm, even if it meant losing more than 200 miles to Dalin and Simon.

On Wednesday, at the end of the afternoon, Dalin (Macif) was in the lead, ahead of this depression, a little over 300 miles (550 km) to the north-east of the Kerguelen archipelago, around fifty miles ahead of Simon (Groupe Dubreuil). “These are conditions that we would like to see stop”, described a Richomme who was already well shaken at midday, while his sailboat was beginning to suffer the effects of the storm, in a less exposed area, nearly 300 miles away north of the leading duo.

Dalin and Simon alone in the world, heading east

Dalin and Simon, for their part, decided to continue their journey towards the East without trembling, both launched into a race against time to place themselves further ahead of the announced southern “plum”, in the hope of minimizing its impact. According to the latest forecasts, they could probably avoid being swallowed up in its center, where a swell of more than ten meters is expected, largely capable of damaging the latest generation Imocas.

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We are going to suffer the depression (…) It is going to be a very unpleasant 48 hours

But in any case, “we are going to suffer the depression (…) It is going to be a very unpleasant 48 hours. I think we are going to keep our heads down to try to get through this delicate moment”, Sébastien Simon said.

For the two leading men, the menu is in any case not very appetizing: waves of up to seven meters, a wind established at 35 knots (65 km/h) and gusts of more than 50 knots. “When I left on this route, the files were a little more optimistic. Now, the latest ones are a little hot. Frankly, it's not going to be easy”, Charlie Dalin admitted to his team on Wednesday.

They will especially have the obligation not to slow down too much in these very muscular and dangerous conditions if the waves arrive from the side, because the depression is moving with them towards the east until Saturday.

Sprinting against the depression

But whether it's Sébastien Simon, winner of the Solitaire du Figaro in 2018, or Charlie Dalin, one of the favorites this year, the tandem probably has the experience needed to resist. “I'm not alone in this mess, at least Seb is with me, it's always good to have someone next to me”, appreciated the Norman, leader since passing the Cape of Good Hope.

The die is cast. We have to finish this race without breaking the boat

And if they get through without breaking, the two men can add several hundred miles to their lead, a break that would give them a significant advantage in the Southern Ocean. “If they manage to stay ahead of the depression long enough, in the end, it will diminish a lot. Potentially, they're not doing too badly”, judged Richomme.

From there to feeding regrets within the North group ? For Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable), long leader in the Atlantic and 7th on Wednesday in the heart of this group, “each has chosen their side” : “The die is cast. We have to finish this race without breaking the boat”. “We'll do the math in Leeuwin and see which choice was the best”, the Briton simply added, referring to the Australian cape that marks the exit from the Indian Ocean. And this 10th Vendée Globe may have been won in the storm, somewhere around the Kerguelen Islands.