After 72 days at sea, the race is still just as undecided. Up front, there are still nine competitors who can dream of victory in this Vendée Globe. Behind, conditions remain complicated with cold, fog, and squalls on the menu.
With the first arrivals expected in nine days, Alexia Barrier is preparing to pass Cape Horn in the best possible way: “I still have a passage or two to negotiate before getting there. Normally, these won’t be major weather fronts. We had our share of intense conditions with Sam (Davies) last week.” In this chilly (5°C) and gloomy weather, one satisfaction warms the heart of the sailor from the French Riviera: “I should be able to pass close to Cape Horn, the routing and the wind should likely allow it. However, I still don’t know if it will be daylight or not…” she wonders, less than 1,000 nautical miles away from this new objective.
For now, the skipper is trying to gain some altitude in anticipation of a calmer zone south of the southern tip of Africa. At this pace, she should catch up with the sailor from Initiative Coeur just ahead of her, who is currently enjoying better conditions before a likely reversal in two days.
Two different strategies are proving to be very important as it’s possible to remain in the doldrums for several days before finding winds again in this very particular zone. It’s an opportunity to get closer to the land that she hasn’t had the chance to behold for several weeks before tackling the ascent of the Atlantic once more.
Getting a little closer to Vendée to reunite with her family and loved ones in a way other than through a brief video call is Alexia Barrier’s ultimate challenge for the next three or four weeks of racing. Before that, she still has more than 15,000 km to cover!