“I'm the one who takes the most of the whole group, at the height of the wind and the sea”: Simon sees Dalin escape at the head of the Vendée Globe

Sébastien Simon est le navigateur qui subit le plus les effets de la tempête dans l’océan indien. MAXPPP – Franck Dubray

Charlie Dalin approche de la zone des glaces et conforte son avance en tête.

In rough seas, Charlie Dalin (Macif), leading the Vendée Globe since Monday, continues to increase his lead over his closest pursuer, Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), who is now more than 215 nautical miles behind.

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After escaping the centre of the major depression, the Norman skipper is flirting with the Arctic exclusion zone, which solo sailors are forbidden from entering, like his main rival. “I'm approaching the ice zone, so we're going to have to make small gybes along this forbidden zone”, declared the latter.

Strategy for all floors

Unlike Yoann Richomme and Thomas Ruyant, much further north, Dalin and Simon made a winning choice by opting for the south once they had passed the Kerguelen Islands but had to face waves between 4 and 5 meters. “I think it was the right choice of trajectory, that we did well to stay in the south. Going north meant getting stuck in the ridge (a zone of weak wind extending an anticyclone and stretching between two depressions)“, explained Sébastien Simon in the middle of the day to his team.

I want to cross the Indian Ocean without a hitch so I am very careful

According to the 7 p.m. report on Friday, Charlie Dalin has increased his lead by nearly 20 nautical miles in twelve hours. “I'm trying to be careful with the boat, which has pushed me to slow down a bit”, explained Simon. “It's quite frustrating to see Charlie (Dalin) leave but hey, that was the plan and I'm sticking to it. I want to cross the Indian Ocean without any problems so I'm being very careful for the moment”, he added.

The gap between him and third-placed Yoann Richomme remains stable at around 315 miles. “I'm still the one who's taking the most of the whole group as I'm in the strongest wind and the strongest sea”, the skipper of Paprec Arkéa told the organisers. Of the 38 skippers still in the race, five competitors still have to round the Cape of Good Hope before entering the Indian Ocean. Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori Global One) broke five mainsail battens after two unintentional gybes, the organisation announced.