Charlie Dalin, on Apivia -

Sebastien SALOM-GOMIS / SIPA

January 26 newspaper

The end is here, very near.

In a day and a half, the first boat in the fleet - but not necessarily the winner - will arrive in Les Sables d'Olonne.

And there's a good chance it's Charlie Dalin.

The Apivia skipper widens the gap at the head of the fleet in front of Boris Herrmann, who stole the runner-up from Louis Burton for crumbs.

The leader, who crosses Cape Finisterre in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, now has the Bay of Biscay in his sights (the shortest path), unless he decides to join Thomas Rettant and Yannick Bestaven in their windier northern option.

A last choice of capital importance because Dalin must take into account the bonuses of his pursuers Herrmann and Bestaven, given a winner for a quarter of an hour according to the routing of the weekend.

The classification at 9 a.m.

1) Charlie Dalin, 473 miles from the finish

2) Boris Herrmann, 85 nm from the leader

3) Louis Burton, 85 nm from the leader

4) Thomas Rettant, 297 nm from the leader

5) Yannick Bestaven, 343 nm from the leader

Race management does not "want to remake history" of bonuses

We mentioned to you on Monday the possibility that the race will be won thanks to the bonuses and that the winner of the Vendée Globe will not be the one who crosses the line first in Les Sables d'Olonne on Wednesday.

What the race management never planned to come back to, despite the idea proposed by Thomas Rtant to tie the finish line.

“It's a decision of the jury without appeal, we are not going to repeat history, explains Pierre Hays, deputy director of the race.

No competitor asked us about this, it was well understood by all the teams and Thomas just wanted a few explanations to fully understand the rule.

It's a race for time and there will be no tie.

"

Which complicates their approach to the finish a bit, obviously.

Little chance of seeing the first to cross the line crack a smoke of joy if it is to learn that he has not won a few hours later.

"It might be a little tricky if the first is not the winner of the Vendée," admits Pierre Hays.

There will be a part of sadness for whoever passes the dikes first.

And for us, in terms of communication and visual production, it's going to be different.

”Unless Charlie Dalin succeeds in a last day of crazy and wins both rankings.

Meanwhile, at the Doldrums ...

Jérémie Beyou, who envies the five or six pilgrims fighting for the win and the podium, is trapped in a doldrums not tender with him.

Charal is almost at a standstill north of the equator, which has the gift of frustrating the 3rd in the Vendée Globe 2016-17.

“It's nightmarish!

I am at 4 knots while the others are heading at 20 knots towards victory and Les Sables d'Olonne.

It's hard.

“To reassure himself, friend Beyou can always tell himself that in the end, he will have joined the Sands once more than everyone else.

Sport

Vendée Globe 2020: "It's almost inconceivable" ... With the bonuses, the winner will "certainly not" be the first to cross the line

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