Paris (AFP)

Charlie Dalin (Apivia) still occupies the lead of the Vendée Globe Thursday at midday but his runner-up the German Boris Herrmann, who will benefit from time compensation for having taken part in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier, reduced the gap to less than 80 nautical miles (128 km).

With less than a week to go and less than 2,200 nautical miles (3,540 km) from the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne, it is difficult to make predictions.

The western option chosen by Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2), 4th in the standings 132.7 nm behind the leader (212 km) could indeed pay off, with apparently more muscular wind conditions.

In the ranking of Thursday noon (11:00 GMT), Dalin retains the lead of the fleet, but his runner-up Boris Herrmann (Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco), narrowed the gap to 77.4 nm (124 km).

Thomas Rouillard (LinkedOut) is third, just over 100 nm behind the leader, followed by Louis Burton at 132.7 nm and Damien Seguin (Apicil Group) at 140 nm.

Former leader Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV), who admitted to being confronted with technical glitches, occupies sixth place at just over 140 nm, followed at about fifty miles by the Italian Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group) .

- 7 sailors in 200 nautical miles -

The final victory should be played between these seven sailors, who stand in less than 200 miles.

In eighth place, Jean Le Cam is more than 300 miles behind.

If he won at Les Sables d'Olonne, Boris Herrmann would be the first foreigner to win the round-the-world solo non-stop and unassisted race, the first edition of which went to Titouan Lamazou in 1990.

In 2017, Briton Alex Thomson, who retired this year, finished in second place, just under 16 hours behind winner Armel Le Cléac'h.

Born in Oldenburg (Lower Saxony), Herrmann, 39, has, like Bestaven, made his first steps in the Mini class.

In 2001, the youngest competitor at only 20 years old, he finished 11th (in the series category) of the Mini Transat, won in Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) in the prototype category by a certain Yannick Bestaven.

The German, who has proven that he knows how to navigate fast by setting the third fastest time in the Jules-Verne Trophy aboard Francis Joyon's Idec Sport, could create a surprise, he who will benefit, once the line is cut, compensation in time of 6 hours for having diverted to participate in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier.

In addition to Jean Le Cam, who obtained a bonus of 16 hours and 15 minutes for having saved and taken Escoffier on board, Bestaven will be able to deduct ten hours and 15 minutes from him once the line has been crossed.

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