This is the good news this morning! At around 3:10 am (French time), 360 miles in the north of the Crozet archipelago, Kevin Escoffier (PRB) was disembarked from Jean Le Cam's boat and was picked up by the Nivôse, a French Navy frigate. The transhipment - via a semi-rigid - went well, despite a swell formed in the area.
Jean Le Cam resumed his race. In a message to the Vendée Globe Race Direction, Frédéric Barbe, captain of the Nivôse, wrote: “Kevin is in great shape, he is going to enjoy a hot shower. We are heading for Reunion. It's a beautiful day that begin."
Work Station Indian Ocean
Over 24 hours of intense work has left the inside of Louis Burton’s IMOCA Bureau Vallée in a mess but the third placed skipper confirmed this morning that his efforts, in collaboration with his shore team, have kept him in the race. Speaking on the 0400hrs TU call this morning, after he had just gybed at the Antarctic Exclusion Zone he said, “"I'm pretty burnt out and I admit that I came close to having to abandon". True to the philosophy of many competitors Burton was not giving everything away about his problems, other than having said earlier that he had automatic pilot troubles.
After a quieter period close to the ice exclusion zone, the main 11 strong peloton in the Indian Ocean see Charlie Dalin extending his lead slightly overnight to 233 miles over Thomas Ruyant. Burton confirmed he had 30-35kts of wind and a swell 4.5 metres. Most have gybed as the new front arrived bringing north westerly winds, now on a long port gybe across the Indian Ocean passing the Kerguelen Island some time tomorrow Monday.
Some 1800 miles behind Apivia the contrast in the wind and weather is stark from the group Alan Roura, Stephane Le Diraison, Armel Tripon, Arnaud Boissières have had a very frustrating period in light winds some 120 miles from the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope, these four have made only one or two knots at times and some went full 360 degree circles.
