Paris (AFP)
Who will succeed Armel Le Cléac'h in Les Sables d'Olonne?
Three days before the expected arrival of this 9th edition of the Vendée Globe, the name of the future winner is far from obvious and the suspense remains.
On Sunday noon, Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) took over from Charlie Dalin (Apivia), but their pursuer Boris Herrmann (Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco), provided with a time bonus, is in ambush.
After 77 days at sea, we are heading towards the tightest end of the race in the history of the event, since there are still four, even five sailors to be expected on Wednesday in the Vendée.
A return to earth for the moment planned without spectators, but Yannick Moreau, the mayor of Sables d'Olonne, wrote to Emmanuel Macron to ask him to accept the presence of a small audience.
They had been around 350,000 to cheer Le Cléac'h in 2017.
"There must be a balanced way of ensuring a warm and human presence on the edge of the channel to welcome the Vendée Globe skippers with dignity", argues the elected official.
The concerned, them, are engaged in a fierce struggle to arrive first: after passing in front of Sunday at midday, Burton is 12.7 nautical miles ahead (23.5 km) on Dalin.
Behind, Hermann clings to the race leader and finds himself 49.5 nm (91.7 km) behind Burton.
In the final standings, the German skipper has a major advantage since he will benefit from six hours of compensation on arrival, for having taken part in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier at the beginning of December.
"Everything is fine on board, I feel good and I am looking forward. Three days, only three days ...", savored Hermann.
If he remains in contact with the two leading men, until Wednesday, the estimated day of the finish, he could well be crowned without having crossed the line in the lead and become the first foreigner to win in the legendary race in lonely around the world nonstop.
"The nights are incredibly long, they last between 1 and 2 pm. In a way, it helps a bit to sleep, but it's also strange," said the German.
- East for Dalin, North for Bestaven -
"The program to follow is to jibe, then dry out the hold at the stern where I have a tiny bit of water coming from the steering system. It's really not much. but over time, it accumulates. I no longer have the sponge, it has disintegrated. I'm going to use a T-shirt, "he detailed.
Dalin does not admit defeat.
"We are in contact from a distance!", He said Sunday morning about his duel with Burton.
"I have a little less wind in front, I am starting to stumble a little at the front of the system", explained Le Havrais, who then made the bet of a route more to the east than his competitors by prolonging its course for several hours towards Gibraltar, before branching off to the north.
"We sail in different areas, it's been like that with Louis (Burton) for a while," recalled the 36-year-old skipper.
The other members of the leading quartet, completed by Thomas Rettant (LikedOut), 4th at 129 nm (239 km) from Burton, passed closer to the east of the Azores coast.
Long leader but now fifth, Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV), lost time on his way to the west of the Portuguese archipelago and is 262 nm (485.4 km) from Burton, but he will have to l 'arrival time bonus of 10 hours and 15 minutes.
"My routings make me say that we will all arrive at the same time so we might as well try an option by going north rather than following the herd," he explained in the morning, after a night that was not very restful by his own admission.
"And then, I don't want to go through the windings of the Azores. It spices up a bit," continued the native of Saint-Nazaire.
Spice, this Vendée Globe will certainly offer some to the end.
© 2021 AFP