Vendée Globe - Charlie Dalin this morning, 'It is good to finally express the potential of my boat'

In second place and having closed more miles on leader Yannick Bestaven, Charlie Dalin is pleased to have enjoyed 24 hours or more of good speeds.

“The wind went to bed with the sun, after a beautiful fast day yesterday. The sea was smoother and the angle was good: I finally expressed the potential of the boat, it was nice to finally make speeds more worthy of my boat. But the wind has died down this evening, we are somewhat under the influence of a small bubble which should move during the day as it shifts to the east. I have wind this morning which is not expected, it allows me to go to 11 knots at a good angle, which is good news.

Yannick has got away a bit again he has managed to extricate himself from this cell that is currently holding me, but I'm happy to have narrowed the gap so much. The rubber band should compress again, up to the cold front at Cabo Frio which is ahead for us. The passages in this cold front change from model to model, it is not easy to find the right route.

Tomorrow, I will encounter this cold front from Cabo Frio in the east-south-easterly. It will be the key moment, the last hurdle before the trade wind; it is all moving, there will be opportunities which open and close according to the models. Since you can't teleport from East to West, you have to make choices early enough, which makes it difficult.

It was nice to make these good averages on decent seas, it was a beautiful day. The weather was nice, it's good for morale to see the miles go by so quickly, the gaps are closing so quickly, it was great. There will be more, I hope. We will find some wind again next night, it will bring me closer to  the front. There are still more to be done, which is good news. This front is going to redistribute the cards one way or another. Everyone will have their East / West positioning with which they will have to play until the doldrums. This is the last big strategic obstacle (until the doldrums, editor's note), then everyone will sail their line.”

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Cover photo © Charlie Dalin / Apivia