Pip Hare’s guide to the first stage of the Vendée Globe

The Vendée Globe is the world’s final race course: one continuous lap of the globe. The course begins in Les Sables d’Olonne on 10 November. There are three marks of the course – the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn – all of which should be rounded to port, earlier than ending again in Les Sables d’Olonne.

Past these marks we skippers should select our personal method around the globe and that navigation will probably be primarily outlined by climate relatively than geography.

Over the following three points I’ll stroll you thru the three main sections of the Vendée Globe course, and provides an summary of the important thing climate options which can problem, punish and reward each skipper in equal measure as we race, for as much as three months, single-handed, continuous, around the globe.

First we take a look at the Atlantic descent, crossing Biscay and the ‘Pot au Noir’, earlier than getting into the southern oceans.

Atlantic descent

Leaving the north Atlantic in late autumn is seldom a soothing affair, however the early phases of this route are sometimes trodden by the IMOCA skippers who’re effectively versed in transatlantic ‘sprints’. The course down the Atlantic could be cut up into outlined phases, every ruled by particular climate options. Nonetheless, when navigating a ship able to simple 500-mile days, our focus should be cut up, additionally listening to the event of climate options two, or typically three, steps forward.

The beginning of the race will probably be intense, skippers needing to handle boats at their heaviest, laden with meals and spares. The fleet will probably be shut, and technical issues must be restricted, which implies quick racing. In a category the place velocity differentials can exceed 20 knots, dangers or errors could be punished exhausting and boats getting forward early might keep that method for the complete race.

Exit from Biscay

The earliest routing selections would be the solely ones skippers are allowed to make in collaboration with their shore group, as they’ll be made on shore within the days earlier than the beginning. Some skippers might even delegate whole accountability for the preliminary few days of routing to a meteorologist – releasing up headspace to take care of the emotion and power required to start out the race.

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We will count on a routing made earlier than the begin to be correct for 48 hours, however from the second the gun goes we’re alone in our choice making. The foundations of the Vendée Globe race don’t permit exterior help on any issues referring to efficiency or navigation.

Sometimes, an exit from the Bay of Biscay will contain crossing a chilly entrance inside the first two or three days of racing. On this situation a entrance advancing throughout Biscay will carry headwinds within the south-westerly sector forward of the entrance, with a north/north-west shift after it has handed, which can propel boats rapidly south.

Heavy climate for Hugo Boss within the final Vendée. Picture: Alex Thomson/Hugo Boss

Crossing the entrance, we’ll must be aware of sea state (boats are sometimes pressured to return to the beginning after harm crossing these first fronts), to watch the velocity of the entrance and make a judgement on how far west to push earlier than crossing it. Any funding to the west might pay dividends afterward.

The Azores Excessive

Each skipper may have been consistently observing the place of the Azores Excessive in the course of the construct as much as and following the beginning of the race. The place, form and stability of this excessive strain system will dictate how simply or rapidly the fleet will transition to the north Atlantic commerce winds.

A steady excessive strain located over the Azores will open a route straight south, alongside the Spanish and Portuguese coasts. Excessive strain within the east or shifting east will power boats out to the west and a creating low strain across the latitude of the Canaries will even push boats west.

At this stage skippers in quicker boats must be already making selections about the place to cross the doldrums, all the time making an attempt to financial institution miles to the west in probably the most advantageous winds.

Atlantic Islands

The Atlantic Island archipelagos of the Canaries and the Cape Verdes provide each threat and potential rewards on the route south. The wind accelerates between the upper islands, offering an expressway south to spice up velocity. Every island additionally casts a wind shadow, nevertheless – the results of which could be felt as much as 80-90 miles downwind.

As a solo sailor the added dangers of passing by way of island chains, nearer to the shore and with further site visitors, should not be ignored. Wind shadows could be effectively mapped utilizing satellite tv for pc pictures, ASCAT information and GRIBs.

new low strain programs usually kind alongside the semi- everlasting entrance. A great trajectory (dotted blue line) and a few luck on timing will permit a competitor to place themselves forward of a creating low strain system

Commerce winds (North)

The power and extent of the commerce winds will probably be decided by the place of excessive strain within the North Atlantic and the place of the doldrums. The much less established the excessive strain, the weaker or additional south the trades will probably be, making progress to the south slower.

In typical circumstances commerce winds will begin across the latitude of the Canary Islands and from the north-east, veering east the additional south you go. At this stage it’s exhausting to make floor to the west with out dropping out massive miles to an in depth competitor heading south. We are going to must be certain of the place we wish to cross the doldrums and gybing within the commerce winds to make a westing must be rigorously thought of, together with taking advantage of advantageous or momentary shifts within the wind course.

Particular consideration is required late afternoon and early night to look at for squalls, created by damp, sizzling air rising in the course of the warmth of day. Satellite tv for pc imagery is used to know the quantity and probability of squalls, whereas radar can be utilized in the course of the night time or when not on deck for early detection of clouds.

On this situation a longtime excessive strain over the Azores supplies a robust northerly stream by the Atlantic coast of Europe. Boats will attempt to make floor to the west, the place doable, with out getting too near the centre of the excessive strain the place there’s much less wind

The Doldrums

Formally this space is called the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone. It’s the band of low strain which runs across the centre of the earth, near the equator, flanked both facet by commerce winds. The doldrums specifically consult with the windless areas inside this zone which may make or break early positions inside the race.

The doldrums are usually formed like a triangle on its facet, with the bottom to the east of the Atlantic and tip to the west.

The additional west a sailor is ready to make their passage into the South Atlantic, the much less distance they need to need to journey throughout the doldrums.

The longitude at which a competitor crosses will probably be just about decided by the point we now have reached the Cape Verde latitudes, and any early banking of miles west might pay dividends at this level.

As soon as getting into the doldrums, the principle goal must be a route south to the brand new commerce winds. Clouds and electrical storms will punctuate native navigation; satellite tv for pc imagery and radar as soon as once more play a key position in native techniques. Trendy GRIB information are actually fairly correct at exhibiting the doldrums, and satellite tv for pc imagery will even give good real-time affirmation.

Excessive strain saved the fleet shut in the course of the early weeks of the 2020 Vendée Globe. Picture: Boris Herrmann/Seaexplorer – YC de Monaco

The South Atlantic Trades

Pushed by the place, stability and measurement of the St Helena Excessive, the commerce winds within the South Atlantic mirror these within the northern hemisphere, beginning easterly near the equator, then step by step backing to north-east.

Although the primary ‘mark’ of our course is the Cape of Good Hope to port, we will probably be pressured to the west Atlantic to seek out the quickest route south – a path to the east will probably be towards headwinds.

If the St Helena Excessive is located within the central South Atlantic, boats might discover a course additional east that enables them to play with the gradient breeze round its centre. Nonetheless, ought to the excessive strain be weaker, or additional north, boats might search to learn from each the present and the thermal breezes alongside the Brazilian coast.

The same old precautions round squall exercise will probably be necessary. On this a part of the race foiling boats could be anticipated to learn from quick reaching circumstances.

With eyes ahead, skippers may have been paying shut consideration to the event of South Atlantic low-pressure programs over the earlier week, on the lookout for the quickest technique to leap the prepare to the south.

Iin this GRIB file the doldrums takes its basic triangular form, the purpose of which determines the furthest east skippers will wish to enterprise.

The Semi-Everlasting Chilly Entrance

It is a climate characteristic which extends from simply south of Rio de Janeiro south-east into the South Atlantic. The entrance is shaped between two areas of excessive strain in shut proximity that create an enormous climate entrance – which in flip generates younger low-pressure programs that slingshot their option to the Southern Ocean.

A dream situation could be to reach on the semi-permanent chilly entrance forward of a creating low-pressure system with its personal chilly entrance, which can then present northerly winds and quick reaching circumstances in the direction of the south-east.

That is one other level at which the fleet will separate. Those that get the timing utterly proper have accomplished the South Atlantic and might acquire tons of of miles on a ship that arrived simply behind a creating entrance.

Ought to the expressway south not be open, boats will both select to play additional with the St Helena Excessive strain – making their method east by crusing in in the direction of the centre of the excessive then gybing again out earlier than the wind velocity drops an excessive amount of – or they could select to proceed south on the lookout for an older melancholy coming from the tip of Cape Horn to experience east.

The temperature will change dramatically on the semi-permanent entrance as heat and chilly air plenty collide. The change from shorts and T-shirts to full thermals and woolly hats might be as fast as 24 hours.

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