Pit stop needed in Arkea Ultim Challenge

(February 15, 2024; Day 40) – As the 2024 Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest race leader Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) approaches the Equator for a crossing tomorrow, he somehow carves a northerly path of good fortune as his five other competitors require pit stops for repair or retirement in this non-stop, solo round-the-world race.

The latest casualty is Armel Le Cléac’h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI), racing in second place, having suffered damage to his central rudder. He is diverting toward Rio de Janeiro to assess the situation, returning to the Brazilian country that hosted him on January 16 when he had to stop for repairs during his descent of the Atlantic.

There is now some 6,600 miles between Caudrelier and Éric Péron (Trimaran Adagio) in fifth, more than twice the distance the leader has to make to the finish line back in Brest. The contrast is striking, as the leader is shirtless in the doldrums while Péron endures the miserable grey of the furious fifties in the Pacific.

Both Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 3) and Péron approach Cape Horn with the temperature plunging toward a range between 6°C and 11°C (43° to 52° F). In the South Atlantic on the other hand, the atmosphere is much improved.

Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3, 3rd)is excited about catching sight of his first flying fish, meaning that the seas are warming up. “Down here, light is very intense, very strong, and perfect for photos.”

Le Cléac’h, who is around 750 miles ahead of him, is now suddenly slowed this morning, when he suffered damage to his central rudder.

In terms of the temperature, Coville, who is approaching the latitude of Buenos Aires, has around 20°C (68°F), while Caudrelier is passed the latitude of Recife on the NE tip of Brazil, where temperatures are close to 30°C (86°F). “I’m really suffering from the heat during the day,” said Caudrelier. “It wears you down and I can feel cramps coming on… But we’re in the Tropics, so that’s great!”

In these summer temperatures, Caudrelier needs to keep an eye on his food store. “I took 45 days of food, but I still have ten days of racing left,” he explained yesterday. “So it was time I took stock of things. I think Thomas (Coville) took enough for 42 days, so I shouldn’t grumble.”

Péron, who is due to reach the Horn by February 22, is “looking forward to climbing back up the Atlantic to have a look at how things are going in terms of supplies.” He added with a smile, “I may have eaten some dishes I like more than others… I’m not worried, but I may end up trying to eat my fingers.”

Details: https://arkeaultimchallengebrest.com/en

The Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest is a solo, non-stop round-the-world race for Ultim Class trimarans which have a maximum length of 32 meters and a maximum width of 23 meters.

The solo speed record around the world was set in 2017 by François Gabart (FRA) on the 30m Macif trimaran in a time of 42d 14h 40m 15s for an average speed of 21.08 knots. This yacht has been rebranded and will be raced by Marchand.

Entrants:
• Charles Caudrelier (FRA), Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (2017 Verdier 32/23)
• Thomas Coville (FRA), Sodebo Ultim 3 (2019 VPLP/others 32/23)
• Tom Laperche (FRA), Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue (2021 VPLP 32/23)
• Armel Le Cléac’h (FRA), Maxi Banque Populaire XI (2021 VPLP 32/23)
• Anthony Marchand (FRA), Actual Ultim 3 (2015 VPLP 30/22)
• Éric Péron (FRA), Trimaran Adagio (2014 VPLP 31/21)*
* Only entrant without foiling appendages

Attrition:
January 29: Tom Laperche on Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue and his team realized they don’t have the facilities or the means to complete the complex, difficult repair needed, and they have no option but to retire and get their boat back to Concarneau. Laperche incurred damage on January 18 when his daggerboard in the main hull collided with an UFO (unidentified floating object). He had arrived in Cape Town on January 22 in hopes to repair the damage.

Five rules from the Sailing Instructions:
• The start is January 7 from Brest, France. The start line is kept open for 168 hours and the finish line is closed after an elapsed time of 100 days after the start time, that is to say April 16, 2024.

• The skippers can communicate and exchange with their teams on shore, so they have the freedom to get weather information and be routed by their team on shore and get technical help and advice to help with technical problems.

• The solo skippers can stop but there are two distinct operations. A technical stop is unassisted and requires the sailor to drop anchor, take a mooring, or tie up alongside an anchored or moored boat with no external help. There is no time penalty for a technical stop. But for a technical stopover (escale technique) where one or more crew or technical team come on board to help, there is a mandatory 24 hours minimum. This does not apply to the start port of Brest where all means are authorized to reach or leave the port within a radius of 50 miles.

• For the first time in ocean racing, zones where there are known to be a high concentration of whales and sea mammals are determined. Establishing these zones should both protect the marine wildlife and reduce the chance of a collision. These zones are around the Azores, the Canaries, south of South Africa, the Kerguelens, and parts of the Antarctic.

• There are ice exclusion zones to protect the skippers and their boats.