Can Boris Herrmann win the race with bonuses?

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Loic VENANCE / AFP

Three days before the scheduled arrival at Les Sables d'Olonne, Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) took over the Vendée Globe leader position from Charlie Dalin (Apivia) on Sunday noon, but their pursuer Boris Herrmann (Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco), provided with a time bonus, hangs on.

The crossover between Burton and Dalin

The fierce mano a mano which has been engaged between the two French sailors for ten days has never stopped experiencing new developments and we are heading towards the tightest end of the race in the history of the event.

What to give balm to the heart of the organizers despite the absence of spectators at Sables d'Olonne due to the pandemic.

They had been around 350,000 to attend the triumph of Armel le Cléac'h in 2017.

Herrmann, the first foreigner to win the Vendée?

Pointed 15 nautical miles (27.8 km) from Dalin seven hours earlier, Burton is now 5.4 nautical miles (10 km) ahead of Dalin.

Hermann, for his part, has grappled slightly on the lead and is now at 44.7 nm (82.7 km).

And the German skipper has a major advantage since he will benefit from six hours of compensation on arrival, for having participated in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier in early December.

“Everything is fine on board, I feel good and I am looking forward.

Three days, only three days… ”, Hermann savors.

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.

Bestaven still in the game

Long leader but now fifth, Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq IV) is 163 nm (301 km) from Burton but he will have a time bonus of 10 hours and 15 minutes on arrival.

"I'm going to try to sleep a little because with the passage of the front at the beginning of the night, I had little rest," he said.

"My routings make me say that we are all going to arrive at the same time so we might as well try an option by going north rather than following the herd," he said.

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