After many twists and turns due to tough conditions in the southwest of South Africa, Kévin Escoffier was picked up by Jean Le Cam on his Yes We Cam monohull! After this rescue, the whole fleet resumed the race, with Charlie Dalin in the lead who passed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope on Tuesday at 12:11 am (French time). Apivia is now sailing in the Indian Ocean, pursued by Thomas Ruyant and Louis Burton.

For the solo sailors who took part in the recovery of the PRB skipper last night, the International Jury will meet soon to decide on the times allocated to each of the participants. Are concerned: Jean Le Cam (Yes We Cam!), Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV), Boris Herrmann (SeaExplorer – Yacht Club de Monaco) and Sébastien Simon (ARKÉA PAPREC) to varying degrees depending on their diversion and time passed to rescue. No impatience: it takes time to come to a conclusion.

As for Kévin Escoffier aboard Jean Le Cam’s monohull, he should be transferred as soon as possible, but at this time, the decision to turn away has not been taken. This perilous rescue in a rather active depression with 30 knots of wind and gusts to 40 knots on heavy seas with troughs of more than five meters, was not easy and the Race Direction in collaboration with the CROSS Gris Nez and the MRCC Cape Town, was very successful in coordinating all the players.

On the Kerguelen road
Charlie Dalin was able to continue his journey because, with more than 250 miles of offset (or approximately 400 km), he could not intervene and had to go quickly to avoid the complex weather zones that swarm south of South Africa. . The skipper of Apivia thus crossed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope at 00:11 on Tuesday, then entered the Indian Ocean far off the Cap des Aiguilles. After 22 days 9 hours 51 minutes since his departure from Les Sables d’Olonne, Charlie Dalin has therefore crossed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope but the solo was significantly slower than Alex Thomson four years ago (17d 22h 58 ‘). It should be noted that the Briton had taken less than eight days to reach South Africa from the equator when Charlie Dalin accumulated more than twelve days with 8,505 miles on the clock, due in large part to the detour of the high pressure of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic …

With more than 200 miles offset, Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) should also enter the Indian Ocean before dark, but he is now under the “threat” of Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2) who has chosen a much more route. southern, 200 miles further south, to level the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (ZEA). If the miles are shorter on the 45 ° South parallel than on the 40 ° South parallel, the position of the Malouin is also linked to the arrival of a new southern depression on Wednesday: the northwest wind which precedes the front. cold will force him to go back to Madagascar and he should thus cross paths with Thomas Ruyant.

The race goes on with Charlie Dalin as the opener
The race has indeed resumed its rights and only a hundred miles now separates nine solo sailors … Which should therefore approach the next disturbance differently since Sébastien Simon, Boris Herrmann, Jean Le Cam, Yannick Bestaven, Damien Seguin and Benjamin Dutreux are rather between the 40 ° South and 41 ° 30 South, while Giancarlo Pedote, Sam Davies and Isabelle Joschke are sailing around 43 ° South … And if they should not be impacted by the return of high pressures under the African continent from Thursday evening, the situation is more delicate for Romain Attanasio and Clarisse Crémer who could see Stéphane Le Diraison and Alan Roura return to their rear tables…

As for the 2nd and 3rd pelotons, they tumble at more than 12 knots (see 15 for some), some pushed by a new southern depression and led by Armel Tripon (L’Occitane en Provence) and Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline – Artisans Artipôle), the others in the northern sector trade winds with Clément Giraud (Compagnie du lit – Jiliti) and Alexia Barrier (TSE-4myPlanet) as openers… And during this time, the Japanese Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One) has already outflanked two solo sailors and Jérémie Beyou (Charal) returns to the tail of the fleet.

Quotes
Yannick Bestaven – Maître CoQ IV

We had a drift triangle defined with the organization. We were outside, soaked, with 5m of crooked waves… Once he was drafted, the pressure eased. You have so much adrenaline, when it comes down, it’s hard. It’s hard to get the boat back on track after that. Besides, I had a shit right after on a saffron. With fatigue and everything, I was really blown up. But what good news, bravo really! I slept a bit there. I wanted to sleep, but also to resume my journey. I did not know which sail to put on …

Right after, we had Kévin (Escoffier) ​​on the VHF: he told us what had happened, it chills your back. He was on hold. He got ‘ass’ anyway! Bravo to everyone, the race director, Christian Dumard with the drift currents… Everyone kept their cool. It will be one of the great stories of the Vendée Globe!

Boris Herrmann – Seaexplorer – Yacht Club de Monaco

I was called by the race director to tell me that I was the second closest competitor after Jean (Le Cam). I was supposed to be on stand-by, but very quickly they asked me to divert me to go to the zone. Took a little over two hours to get there. We each had a defined area for research. I set off for the sector that had been assigned to me. It took me an hour to cross my area. After two hours of research I got the good news, what a relief!

It was fantastic to see the regatta shift from one second to the next on a priority like this, much more important than the regatta, which is to save Kevin. Thank you to the organizer for taking this very important step. It was very well organized.

Alexia Barrier – TSE – 4myplanet

Yesterday, I told myself that we were in the “real” Vendée Globe. It’s a race of course, but above all it’s about solidarity. When I saw Kévin (Escoffier) ​​in his raft, Alex (Thomson) who gives up, some breakage here and there, I said to myself that we were there… By attacking the deep South, we enter the keenly on the subject of the Vendée Globe. I’m happy to be sailing with Miranda (Merron) and Clément (Giraud): of course, I want to beat them, but it reassures me to arrive in the South with them.

Pip Hare – Medallia

I watch the fleet around me in this part of the South Atlantic and know they will be there for me and me for them if we need them. I’ll take care of myself, Medallia will take care of me. I have immense respect for Jean Le Cam, Jacques Caraës (race director), Boris Herrmann, Yannick Bestaven and Sébastien Simon, who all worked tirelessly to save Kévin. I thank them.

Rankings at 3pm French Time

Photo Credit : SAEM Vendée

Tags on NauticNews : Vendée Globe, VG2020

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