Succcess! Pip Hare has replaced her port rudder in the depths of the South Pacific . . . she writes
Every part of my body aches. I have bloody knuckles on every finger, bruises all down my legs and muscles I didn’t know I had that hurt but YES!!!!! The new rudder is in and Medallia is back in the game.
I’m now back in the game, the breeze has filled in and Medallia is humming along at 15 knots and I can’t quite believe that I did that.
Yannick Bestaven, the Vendée Globe leader since Christmas Day, has been slowed in a high pressure zone.
And although still climbing north he has been closely monitoring the faster speeds of his two nearest rivals – Charlie Dalin on Apivia in second and Thomas Ruyant on LinkedOut in third.
At mid-day Friday, Maître Coq IV is still over 400 miles up on Dalin who is racing just 13 or 14 miles ahead of rival Ruyant with their wind angle closing as they go east.
Vendée Globe Leaders – Day 62 – Fri 8 Jan – 11:00 hrs UK
1st FRA Yannick Bestaven – Maître CoQ IV – 5,399 nm to finish – sailing at 6+ knots
2nd FRA Charlie Dalin – APIVIA – 399 nm
3rd FRA Thomas Ruyant – LinkedOut – 414 nm
4th FRA Damien Seguin – GROUPE APICIL – 449 nm
5th FRA Louis Burton – BUREAU VALLEE 2 – 551 nm
6th FRA Jean Le Cam – Yes we Cam! – 609 nm
7th FRA Benjamin DUTREUX – OMIA – WATER FAMILY – 610 nm
8th FRA Giancarlo Pedote – PRYSMIAN GROUP – 652 nm
9th FRA Boris Herrmann – SEAEXPLORER – 687 nm
10th FRA Maxime SOREL – V and B-MAYENNE – 7187 nm
11th FRA Isabelle JOSCHKE – MACSF – 728 nm
GBR:
17th GBR Pip Hare – Medallia – 2602 nm
23rd GBR Miranda Merron – Campagne de France – 4354 nm
Retired:
Nicolas Troussel, Alex Thomson, Kevin Escoffier, Alex Thomson, Sebastien Simon, Sam Davies, Fabrice Amedo