After two weeks of racing, the Brest Atlantic fleet should reach Cape Town - the second and final course mark - on Wednesday evening, November 20. The fleet leader - Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (Charles Caudrelier/Franck Cammas) - was caught up by his pursuers. This is due to a favourable weather situation for the boats coming from behind, who are taking advantage of the rise of the St Helena high to draw straight ahead, when the blue and white trimaran was forced to make six gybes.
Indeed, the latter, who arrived first at the level of the ice exclusion zone, found himself trapped under the St. Helena high, positioned particularly low, which forced him to tack with the wind behind him in fairly light winds.
The trimaran Macif - less than 100 miles from the first - had to make two gybes, while Actual Leader and Sodebo Ultim 3 (Thomas Coville/Jean-Luc Nélias), thanks to the gradual rise of the high towards the north, just had to let themselves be pushed.
A "treat" for Actual Leader (Yves le Blévec/Alex Pella) who faced Dantean conditions (strong wind, head-on choppy sea) after Rio for three days. Both the crew and the boat - less airborne than the others - had suffered enormously. The conditions they encounter in this second part of the South Atlantic are much more favourable to them, since at each ranking they reduce their gap with the leaders of the fleet.
The duo is taking advantage of the current conditions (three-quarters aft wind, relatively flat seas) to beat their speed records since leaving Brest (31.25 knots between 8am and 4pm). The latter also took advantage of the breakage of the Sodebo Ultim' 3 float to take 3rd place in the fleet.
" Obviously, it would be a lie to say that this place won in the ranking does not represent a satisfaction for the crew of Actual Leader. It is rather the satisfaction of having kept pace with the race and being close enough to our competitors to enjoy the slightest opportunity is this strategy that we've been following from the beginning with Alex." explains Yves le Blévec.
Nevertheless, the Trinidad and Tobago skipper remains cautious, as the race is still a long one and the game is extremely open.
François Gabart explained in turn:" The situation was rather favourable for us compared to Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, we haven't said our last word, but there is still a lot to do. In any case, it's a very tight scenario, Actual Leader is 200 miles behind us, so it's a pleasant surprise after 15 days at sea."
Stopover for Sodebo Ultim' 3
Following the damage to the starboard rudder, which caused the loss of the rear of the float, Thomas Coville and Jean-Luc Nélias worked many hours to ensure the boat's proper operation and limit further damage.
The latter will stop over in South Africa - which they are expected to reach on Thursday 21 November. The equipment left on Monday 18 November, and three team members have been on site since Tuesday evening, 20 November: François Duguet, the boat captain, Frédéric Gastinel, the mechanical/hydraulic/accumulation manager and Patrice Richardot, composite technician. Another part of the team will arrive in Cape Town on Wednesday and will be able, when the boat arrives on Thursday, to make a structural assessment and estimate the time to spend on repairs. The decision on the action to be taken can then be taken.
