
Post by
YourMomSA | 2020-10-29 | 01:30:27
Thanks, but this is far from over. The group that started on October 18 and 19 (including me) is now starting to demonstrate an important lesson to observe for Vendee... Fleet compression at the front edge of a weather system, when the boats being sailed are capable of sailing faster than the system. The front of the system becomes like a wall, unless you're able to transition to the next system ahead, which is usually impossible.
So... in a race like this, or Jules Verne, the trick is to be the latest starter to get to a good system before it gets out of reach. Then the people who started ahead of you run into the wall and you can catch them very fast. I look very good right now, but if I hit the front of the system, then NZ-Eligo, aspiln, Stevoo, and others who started after me will sail right up to my transom. They started after me, so they'll have better elapsed times. I'm still tracking Tipapacheri and Buddha too... They're pretty far behind, but if they're able to connect with the same system, and the fleet hits the front of the system, they'll close the gap very fast.
Of course, it's also very possible that I could hit light winds in the final day off Mauritius, like the pack that started October 9 (Toppen, ghostbuster, etc) did yesterday, only to have everyone who started behind me come up win winds near the finish like today's. So... I still need a lot of luck for it to work out. But I'm pretty happy so far!
My point about Vendee is... Don't stress too much about who's leading at Cape Alguhas. Instead, just worry about being in the same system as that boat. Everyone in the same system will likely come together for a virtual restart at the front of that system a few days later.