32 days, 16 hours, and 31 minutes—that’s the time it took Alexia Barrier to round the Cape of Good Hope. A symbolic passage for all sailors, marking significant progress in this unique adventure.
Leading the small group of laggards, TSE-4myplanet is now under the sun of the Indian Ocean. A life-saving clearing that must be seized, especially knowing the heroic task awaiting the skippers ranked between 21st and 27th place. Fabrice Amedeo is no longer part of this group, as he faces computer problems that are forcing him to head to Cape Town while Sam Davis is getting ready to set sail again off-race after having her boat repaired.
It is now essential to maintain speed to stay in the favorable winds without taking too many risks. A situation that requires heightened vigilance, especially when navigating the edge of the racing boundary with winds around twenty knots and occasionally rough seas.
The next goal is the Kerguelen Islands before reaching the second of the three capes in this sailing marathon, Cape Leeuwin, in the southeast of Australia. In sailors’ memory, such conditions had never been seen in a Vendée Globe, as Jean Le Cam, with his five participations, confided.
Nonetheless, the road is still long for the Maralpine, who has covered only 12,000 km of the 45,000 km that make up the race.
