Yannick Bestaven again widened the gap with his two pursuers, Charlie Dalin and Thomas Rettant.
-
Sebastien SALOM-GOMIS / AFP
After having witnessed a game of yo-yo at the head of the Vendée Globe 2020 in recent weeks, it seems that the positions are freezing and the leaders are especially keen to handle the weather conditions and strategies as well as possible. so as not to get stuck in windless areas.
We take stock.
Classification at 9 o'clock
1. Yannick Bestaven (
Maître CoQ IV
), 10,190 nautical miles from the finish
2. Charlie Dalin (
Apivia
), 92 miles from the leader
3. Thomas
Rettant
(
LinkedOut
), 179 nautical miles from the leader
4. Boris Herrmann (
SeaExplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco
), 301 nautical miles from the leader
5. Benjamin Dutreux (
Omia - Water Family
), 343 nautical miles from the leader
6. Jean Le Cam (Yes We Cam!), 354 nautical miles from the leader
Bestaven takes to the sea
The latest news, the surprise leader Yannick Bestaven was a little chickweed by feeling the breath of Charlie Dalin on his back, but the night from Tuesday to Wednesday was beneficial to him.
A few hours ago, the gap between the leader and his pursuer was dangerously reduced for the skipper
Master CoQ IV
to reach 72 nautical miles, but he finally took to sea and it is now almost 100 nautical miles that separate Bestaven from Dalin.
Right in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, with 10,000 miles to go to Les Sables d'Olonne, the intensity of the regatta is crazy.
@YannickBestaven still contains the assaults of @CharlieDalin and @ThomasRettant.
➡️ https://t.co/nGP1Blo3xQ pic.twitter.com/HmmBqMdyM4
- Vendée Globe (@VendeeGlobe) December 23, 2020
Leaders lack the wind
Launched in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the leading boats are approaching a strategic moment in the race, stranded in a high pressure area that they could not avoid for safety reasons.
Indeed, the organizers of this ninth edition of the Vendée Globe have imposed on competitors a virtual line not to cross, along the ice barrier (ZEA), in order to limit the encounter of IMOCAs with icebergs and growlers.
It is therefore necessary to maneuver clothing to find the right winds and, as we told you a little above, in this little game it seems that Yannick Bestaven has succeeded in doing better.
It will come back strong behind
This zone of weak winds, which only concerns the six leading boats, behind the rest of the fleet is sharpening its knives and preparing to deliver a good battle which could give rise to a real regrouping.
An observation that does not necessarily delight Damien Seguin, currently sixth in the race.
"It will come back strong from behind, it's a bit annoying, but that's the game
He confided on Tuesday.
Conversely, just behind him, Damien Seguin is hot as ever.
“I have the opportunity to come back.
I am ready to fight.
I'm waiting for the right moment, ”he warned Wednesday morning.
Isabelle Joschke, a novice "up to the challenge"
Alone in the most remote and frightening areas of the planet, Isabelle Joschke has so far achieved a remarkable race for her first Vendée Globe.
Currently in eighth position, the Franco-German sailor shared her feelings with AFP.
And obviously this first unusual experience gives him a lot of happiness.
"I find it amazing how scared I was to cross these southern seas - it made me shiver just thinking about it - and now that I'm there, the pleasure I have… From New Zealand at Cape Horn, I am going to cross the end of the end of the world, that is to say the point Nemo, this most remote place of any earth, I go there and I am delighted, she said Explain.
I find it magical, I see that my fears have calmed down or in any case that I managed to transform them.
Today I feel perfectly up to the challenge.
The more things go, the more I settled into this race, the more I take the measure, the more I feel in my place ”.
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