Vendée Globe - Max Sorel beating the storm

Maxime Sorel is expected tomorrow Saturday morning 

“I have been working like mad and it has become a bit of a race against the clock to be able to get into the port in time on the high tide. My team have found an alternative if we don’t’ get there in time, which is a bit reassuring.

I have all my full sails up I have big gennaker, J3 and full main. I could not have any more up except the spinnaker, but the conditions are not favourable for that. 

The routing is giving an arrival between 0400 and 0600 UTC which could mean I can go right up the channel. I hope that the wind holds, and it should build up tonight. I tend to go a little faster than what the routing says, so that would be good!

I would have preferred a slightly different end, because I am having to really work hard since yesterday when I saw there was a chance of getting through. The last 48 hours I would have preferred to have been able make the most of them to think about my race and prepare for the arrival, but here I find myself in full on mode, not being able to eat or sleep and having to tune the boat, so it is not simple on board. 

The Race HQ set up a small crisis group with weather updates, not giving any routing of course, but updates which has been excellent that has given Armel and my team a chance to evaluate, but neither Armel or I have actually exchanged directly on the water.”

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Cover photo © Maxime Sorel / VandB - Mayenne