‘Banque Populaire’ heading towards Sables d'Olonne
‘Banque Populaire’ crossing the finish line
Well, Francois Gabart skippering ‘Macif’ made it home to Sables d'Olonne in a record time of
78 days, 16 minutes, and 14 seconds, followed by Armel Le Cléac’h, racing ‘Banque Populaire’ only 3 hours, 17 minutes and 53 seconds behind.
That’s incredible after match racing over a distance of 27,000 nautical miles.
These valiant,
accomplished sailors and their yachts were shown live on the Vendée Globe website
through the medium of video film as they crossed the finish line. Everything
was meticulously stage-managed with typical French panache. Credit must go to the organisers who are well-practised
at running this global event for solo sailors, their sponsors, supporters and
the general public, thousands of whom have been following the race.
The race is not over until the last of the remaining
competitors cross the finish line. Third place will most likely go to Alex
Thomson, the Englishman racing ‘Hugo Boss’, and if the other Brit, Mike Golding
skippering ‘Gamesa’, continues to maintain his current position he will be
sixth. These and other participants
approaching Cabo Finisterre and the Bay of Biscay are experiencing winds of 30
or more knots. They will be tested to the limit as they pass through shipping
lanes and manoeuvre around fishing craft and their nets, especially in hours of
darkness.
I am not into racing, but I have been fired up following this
marathon that has seen many retirements through gear failures, particularly
with hydro-generators, Alex Thomson having to repair support mechanisms for both
of his; they in turn damaged the steering rods' connecting rudders. Jean Pierre
Dick’s ‘Virbac Paprec’ lost her keel, and he is skilfully sailing her towards
the Portuguese coast which is about 800 nautical miles away.
It’s not a race for the fainthearted, and hard earned
experience is not a recipe for success. Mike Golding on his fourth Vendée Globe was my hero at the beginning of the race, and he remains mine now,
but I feel sure his age has been a handicap, and lack of electrical power and
electronic failures aboard ‘Gamesa’ have made their mark. Alex Thomson was my
second favourite, and he has done brilliantly by overcoming many obstacles and
racing a boat that was known to be demonstrably slower than the Gabart’s ‘Macif’
and Armel Le Cléac’h’s ‘Banque
Populaire’. I felt sorry for my third favourite, Samantha Davies, racing ‘Saveol’,
when a rigging failure brought her race to an end.
Link
Vendée Globe
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