Overnight there was compaction of the three Vendee Globe leaders, with Alex Thomson’s lead on Hugo Boss slashed to just seven nautical miles.
Both Thomas Ruyant on LinkedOut and Charlie Dalin on APIVIA have closed on Thomson at Thursday mornings sked report.
But Thomson is sailing a slightly lower angle, following a routing which maybe shows he will be lifted, more and sooner.
Well into the regime of the SEly trade winds it has been third placed Charlie Dalin on APIVIA who has again had the best 24 hours run, to 05:00hrs this morning, making 420 nautical miles.
In the next few days the weather is very favorable to the leaders and very unfavorable to the pursuers.
Thomson and a perhaps dozen who are chasing will be able to high pressure from the Saint Helena quickly enough and far enough from the Brazilian coast to reach the tropic of Capricorn, then the Roaring Forties.
But then the high pressure of the southern hemisphere will disperse next week, breaking into several cells which will then make for a very complicated crossing of the South Atlantic for the pursuers!
Vendée Globe Leaders – Day 12 – Thu 19 Nov – Updated 17:00 hrs UK
1st GBR Alex Thomson – HUGO BOSS – 20,974 nm to finish
2nd FRA Thomas Ruyant – LinkedOut – 17 nm
3rd FRA Charlie Dalin – APIVIA – 47 nm
4th FRA Jean Le Cam – Yes we Cam! – 142 nm
5th FRA Kevin Escoffier – PRB – 194 nm
6th FRA Louis Burton – BUREAU VALLEE 2 – 204 nm
7th FRA Boris Herrmann – SEAEXPLORER – 249 nm
8th FRA Yannick Bestaven – Maître CoQ IV – 270 nm
9th GBR Sam Davies – INITIATIVES-COEUR – 277 nm
10th FRA Benjamin Dutreux – OMIA – Water Family – 312 nm
Other GBR:
22nd GBR Pip Hare – Medallia – 1195 nm
26th GBR Miranda Merron – Campagne de France – 1590 nm
Retired: Nicolas Troussel
