One week on exactly since Nico Lunven (HOLCIM-PRB) set a new solo 24 hours monohull distance record, Paprec Arkéa solo skipper Yoann Richomme dramatically bettered that mark this morning on the Vendée Globe, before running out of track and hitting the buffers as he and the other leaders of the solo non stop race around the world slowed into the Doldrums.

The contrast could not have been more marked. Richomme sailed a distance of 551.84 nautical miles in the 24 hours up to 0830hrs this morning in near perfect conditions. But a few short hours later he was was all but stopped, floating in almost millpond like winds that had ‘welcomed’ him to the Doldrums.

Reflecting the speed and efficiency of his latest generation Finot Conq-Coch design, on his record sprint windspeeds were relatively modest a around 17 knots but, emerging from a high pressure ridge of light winds, the seas were very flat which allowed the double solo Transat winner to push hard in relative comfort. He betters Lunven’s record by 5.24 miles (all to be ratified by WSSRC).

Standing on the deck of Paprec Arkéa with his shirt off because of the heat and humidity whilst making only a few knots, Richomme told the Vendée Globe LIVE! English show today, with a grin: “It was pretty unexpected because the run in between the ridge and the ITCZ has been quite short and so I was not even looking at beating the record because I thought it would be less than 500 miles but apparently it was enough and it is my main pleasure is to beat Nico Lunven in life (laughs). It is good, I really pushed hard, I wanted to catch the guys in front because I am really afraid of a breakaway near Brazil and so I thought I could cover some miles on that day and it worked out. It is not paying off too much right now as I am stuck in a light spot and have been here for three hours doing three or four knots. And so the thing is maybe if there was a hundred or so miles of breeze it could have been a good number of miles more.”

And, asked how long he felt his record might stand for, he responded, “If we do get into a warm front in front of a cold front on a flat sea I think the crewed record is doable because I don’t think it matters too much if you are solo or crewed for a few miles it does, we can get a lot closer to the crewed record. But you have to have the right conditions so let us see if that happens. I feel most of these boats have these kind of speeds now.”

As he spoke in the show Richomme still had his long, long time rival Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prevoyance) clearly in view, both snared in the same calm. Asked how much longer he anticipated being slowed he quipped, “I am not so sure, but as long as it is before Charlie Dalin I don’t mind!”

Leader Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) of Britain was the first to be slowed down around 0500hrs UTC before being gradually before being caught by his closest rivals. Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) was within three or four miles of Goodchild’s lead whilst third placed Lunven was at 25 miles behind but making just 3 knots. Logically the first in should be first out as there is very little lateral separation between the leaders. And routings suggest they might be in for no more than 20 hours before they emerge into the SE’ly Trade Winds which will be around 15kts.

Meantime cumulonimbus clouds, violent squalls and torrential rain might be mixed with light and variable wind. Mentally and physically this phase promises to be just as exhausting.

“In the Doldrums, the sailors have to juggle between the squalls, sometimes nasty and sudden, and the light ones. This requires them to constantly change sails and then be on the lookout for the slightest change,” notes Jacques Caraës, one of the Assistant Race Directors who knows from experience to what extent the zone can become extremely messy and frustrating.

But the South Atlantic is brimful of promise. “It is almost too good to be true!” noted Germany’s Boris Herrmann (Malizia-Seaexplorer) on a brief call this morning. There looks to be a good chance of a direct SE’ly course because the South Atlantic high is quite displaced east and there is a front evolving which the lead group should make to be slingshot into the Southern Oceans at high speeds.

“It’s a scenario that we rarely see and which would probably be considered perfect for record chasers in large multihulls,” enthused Caraës who broke the Trophée Jules Verne record on the maxi tri Orange. And if these conditions do arrive as expected maybe Richomme’s 24-hour record will prove short lived!

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