Boris Hermann GER and Sam Davies GBR should be next to finish Vendee after having had to slow down to let the worst of the depression pass.
Off the coast of Portugal, Davies is in the south of a depression. The British skipper of Initiatives-Cœur keeping a low profile in these conditions of 45 knots of wind and 7 metre waves.
“I have 3 reefs in my mainsail, I’m trying to keep slow and not to go too fast” said Davies in a video.
Herrmann reported to his team that he has seen gusts to 65 knots sailing only with a triple reefed mainsail, all the time trying to keep his Malizia Seaexplorer slowed.
Herrmann (Malizia-Seaexplorer) and Davies should cross the Vendee finish line on Wednesday 29 January.
Earlier neither Benjamin Dutreux (GUYOT environnement – Water Family) who finished 10th late Saturday afternoon, nor Clarisse Crémer (L’Occitane en Provence) who took 11th early Sunday morning would have ever anticipated being welcomed into anywhere other than Les Sables d’Olonne.
But the big storm on the Bay of Biscay made entering into the famous Les Sables d’Olonne channel too dangerous, equally so staying out at sea. And so both successively were greeted into nearby La Rochelle,
Next to Finish ETA:
Boris Herrmann (Malizia – SeaExplorer): 29 Jan between 19:00 and 21:00 UTC
Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur): 29 Jan between 20:25 and 21:00 UTC
Vendee Globe Rankings at 06:00 hrs GMT Wednesday 29 January 2025
1st FRA Charlie Dalin MACIF Santé Prévoyance – Finished
2nd FRA Yoann Richomme PAPREC ARKÉA – Finished
3rd FRA Sébastien Simon GROUPE Dubreuil – Finished
4th FRA Jérémie Beyou CHARAL – Finished
5th FRA Paul Meilhat Biotherm – Finished
6th FRA Nicolas Lunven HOLCIM – PRB – Finished
7th FRA Thomas Ruyant VULNERABLE – Finished
8th SUI Justine Mettraux TEAMWORK-Team Snef – Finished
9th GBR Sam Goodchild VULNERABLE – Finished 25 January.
10th FRA Benjamin Dutreux GUYOT ENVIRONNEMENT – Finished
11th FRA Clarissa Cremer (L’Occitane en Provence) – Finished
12th GER Boris Herrmann (Malizia – SeaExplorer) – 174 nm to Finish
13th GBR Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur) – 230 nm to Finish