At 23h 27min 20sec (UTC) Monday, Yoann Richomme passed the last of the three major capes of the solo non-stop race around the world, the infamous Cape Horn, in the lead of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe.
In so doing the 41 year old French skipper of the IMOCA PAPREC ARKÉA smashes Armel Le Cleac’h’s previous record time which was set on the 2016 Vendée Globe (47d 00h 34min 46s) and also sets a new reference time between Les Sables d’Olonne and Cape Horn: 43d 11h 25min 20s.
That’s 3d 13h 9min and 26s less than Armel’s record. At the same time, he establishes a new record for the Cape Leeuwin – Cape Horn sector at 13d 09h 13min 43s.
By passing the longitude of the southernmost tip of South America at 23h 36min 50sec (UTC) in second Charlie Dalin was just 09min 30s behind.
This makes it the closest rounding by leaders in the history of the Vendée Globe (1h20 separated François Gabart from Armel Le Cleac’h in 2012). The MACIF Santé Prévoyance skipper’s elapsed time to Cape Horn is 43d 11h 34min 50s.
The long time rivals were less than one mile apart this morning after their passage of the legendary rock has made race history as the closest leaders’ rounding of the Horn.
But as the new breeze filled and speeds picked up to 21-23kts, Richomme has extended away and is nearly 10 miles clear on the 0600hrs UTC ranking.
Vendee Globe Leaders at 18:00 hrs GMT Tuesday 24 December 2024
1st FRA Yoann Richomme PAPREC ARKÉA – 6652 nm tp Finish
2nd FRA Charlie Dalin MACIF Santé Prévoyance – 24 nm to leader
3rd FRA Sébastien Simon GROUPE Dubreuil – 641 nm to leader
4th FRA Thomas Ruyant VULNERABLE– 1611 nm to leader
5th FRA Jérémie Beyou CHARAL
6th FRA Nicolas Lunven HOLCIM – PRB
7th GER Boris Herrmann MALIZIA – SEAEXPLORER
8th GBR Sam Goodchild VULNERABLE – 1881 nm to leader
9th FRA Paul Meilhat Biotherm
10th FRA Yannick Bestaven MAÎTRE COQ V
11th SUI Justine Mettraux TEAMWORK-Team Snef
12th FRA Clarisse Crémer L’OCCITANE en Provence
13th GBR Samantha Davies Initiatives-Cœur – 3059 nm to leader
14th FRA Benjamin Dutreux GUYOT ENVIRONNEMENT – WATER FAMILY
15th FRA Romain Attanasio FORTINET – BEST WESTERN
16th FRA Damien Seguin GROUPE APICIL
17th FRA Jean Le Cam TOUT COMMENCE EN FINISTERE – ARMOR-LUX
18th FRA/GER Isabelle Joschke MACSF
19th ITA Giancarlo Pedote – PRYMIAN
20th SUI Alan Roura HUBLOT
