How difficult it is to pass through the Doldrums for the small group at the back of the race. Although the wind has picked up since yesterday, it does not favor the skippers, who are forced to perform consecutive maneuvers to slowly make their way out of this intertropical convergence zone.
Bring on the Equator! That’s what the competitors of the round-the-world sailing race must be thinking. Because if the race becomes physically challenging at the back, it’s not much better at the front. The IMOCA boats are advancing at a speed of almost all under 10 knots. Conditions are expected to improve tomorrow by the end of the day according to the latest forecasts.
“Tonight it’s more like a 17-knot atmosphere with a wind that’s not in the right direction. But that’s the intertropical convergence zone for you, it’s always a mess, so we just have to wait a few more miles, and it will be over,” sighed Alexia Barrier, visibly weary on this 16th day of the race. “Before the Doldrums, I slept five hours, I think, in segments of 40 to 80 minutes, so I’m managing and not quite at the end of my rope yet.”
One can easily understand that we are witnessing a pivotal moment for TSE-4myplanet as the race is still long and promises to be very difficult in the weeks to come. Let’s just hope that conditions become somewhat more favorable once the Equator is crossed, likely during the day on Thursday if calculations are correct.
In any case, the fleet is now very clearly divided into three groups with significant gaps that will not be easily closed. But in the Vendée Globe, anything remains possible, especially when there are still a little over 39,700 kilometers to cover in this extraordinary race.
