7.Vendee Globe 2012/13

20.11.2012
11 days, 20 hours. 3350 miles to the Equator (as the Swallow flies)
Le Cléac'h Crosses Equator
Le Cléac'h first to cross, but Jean Le Cam's 2004 record safe.
Gabart: "We were five boats in visual contact"

News Flash:
At 0820hrs (French time) this morning, the leader, Armel Le Cléac'h http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/1/armel-le-cleac-h.html, (Banque Populaire), crossed the Equator in 10 days 19 hours and 18min. The effect of one of the toughest passages through the Doldrums that even the most experienced skippers in the top six can remember is clear.

Armel le Cleach Erster am Äquator
Foto: V.Curutschet

As even in a new lightning fast boat, Le Cléac'h was almost eight hours outside the record of 10 days 11 hours and 28 minutes Jean Le Cam http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/16/jean-le-cam.html set in 2004. Le Cléac'h's time is the second fastest in the history of the race, easily beating the 12 days 08 hours and 58 minutes that Loïck Peyron took in 2008-09. Fleet news:

Francois Gabart http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/31/francois-gabart.html (Macif) moved back into second last night as the pack of five chasing Le Cléac'h began to divide after an intense 36 hours of hand-to-hand fighting. Gabart is 39 miles behind the leader but there were still only eight miles between the four chasing him on Wednesday morning. Alex Thomson http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/25/alex-thomson.html (Hugo Boss) has lost touch, relative to what has gone before, 13 miles behind Jean-Pierre Dick http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/13/jean-pierre-dick.html (Virbac-Paprec 3), in sixth. Dick slipped back from second to fifth.

In his overnight message Gabart, the 29-year-old skipper and youngest in ther fleet revelled in the close fought battle in the Doldrums. "It was predicted ... But at this point!?" he wrote. "Yesterday morning (Tuesday), leaving the Doldrums, we were five boats in visual contact!

From the beginning, the times when I did not at least one teammate on the AIS (Automatic Identification System) are rare! This race is beautiful. It's too bad Armel was not part of the fight. He usually likes this kind of battle. OK, he's thinking it was better to pave the way! Congratulations to him. He sails impeccably."

The forecast is for 12 knots south easterly trade winds that will become easterly the further south the boats go. And they will have to go south, there is no choice because the St Helena high, in the South Atlantic, is active and large at the moment. Thus, although Le Cléac'h is 3350 miles to the Equator as the swallow flies, they sail more than 4000 miles as they pass it.

The question is whether the British, French and Swiss triumvirate, behind the leading pack; Mike Golding http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/12/mike-golding.html (Gamesa), Jean Le Cam http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/16/jean-le-cam.html (SynerCiel) and, Dominique Wavre http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skipper/15/dominique-wavre.html (Mirabaud) can make up enough ground to catch the same low pressure system south. They have not been nearly as badly affected by the Doldrums but Golding, who has banked over 100 miles, was 169 miles behind the leader.

PRESS OFFICE Liliane Fretté Communication MEDIA center Tel: +33 (0)1 46 53 53 20 Tel: +33 (0)1 46 53 53 19 FRENCH PRESS pressefrance@vendeeglobe.fr INTERNATIONAL MEDIA intpress@vendeeglobe.fr Skype: sabinamollartrogerson Tel: +33 (0)6 38 62 09 +34 666 759 530

20/11 - 08:00 (UTC)
1 - Armel Le Cléac'h [ Banque Populaire ] + 21,059.3 miles to the finish
2 - François Gabart [ Macif ] + 39.0 miles to leader
3 - Berrnard Stamm [ Cheminées Poujoulat ] + 41.1 miles to leader
4 - Vincent Riou [ PRB ] + 42.5 miles to leader
5 - Jean-Pierre Dick [ Virbac Paprec 3] + 46.9 to leader
> FULL RANKING http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/