Regular breeze, beautiful sea and big blue sky punctuated by small clouds of altitude: the solitaires of the Vendée Globe offer a nice break pleasure in the trade winds finally found. These beautiful sliding conditions should last 36 to 48 hours before the negotiation of the next weather pitfall: the doldrums…
Since that night, the skipper Fives Group – Lantana Environnement has benefited from this steady and buoyant flow of trade winds. His supporters in the west* did very well. Especially since this trajectory should allow them to approach the doldrums in a better position, we will come back to it.
The two rebels from the east were able to enjoy a saving passage in extremis. Risky but successful. The centrists were the least well off.
Far West
In the end, Louis, despite his speed handicap due to the loss of his spis, climbed back to 25th place, 5th among the drifting boats.
The gaps are mainly lateral and, apart from Jean Le Cam, the top 6 of the Imoca dinghies is positioned on a long line East / West of more than 200 km. A little like a new start, except that the West position of the skipper Normand should allow him to enjoy a breeze more sustained than his fellow racers.
A nice parenthesis
Overall, everyone will benefit from the perfect weather conditions for the next 36 to 40 hours: regular wind, beautiful sea, sun… A nice parenthesis to better understand the rest.
The marmite
The temperature, already high, will continue to rise. The competitors are indeed approaching Ecuador and, before him, the dreaded and fluctuating Doldrums. This weather zone, characterized by calm punctuated by storms as violent as sudden, sometimes spreads over the 2/3 of the Atlantic and moves constantly, like a big bubble in a pot of hot water. But statistically, the Doldrums are wider and more virulent in the east, on the African side.
The western position chosen by Louis should therefore also facilitate his approach and crossing of these “false calm”. In the long term, the long-term vision is an essential key to success.
*strategy put in place last weekend to bypass a large windless zone that blocked the trade winds.
A respectuous and circular sporting event
The Fives IMOCA is an "upcycled" boat. Thanks to Louis, it lives a 2nd life!
Louis and his team gave a new life to a very damaged IMOCA because of a fire. This refurbishment undertaking was a real technical challenge... that succeeded in only 10 months!
Louis and his team continue to apply this upcycling principle and optimization research with a constant effort on sobriety throughout this Vendée Globe program.
Louis is also very keen on respecting everyone's work and giving a chance.
The Fives Group, a major partner in this Vendée Globe program, has been seduced by such commitment and values, as it shares the same values and responsibilities.
Fives, your partner for a more virtuous industry
For over 200 years, the Group has designed the breakthrough solutions and technologies that make industry what it is. From the first railways to the Eiffel Tower, through the spatial conquest, Fives always spearheaded the industry of the future. Pioneering decarbonization, the Group is an unconditional partner of the industry's energy transition. Through digitization, the promotion of a circular economy and the development of new processes and new energy sources, Fives puts its technological leadership to its customers' service.
www.fivesgroup.com