We may be looking at one of the great classic yacht race finishes as the Vendée Globe competitors pass 26,000 miles of hard racing with just 2,000 miles to the finish mark. Louis Burton’s Bureau Vallée is now shown 29 miles further from the next waypoint than Charlie Dalin’s Apivia. The gap between them has closed, but she is north of Apivia, getting stronger winds and sailing 3-4 knots faster at the moment. Both report southerly winds as they work around the western side of the High Pressure system, but Bureau Vallée has 4 knots more wind. They are both aiming for a narrow corridor of SW winds between two high pressure systems. If they can squeeze through that it will be down to boat speed to the finish.
They cannot afford to make an error though as the 6th boat in the fleet, Maître CoQ, which lead for so long, is only 120 miles away although the weather ahead of this group is not looking so helpful as for the two front boats.
Pip Hare is struggling in light headwinds, but getting closer to a more favourable slant and Miranda Merron has head winds further south. Charal, 500 miles ahead of Pip is in the easterlies now and showing 16 knots of boat speed. Just two boats remain to round Cape Horn, experiencing some strong winds at the moment which will ease later to-day. Sam Davis is just ahead of them although out of the race.
Edmond de Rothschild had a day’s run of 738 miles, which puts her nearly 900 miles ahead of target. She has dropped back from the depression she was riding yesterday which gives a good indication of just how fast these depressions roll eastwards.
Early tomorrow morning UK time will see another interruption to my normal sleep pattern as the next in the America’s Cup Round Robin series take place in Auckland between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Ineos Team UK.