‘Race is not won’ yet says Bestaven as Hare hand steers (Vendée Globe: update 21Jan21)

Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV), some 156 miles behind the leader, suffered technical damage at Cape Horn but says he has now regained practically all his potential, at least downwind, which is good news as there will be a lot of downwind sailing into Les Sables d’Olonne.

“I am in easterly trade winds between 17 and 18 knots. I am coming up quite quickly towards the Azores. That is not bad at all especially since I’m lacking a bit in sail power fore and aft because I’m having problems with my J2. So I am a bit unbalanced. Normally the wind will gradually ease and I will have some sail changes during the day. I could probably lift a bit to the right because the high pressure is shifting east.

“I’m going to pass near the Azores archipelago.

“And there will be a lot of manoeuvres to get there. Gybes, frontal crossings. This race is not won by anyone yet, especially since I have all my downwind sails. I was able to repair my furlers a little and I have, apart from my large spinnaker, masthead and one fractional. I have nothing to lose as I am currently in fifth place and some have technical issues to resolve. That makes you want to try different options.”

Boris Herrmann (Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco) has progressively recovered miles since his passage across the Doldrums and is back pacing the leaders mile for mile, and looking like he has the potential to finish across the line in a podium position.

“It is pretty bouncy in the trade winds. Boris is looking forward to getting into the high pressure system and getting into the lighter regime to really make sure he in the best shape for the finish sprint. He is intent in really looking after himself these next couple of days. He is very even headed and in a good place in his head. The breeze is dropping sooner than expected and you can see Louis is into light winds already,” says Herrmann’s usual co-skipper Will Harris.

Jérémie Beyou (Charal) had three holes in his sail which he took the time to repair yesterday. 


Hear from skippers around the fleet


Pip Hare’s been hand steering Medallia

“I was so glad to see the sunrise this morning. It’s been a long night and if you look at my track you will see why. I’m having a trial run for the Doldrums over here and with no reliable wind data it has taken a lot of human power to get through the night.

“By early evening is was clear that steering to compass on the pilot was just not going to work. The wind was too shifty, the waves in the wrong direction. With no reliable wind data I was standing on deck looking at the sails to understand which way the wind had shifted. Steering the pilot up and then down on the remote control. I was locked into that role, unable to sleep, eat, navigate, do anything at all for the moment I left the pilot the wind would shift or we would hit a wave and the ache in my head would return.

“Pre-dusk, things seemed a little more stable and so I tried to bank an hour of sleep but the minute I had lain down, the wind dropped and the boat felt too flat. I got up and dropped the keel, lay back down and the wind shifted forwards. I steered the boat down a couple of degrees with the remote from my beanbag. The breeze picked up, we heeled over too much. There was no way on earth my brain would turn off enough to sleep so I embraced the fact my boat needed me.

“For the first time in many many weeks yesterday I hand steered Medallia and it was magnificent. I took a cup of tea, some great sounds (Daft Punk and Muse) and sat on deck steering my way through the shifts and the waves for five hours, until night had fallen and my neck and back were tired and a big ugly cloud rolled over the top of us and stole all of the wind. Since then the night has been a mixture of rain, wind from every direction, no wind and general resolve breaking conditions. At least we are sailing again now.

“My autopilot is such an incredible machine, when fully functioning with wind data it steers the boat so consistently well I have not needed to even think about picking up the tiller. The truth is that most of the time, the machine can steer better than me, it doesn’t get wet, tired, cold or distracted and though it can’t see the waves the multiple sensors are able to feel the acceleration and heel of the boat and judge exactly how to ride a wave. Thus far in the race the pilot has made me redundant as a helm, freeing up my time to manage the rest of the multiple jobs on the boat.”

Hare’s been dealing with the here and now, but yesterday the conditions have given her the opportunity to get ahead and do the last 5,000 miles in style. (18.39 20Jan21)

Hare’s also had what she believes to be a unique Vendée Globe experience – she’s been stung on the back by a Portuguese man o’ war jelly fish.

“It was as I sailed out from the last big depression that all these jellies got washed on board. There was a huge volume of water coming over the boat as I slammed off waves and although I didn’t see them at the time I noticed a whole heap of the bright blue blobs on the deck in the days afterwards. At the same time I ended up with a burn on the back of my neck. I thought it was strange as it came up suddenly.

“I have a very small shore team supporting me in this race but boy, are they amazing. It just so happens that Lou, who also manages the campaign shore-side while I am gallivanting on the oceans, is also a medic and has practiced in Australia where these sorts of things are common. I took a photo of the blister with some difficulty it being on my back, and sent it to her. We then exchanged messages for a while wondering what the hell could have caused the burn. All the while my back got redder and the blister grew. I, linking it to the blister on my neck, was busy wondering what vitamin deficiency was bringing me out in skin lesions and she was rather randomly asking me if I had been stung by anything. To which I replied, ‘What? there is nothing out here.’

“Slowly the penny dropped and there must have been a Portugese man o’ war on the sail back I had lain on. There are several of them all over the boat, in rope bags and tucked into corners that don’t drain the water in my cockpit. Little did I know they were still venomous when they are dead. I took a selfie with one the other day.”


Miranda Merron is enjoying a well positioned South Atlantic

She says the challenges of the South Atlantic are countless and continue to severely impede the nine sailboats still in the southern hemisphere above her.

“Getting used to my new Atlantic environment, close to the high pressures centre, and totally different from the great South. Clean hair, clean clothes, and me all clean. One layer of polar underwear less. The days are hot. But yet my holiday can’t last because the wind is getting stronger, and the spray begins to sweep the bridge.

“There are always albatrosses and many small birds following the boat. It’s better than TV.” (09.26 21Jan21)


Watch highlights of yesterday’s action from race organisers


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