Vendée Globe: Richomme leads as fleet passes Gibraltar

Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) has taken the lead in the Vendée Globe race as the fleet makes its way through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Positioned to the west with more consistent wind, Richomme has maintained fewer manoeuvres, enabling him to gain an advantage. Early this morning (13 November 2024), he led the group, moving at speeds of 20-25 knots in northeasterly winds, roughly six miles ahead of Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance). The rivalry between Richomme and Dalin, established during their Figaro class days, continues as they navigate the challenging solo circumnavigation, which set off from France on Sunday (10 November 2024).

Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) holds the third position after leading briefly yesterday, close behind Dalin and keeping pace despite Dalin’s newer, faster boat. Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) from Germany has advanced to fifth place, covering the longest distance in the past 24 hours, sailing 436 nautical miles.

Conrad Colman (MS Amlin) from New Zealand currently leads the daggerboard-equipped boats, sailing well among the foilers and maintaining a seven-mile lead over Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur-Duo for a Job).

“I left on my own in my option, but I will meet up with my friends tomorrow afternoon I think, so the solitude will not have been very long,” says Nicolas Lunven of HOLCIM – PRB.

Lunven has opted for a westerly offshore route, a choice guided by caution and fuel efficiency during the initial stages of his first Vendée Globe. He is expected to rejoin the main group tomorrow and currently ranks tenth. Recently, he dealt with an issue with his rudder system, which required him to halt progress for about three hours to make repairs in heavy seas off Cape Finisterre.

“I have a piece that got caught under the starboard rudder bar and so it made the bar come loose from its housing, it broke it a little,” Lunven explains. “I realised it quite quickly because the boat was immediately unsteerable, it actually caused me to go into a bit of a broach, but as the starboard rudder was more loaded it took me a little while to get the situation back on track.

“And then I took out the toolbox, it wasn’t the most comfortable because there were still 20-25 knots, a bit of sea, straddling the transom to put the bar back in its housing, so it took me two or three hours, something like that. With the boat stopped, the sails furled. Afterwards, I was a little more eased back because I wanted to rest, and there you go. And now we’re heading due south towards Madeira.

“Indeed I left on my own in my option, but I will meet up with my friends tomorrow afternoon I think, so the solitude will not have been very long.”

In 37th place, Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) admits that she has struggled to establish a rhythm in the initial days of her second Vendée Globe. Joschke says: “This start to the Vendée Globe wasn’t easy aboard MASCF, I clearly didn’t find the rhythm I would have liked to find quickly enough after the start. I had the impression I was looking for the rhythm, doing lots of things, but not what I needed to do! Basically, I maneuvered a lot, I was on it all the time, but I had the impression I was doing things backwards all the time, and quite a bit of complicating things for myself instead of simplifying them. It didn’t work!”

Italy’s Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) currently ranks 24th and describes the early days of the race: “The first days have passed very well. It was important to pay attention to pay attention for the passage close to Cape Finisterre and I managed that. And now I am passing Lisbon and the wind has been strong.

“Getting into the race was not easy after the emotions of the important passage of the Channel, it is a time so rich in emotions, but finally when the start was done it was important to be in racing mode and begin to find my set up on board and be focussed. The next 24 hours will be important to take the good windshifts to keep progressing well to the south.”