After the fleet’s first real test on night two, rounding Cap Finistere, British ‘rookie’ Sam Goodchild leads the Vend\u00e9e GlobeStrong conditions on the second night of the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe. Photo: S\u00e9bastien Simon\/VG2024Day 3 of the Vend\u00e9e Globe dawned this morning, Tuesday 12 November, with much of the fleet having gone through their first bout of testing conditions around Cap Finistere.
\nThough the margins are still small, it\u2019s British \u2018rookie\u2019 sailor\u00a0Sam Goodchild, competing in his first Vend\u00e9e Globe on Vulnerable that is currently leading the pack according to the race tracker.
\nAfter Sunday\u2019s light winds start, the 40-boat fleet remained closely packed for a gentle Biscay crossing \u2013 with just 50 miles separating first and last IMOCAs after the first 24 hours of racing.
\nCharlie Dalin and Macif, tipped by many to be one of the\u00a0race favourites, took the early lead. Macif was first to Finistere, passing inside the TSS (traffic separation zone) along the Galician coast yesterday evening.
\nHigh boat speeds and stronger breezes for the fleet around Cap Finstere. Photo: Benjamin Dutreux\/Guyot Environment\/VG2024
\nHe was followed through by S\u00e9bastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), Sam Goodchild, J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Beyou (Charal) and Yoann Richomme (Paprec Ark\u00e9a), with Goodchild\u2019s team mate Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable) leading another group on this inshore course some 20 miles back.
\nMeanwhile the last race winner, Yannick Bestaven (Maitre Coq V) and Justine Mettreaux (Teamwork Team SNEF) were the first boats to break west. By opting to sail outside of the TSS they were clearly hoping to reduce the number of manoeuvres needed and seek stronger winds.
\nEven those boats that went \u2018inside\u2019 however reported over 30 knots in the acceleration zone off the headland, with a messy sea state of 2m-plus.
\n\u201cThere was the TSS \u2013 and I passed it on the wrong side. A dumb move! I tried to play it safe, and calm things down with two reefs in the mainsail \u2013 I did dismast two months ago. But that choice did not help me. I thought that passing on the outside of the TSS at Cap Finisterre there would be fewer gybes, but in the end the wind was very strong- it is still 38 knots,\u201d reported Roman Attanasio from Fortinet this morning
\n\u201cThe seas are acting crazy, it\u2019s still bombing along \u2013 I\u2019m making 18-20 knots.\u201d
\nGoodchild in the lead
\nOnce south of the TSS in the early hours of this morning, Goodchild and his team mate Ruyant both opted to hug the Portuguese coast to great effect, Goodchild taking the lead \u2013 though just some 7 miles ahead of Dalin according to the race tracker. Meanwhile Ruyant pulled up to 3rd overall.
\nSam Goodchild has had a fantastic start to his first Vend\u00e9e Globe, taking the lead on Day 2. Photo: Sam Goodchild\/Vulnerable\/VG2024
\nYoann Richomme has headed the most west of the leading group, and has one of the fastest boat speeds with at least 10 knots more pressure than those inshore.
\nMeanwhile Nico Lunven (Holcim-PRB)\u00a0has taken one of the most radical routings \u2013 heading some 180 miles west of the TSS before gybing south. At the moment the tracker has him in 28th place, but Lunven is a highly experienced and well rated navigator and router, so his move is definitely one to keep an eye on.
\nIn the bigger breezes, Boris Herrmann\u2019s Malizia-SeaExplorer is also coming into its own. Sailing outside the TSS, the German skipper moved up into the top 10 this morning after a tricky start dealing with some problems with his steering system in the very early stages, ranking 40th at one stage.
\nA big shift
\nFor all the skippers, after the emotional rollercoaster of the start, followed by a tense first night of close quarters manoeuvres \u2013 many of the skippers in constant contact on VHF to avoid collisions \u2013\u00a0the stronger breezes around Finisterre required a big shift \u2013 not only in mindset, but in physical set up of the boat.
\nView inside Yoann Richomme\u2019s Paprec Ark\u00e9a as the fleet picks up speeds around the Cap Finistere TSS. Photo: Yoann Richomme\/VG2024
\nWith many of the IMOCAs carrying from 800kgs up to 1 tonne of additional weight in food, gear and spares, shifting the carefully stowed stack of bags from their light wind start position to the back of the boat for bigger breeze trim is a major job. For the boats opting to sail inside the TSS, with repeated gybes, there\u2019s then the additional physical challenge of shifting that gear across the boat.
\n\u201cApproaching Cape Finistere, the wind\u2019s starting to pick up and the sea state is starting to get a bit gnarly. So the ride becomes rougher and I\u2019ve got a bit of work to do,\u201d explained Pip Hare from onboard Medallia, surveying the stack of bags she had to move. \u201cThe trick is not to do it all at once.\u201d
\nNot coming back
\nFor the first time in the Vend\u00e9e Globe\u2019s history, not one single boat has yet returned to the start port of Les Sables d\u2019Olonne. Under race rules, skippers may return and restart within the first 10 days, but once they have left Les Sables, must complete the rest of the course unassisted.
\nAvoiding collisions was key in the early stages when light winds saw the fleet stay tighly compressed. Photo: Benjamin Dutreux\/Guyot Environment\/VG2024
\nOften strong conditions in the Bay of Biscay sees some skippers return to effect repairs (Michel Desjoyeaux most famously returned in 2008, restarting some 40 hours later, but went on to win), but this year\u2019s light conditions have not \u2013 so far \u2013 seen any report major damage.
\nHowever, Thomas Ruyant\u2019s team has disclosed that he has discovered some water ingress in the forward area of his IMOCA Vulnerable. In the strong conditions he is currently sailing in Ruyant is pumping out the water and monitoring the situation.
\nThe post Brit Sam Goodchild takes Vend\u00e9e Globe lead after fleet\u2019s first testing night appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After the fleet’s first real test on night two, rounding Cap Finistere, British ‘rookie’ Sam Goodchild leads the Vend\u00e9e GlobeStrong conditions on the second night of the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe. Photo: S\u00e9bastien Simon\/VG2024Day 3 of the Vend\u00e9e Globe dawned this … <\/p>\n