Les Sables-d'Olonne (France) (AFP)
Charlie Dalin is expected to cross the Vendée Globe finish line off Les Sables d'Olonne first on Wednesday around 8:00 p.m., followed four hours later by Louis Burton, according to the race director, but will not necessarily be declared the winner due to hourly compensation from which Boris Herrmann and Yannick Bestaven benefit.
Race management indicated on Wednesday morning that Dalin (Apivia) was expected "at 6.30 p.m. local time at the earliest" and "most likely 8 p.m.", after 80 days at sea.
Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) should cut the line "4 hours after the first, Boris Herrmann (Sea Explorer) 5 hours after the first, Thomas Rettant (LinkedOut) 8 hours after the first, Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV) 8:30 after the first ".
The first to complete the race around the world alone will not necessarily be the winner of this Vendée Globe.
Two of the five skippers in the leading peloton playing for the win in a very close finish, received hourly compensation for trying to rescue one of the competitors wrecked on November 30, Kevin Escoffier.
The German Herrmann benefits from six hours of compensation, which will be cut off once he has crossed the finish line.
Bestaven has ten hours and fifteen minutes to count down.
In this scenario, Bestaven could therefore win the Vendée Globe with a breath.
The winner will only be named after the last skipper has crossed the line with hourly compensation.
After crossing the line, sailors must go up the channel to return to the port, but due to the tide, the boats will be blocked at sea from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.
The arrival will be behind closed doors due to the restrictions due to Covid-19 but a guard of honor made up of 300 volunteers, masked and 4 meters from each other, will be formed along the channel.
© 2021 AFP