At the head of the fleet, two strategies stand out for making the most of a flow from the South-West. One to the West (Louis Burton – Charlie Dalin – Boris Herrmann), the other to the North in the wake of Yannick Bestaven and Damien Seguin.

The tension is palpable at the head of the race. Thomas Rettant recognized a “frustration” at not being able to fight 100% in the first group. For his part, Louis Burton could take advantage of his option further west to escape.

All scenarios are possible on this 64th day of racing off the coast of Rio de Janeiro as the weather conditions blur the tracks to reach the trade winds.

Less than 5,400 miles remain in front of the bows of Maître Coq IV, or 22% of the course. However, the first two months of racing in this 9th Vendée Globe were not quick if we consider that at this stage, four years ago, Armel Le Cléac’h was about to cross the ‘Ecuador.

“I find myself dreaming of being in the top 5 at Cape Horn! It would be crazy! “. Not so crazy, not so crazy, not so dreamlike. On this 51st day of racing, 1600 miles from Cape Horn, rookie Damien Seguin has just grabbed 3rd place. His red boat is ahead of LinkedOut by a few miles at the 3 pm check-in.