Charlie Dalin is still in the lead -

APIVIA

Charlie Dalin (Apivia) still sees his lead shrinking over his two rivals Thomas Rouillard and Yannick Bestaven, to 70 nautical miles, while the leading trio crossed Cape Leeuwin on Sunday, before entering the Pacific.

The skipper of Apivia opens a road disturbed by the weather, unstable, which causes many changes of pace among the 27 competitors still in the running.

For his first Vendée Globe, he crossed the second of the three legendary capes of the solo, non-stop round the world round the world on Sunday midday, Cape Leeuwin, at the southern tip of Australia, after 34 days and 22 hours of driving. race, before entering the Pacific Ocean.

Comparison of the leaders 🥇


After 35 days of racing, @CharlieDalin (@ApiviaVoile) was 2377 nautical miles behind Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VIII) in 2016.


That is a gap of 6d 1h 53m calculated on the gap crossing time from Cape Leeuwin.

# VG2020 pic.twitter.com/eSyVz9vCXZ

- Vendée Globe (@VendeeGlobe) December 13, 2020

Behind him, Rouillard (LinkedOut) continues to get closer: he is at 57.8 nautical miles (92 km) and is followed by Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV), 15 miles behind him.

The race is so close in the lead that the three boats have doubled the longitude of Cape Leeuwin with a gap of 3 hours and 20 minutes between Dalin and Bestaven, while the leading men still have 55% of the distance to cover until in Les Sables d'Olonne.

The outlook is more favorable than in previous days for Dalin, who will take advantage of his lead to benefit first from a stronger southwesterly wind.

In the "mist"

The leading trio stand out in front of two ships which are not equipped with foils, these lateral appendages which allow them to “fly” above the water.

Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil) leads the chase, followed like his shadow by the dean of the Vendée Globe Jean Le Cam (Yes We Cam!).

“It's funny to be next to Damien but it's luck, I can't help it” smiles the 61-year-old sailor, who is taking part in his 5th Vendée Globe.

“Our two boats are together in the yard, they are 30 centimeters from each other, we can go from one bridge to the other without going down,” he jokes.

The two skippers are gradually losing ground at the front of the race and are now 266 miles (428 km) behind, in "super beautiful seas" according to Le Cam.

“We will soon be leaving this Indian Ocean, we will be able to set off fully, but it may be complicated because we arrive with an air bubble in South Australia.

"

The conditions are unstable throughout the race and have allowed a close, the first 10 being spread over less than 400 miles. “There is a mist!

», Exclaimed Sunday morning Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline - Artisans Artipôle), 16th.

“It's like being in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, I can hardly see the front of the boat.

"

Two days after having given up due to a computer failure, Fabrice Amedeo (Newrest - Art & Fenêtres) arrived in Cape Town in South Africa on Sunday morning, promising that his “history with the Vendée Globe is not over”, and ensuring that 'he will return for the 2024 edition.

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