Vendée Globe: update 17Nov20

Jérémie Beyou, the 44 year old French skipper who had to sail 600 miles back to Les Sables d’Olonne after damage to his Charal on the second evening of the solo non-stop around-the-world race, has confirmed that he will re-start the race on Tuesday afternoon despite the leaders being around 2,500 nautical miles south, approaching the Doldrums tomorrow.

Beyou hit a floating object on the third evening of the race. The impact damaged one of Charal’s rudders, its mounting and control mechanisms, he broke a backstay and there was sundry composite damage to the deck of his IMOCA.

A round-the-clock team effort by up to 20 people, who have been working flat out ever since the bitterly disappointed Beyou docked his boat back in Les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday afternoon, has returned the boat to 100% of its full potential, according to the solo racer who finished third on the last Vendée Globe.

“The main problem, the one that made me turn back, was the issue with the rudder,” says Beyou. “Technically, however the most problematic to repair was the traveller, but actually it was the rudder mounting and the control arm which had broken, and it is a structural part of the boat. We had to survey the damage first to see where the water had leaked into and up to where, we needed to repair this on both sides. We had to work with a whole series of experts to figure this out and all within the time constraints. We also had some wind vane issues, main sail damage from the series of gybes when the rudder hit something. I really have to thank the whole team.”

Nico Troussel has become the first racer to officially abandon the 2020 Vendée Globe. The double winner of the La Solitaire du Figaro is making to the Cape Verde Islands at around 3 knots, expecting to take around three to four days to get there.

Alex Thomson is going strong

Race leader Alex Thomson is entering the Doldrums, today (17Nov20). Weather modelling predicts a smooth passage for Thomson, but the five times Vendée Globe racer maintains low expectations.

“They look lovely . . . for the Doldrums, but you know what happens there. You get stuck. It is like a little game, they entice you in and tell you it is going to be alright and then they trap you, like Charal in the Jacques Vabre last year. I am not going to be fooled. I expect the worst and anything less will be a bonus.”

Thomson has shared footage of the noise levels onboard.

“The faster you go, the noisier it gets. Average 90-98 decibels.

“Alarms run at 136 decibels. If you can think of an alarm, we’ve got it. That alarm certainly wakes me up.” (18.00 16Nov20)

Pip Hare has made a selfie stick

Hare’s adapted a carp rod into a giant selfie stick, after a ‘realistic appraisal of both my skill level and the challenges of recovering a drone single handed from a boat that is travelling at speed’.

She hopes, with a bit of practice, this might help her share some different perspectives and dramatic shots in the south.

Her back’s been troubling her.

“You can exhaust yourself for such little gain.

“I need to think big picture. I’ve got a little bit of a sore back, so I’ve spent some time doing self massage.”

(16Nov20 19.39)

Sam Davies has encountered flying fish

Her team says it’s super dangerous to go out on the deck at night because an impact with one of these ‘monsters’ would be painful for the skipper, but also for the fish. (19.27 16Nov20)

Miranda Merron feels ‘imprisoned’

Nothing encouraging is coming in front of the bow of Campagne de France. The anti-cyclone is moving south and accompanying the slow progress of a dozen navigators imprisoned for over 24 hours in the western Canary, says her team. (08.37 17Nov20)

Catch up with news from the rest of the fleet

(17.27 16Nov20)