Transat Jacques Vabre attrition taking its toll

Yesterday afternoon, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild team announced that Charles Caudrelier and Erwan Israël had suffered from damage to their steering system after a collision with a UFO, which broke the part that links the three rudders. They remain in the race, but will face some tiring hours trying to keep up the pace and save their third place. 

It is in fact fairly surprising that the ULTIM fleet has been relatively spared over the 6000 miles they have sailed, even if we do not know about all of the problems they have encountered. Hiding small technical problems is part of the game when you are involved in such a high standard of ocean racing. We will find out more when the leaders finish in Martinique, at the end of their long downwind leg, in which Maxi Banque Populaire XI seems unbeatable.

The attrition suffered at the start of the race remains on the minds of the competitors. While the three Ocean Fifty boats with Solidaires en Peloton (Vauchel-Camus-Vlamynck) in front are now engaged in a battle in fine conditions, the herd instinct in the IMOCA class reflects the brutality of the start of the race, which affected many sailors. Few feel like having to deal with disturbed systems out to the West. 

While there are no major strategic options (although they may appear in the coming 24 hours), it is currently more a matter of positioning. Not always easy to understand, it is nevertheless fascinating to watch. Charal (Beyou-Cammas) and Amarris (Nebout-Mahé) are grabbing what they can, believing that banking small gains is important, because as the adage says, ‘tall oaks from little acorns grow’.