And so, as many suspected given the forecast for downwind sailing and multiple transition zones, it is the wily old fox of the oceans Jean Le Cam on his new David Raison designed non-foiling IMOCA who is top of the rankings Saturday morning.
He has often been a fan of the more direct route in the past and Saturday morning has a small lead over Giancarlo Pedote, the Italian skipper of Prysmian who is nearly 200 miles to the east of the 65 year old Le Cam who is on his sixth Vendée Globe, racing the newest boat in the fleet.
The weather situation remains very dynamic and the various weather models do not necessarily agree. Conventional wisdom is always ‘west is best’. Le Cam has angled back sharply this morning maybe the possibility of a lane of breeze down the African coast has closed? Certainly there is a cell of high pressure right in front of him which is evolving.
Britain’s Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) is now 9th, Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) has slipped to 12th, and Pip Hare (MEDALLIA) is now in 37th ,place.
Vendee Globe Leaders at 18:00 hrs GMT Saturday 16 November
1st FRA Jean Le Cam TOUT COMMENCE EN FINISTERE – ARMOR-LUX
2nd FRA Sébastien Simon Groupe Dubreuil
3rd ITA Giancarlo Pedote Prysmain
4th FRA Benjamin Ferré MONNOYEUR – DUO FOR A JOB
5th FRA Damien Seguin GROUPE APICIL
6th FRA Clarisse Crémer L’OCCITANE en Provence
7th NZL Conrad Colman MS Amlin
8th SUI Alan Roura HUBLOT
9th FRA/GBR Samantha Davies Initiatives-Cœur
10th FRA Antoine Cornic HUMAN IMMOBILIER
11th FRA Arnaud Boissières LA MIE CÂLINE
12th GBR Sam Goodchild VULNERABLE
Other GBR:
37th GBR Pip Hare MEDALLIA
