On this ascent to the equator, off the open sea of ​​Bahia in Brazil, the sailors have grain, or rather grains, to grind. The wind varies sharply in strength and direction, you have to be on the lookout, one hand on the sheets, one eye to observe the sky, another on the radar.

The closer to the finish, the more uncertain the outcome of the race. Of course, Louis Burton could do well, but you have to take too many tweezers to already believe it.

With measured steps, Boris Herrmann (SeaExplorer – Yacht Club de Monaco) crossed the South Seas by hand, without causing fortune. Here he is, perched on a boat he announces in perfect working order, equipped with latest generation foils, in third place in the Vendée Globe behind Charlie Dalin (Apivia), leader full of authority and Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2 ).

For the first time in the history of the Vendée Globe, we saw eight competitors follow one another on the pontoons of Les Sables d’Olonne in the space of 23 hours and 44 minutes. 23 hours and 44 minutes of joy and emotion, as intense as this planetary regatta which will have been played through contact from start to finish. It was not until the arrival of Jean Le Cam on Thursday evening to put a final order in the hierarchy of this crazy race.