Race to the finish

The 500-nautical-mile downwind sprint started quietly under spinnaker at low speeds but will end at a tighter angle. The skippers are faced with the challenge of picking the right latitude.

” I don’t know how this affair will end,” reported Jérémie Beyou when contacted by race officials after crossing the Gallimard point.

The configuration of the Vendée–Arctic–Les Sables d’Olonne course gives this race an unusual appearance, far removed from the traditional transatlantic races contested by these large monohulls, and so Charlie Dalin would be very happy to be leading in this last portion of the race.

Beyou continued, “To beat Charlie, you have to be good, because he’s good. And it will undoubtedly also require a little success.”

On parallel routes, 1.5 nautical miles from each other, the two navigators will have to keep an eye on each other as the finish fast approaches.

As of 3 am on Tuesday 14 July (GMT+2), thirteen boats (from Charlie Dalin to Isabelle Joschke) had passed the Gallimard waypoint.

All these people will succeed each other quickly on the finish line from midnight/one o’clock in the morning between 14–15 July (GMT+2). We will have to wait until the morning of 16 July to see the bows of the four boats coming to a close.

Estimated times of arrival at Les Sables d’Olonne

• The first six solo sailors (from Dalin to Bestaven): between 12 am and 1:30 am on 15 July (GMT+2).
• The five pursuers (from Amedeo to Sorel): between 6 am and 7:30 am on 15 July (GMT+2).

imoca.org