Vendée Globe: update 8Dec20

Pip Hare should cross the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope early this morning. She’s chasing Spanish rival Didac Costa, just 12 miles behind the Barcelona firefighter who is on his third round the world race in five years, all of them on board his One Planet – One Ocean (which started life as Ellen MacArthur’s Kingfisher over 20 years ago).

Sunday evening Costa reported that he had hit something which he believed to be a whale although there was no damage to his boat. As well as notifying other competitors via race HQ, he also made sure Hare – who is sailing in his wake – was aware.

“Didac messaged me yesterday to let me know he had hit something. It is really nice to have him there,” says Hare. “We keep in touch. It is amazing for me to have him here as a pace setter but I have no intention of letting him go. “

Having endured a painful week in the Indian Ocean fighting to keep themselves, their boats and equipment intact in big, choppy seas and very gusty winds to 35-40kts, race leaders Charlie Dalin (Apivia) and Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) are finally finding a fast route east on the leading face of a fast moving low pressure system.

The nine boats sailing in Dalin and Ruyant’s wake were overtaken by the front which had 50 knots in squally gusts. With huge confused seas, racing is on hold and self preservation becomes the most important challenge.

Hear from skippers around the race

Pip Hare leads the Brits

“These aren’t the circumstances that I’d want to find myself leading the British entries in the race, but hearing that Alex Thompson and Sam Davies have had to retire really motivates me to keep doing my best – as much for them as for myself.

“I can’t imagine how disappointed they must feel and I hope we’re all on the start line again in 2024.”

Hare is now around a quarter of the way through her race and in new territory for her.

“As we smoked along in front of our first Southern low pressure system my mind was doing cartwheels and my stomach was in knots thinking of all of the things that could go wrong on a boat hurtling through the darkness with waves crashing over the deck.

“This boat is totally exposed, just moving around in the cockpit I am fighting constant walls of water. This is the start of six or seven weeks of the toughest sailing I will ever have done in my life. Of course I should be and will be anxious but I hope it won’t last too long. I’m going to accept my anxiety for now, park it, get on with life and then review how I feel in a week’s time.

“One of the incredible things about this last week of racing is how quickly the tempo of the race changes day to day. This time last week I was putting in some relaxed but fast miles south, in T-shirt and shorts still in the trades. Today I am ghosting along the top of the ice limit in a southerly breeze that feels like it is coming straight off Antarctica. The boat is shrouded in a wet, cold mist, and I’ve been chaperoned by beautiful dolphins playing in Medallia’s bow-wave.”

Miranda Merron is getting even colder

′′After a beautiful night full of stars without a cloud in my little weather zone, the wind is starting to return. We (the boat and I) are in the 40th non-roaring for the moment, but there will be plenty of opportunities for this in the coming weeks.

“It’s getting much cooler. Just a few days ago the deck fittings were burning to the touch under the sun, and now my tea chilled way too fast, even in an isothermal cup.” (09.48 8Dec20)

Catch-up with yesterday’s top stories

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