SAILING: The two Vendée Globe skippers at the head of the Vendée Globe are almost side by side.
Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) gained some more speed on Friday but remains within range of the Welshman Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss), with just 55 miles separating the two of them. A tight duel for a long time already between the two men and that should last. Behind this battle as hard between Jean-Pierre Dick (Saint-Michel-Virbac) and his closest pursuers.
What a fight! This Vendée Globe offers an exciting duel between the Breton Armel Le Cléac’h ( Banque Populaire ) and the Welshman Alex Thomson ( Hugo Boss ). While a few days ago the skipper of the Banque Populaire was advancing at full speed and was offered a lead of 800 miles over the skipper of the Hugo Boss team, now it is just down to 55 miles! A return aided by weather conditions more beneficial to Thomson than for Le Cléac’h, trapped in a high pressure zone in recent days, and therefore no wind.
The Breton, however, has just got out of this bubble and regained some speed on Friday morning, even if it remains at an average speed less than the Welsh for now (7 knots against 8 knots). Conversely, having melted like a ball on Banque Populaire, Thomson is now in a quieter area and therefore will lose some speed.
Far from being over
It is neck and neck at the top, being close to the end. Both skippers have everything to play for in the coming days, as the weather promises to be changing over the next miles that will cross both boats. For its part, Beyou ( Coq Master ) continues to trace its delay. He took over 200 miles between Thursday and Friday, and is now 1100 miles from the leader.
If the showdown is the most exciting, it is the same for fourth place, held by Jean-Pierre Dick ( Saint-Michel-Virbac ). The skipper sees the duo Cam-Elies back on him. The skippers of Finistère Sea Wind and Quéguiner Leukemia Hope have only 200 miles behind Virbac-Saint-Michel.
