Vendée Globe 2012-2013 - Day 52

Resolutions, resolve and relief at Cape Horn

Gabart and Le Cléac'h at Cape Horn Tuesday evening

Cape Horn, and the left turn up the Atlantic has always represented some kind of deliverance for Vendée Globe skippers. Thus far the Pacific winds and seas may have been relatively gentle on the majority of the fleet, but it also is the relief from the mind and body numbing chill that the Atlantic finally brings which is universally welcomed.

Of the skippers who today were reflecting on the misery of the relentless, all- pervading greyness, cold and damp, it will be Jean-Pierre Dick - in third - who will actually escape to rising temperatures first. But when the soloist who has been most vociferous in conveying his passion for the south is no longer at one with the weather, then it is a fair bet that there others sharing the misery.

For sure one is Javier Sanso. Home for'Bubi' may be the sunny Balearic island of Majorca, but the career professional mariner is no stranger to the hardship of the deep south. As well as a successful racing circumnavigation on the first Barcelona World Race, Sanso skippered an Antarctic sailing odyssey.

But he has now taken to a radical solution to warm his permafrosted feet:
"I can complain about one thing and that is the cold," reported Sanso today. "Worse than the cold is damp, chill humidity. It isn't that cold – just ten degrees, but it is the humidity that gives such a strong sensation of cold and on a day like today where the sun doesn't come out it is even worse."

"I have had freezing feet for the last four days because of the humidity but I have given myself shock treatment. I took out my new boots and put on brand new dry and clean socks and my toes were still frozen. I then took two bags which are used to heat my food – the hot packs – and I strapped them around the boot with tape for ten minutes – and finally my feet dried."

And the damp is also getting to Mike Golding who is on his sixth circumnavigation:
"It is foggy, drizzly, rainy and unpleasant. And it is cold. Inside the boat everything is damp and that makes the cold feel worse."

Tanguy De Lamotte too has been finding it cold: "I have a very small radiator but it's not enough for the cabin. The best way to stay warm is to stay inside the sleeping bag. The temperatures are so low it just takes longer to get warm. I've used the engine a couple of times just to stay warm."

Back to the Future?

De Lamotte may be 12th, 4080 miles behind the leader but he was the first of the Vendée Globe fleet to celebrate sailing into 2013. At his position, just passing close to Campbell Island, 380 miles south of Dunedin NZ, De Lamotte was not only in to the New Year at around 1200hrs CET today, but as he is due to sail across the international date line tomorrow, so he will effectively be able to celebrate all over again. Add the option tonight to mark the start of the 2013 with his friends and family at home in France, and the popular skipper laughed that he had under- estimated his champagne supplies: "I'll get to celebrateat least twice because I'll cross the antimeridian tomorrow, it's quite a privilege. I didn't do it on purpose, though, but it's great! So champagne today and red wine tomorrow!"

In fact De Lamotte (Initatives Coeur) and Bertrand De Broc (Votre Nom Autor Du Monde avec EDM Projets) some 230 miles ahead will likely limit their celebrations as they expect stormy wind conditions (gusts to 50kts) and big seas.

After 13th placed Alessandro Di Benedetto at 1600hrs this Monday afternoon, the leading duo, François Gabart (Macif) and Armel Le Cléach (Banque Populaire) – at 450 miles to Cape Horn – will pass into 2013 around 0500hrs UTC Tuesday 1st and the group comprising fifth placed Jean Le Cam to seventh placed Dominique Wavre around 1000hrs.

A First for Gabart

Ironically of the top ten skippers it is only today's leader François Gabart who has yet to sail past Cape Horn. Gabart has built a lead now of 20 miles on Armel Le Cléac'h. To lead past the third great cape of this race would in itself be a fantastic moment for a skipper who only rose to real prominence three years ago when he won the MACIF skipper selection trials in 2009. Remarkably when the last Vendée Globe started in Novmeber 2008 Gabart had yet to race an IMOCA Open 60 at all, and indeed it was only the following autumn when he raced his first major Transatlantic on an IMOCA, taking fourth in the Transat Jacques Vabre on Groupe Bel with Kito de Pavant. The leaders are still expected at Cape Horn on the evening of Tuesday 1st January.

Position Report at 4pm:

1 - FRANCOIS GABART, FRA [Macif] at 7471 miles to finish
2 - ARMEL LE CLEAC'H, FRA [Banque Populaire] at 20.2 miles from leader
3 - JEAN-PIERRE DICK, FRA [Virbac Paprec 3] at 364.3 miles from leader
4 - ALEX THOMSON, GBR [Hugo Boss] at 961.4 miles from leader
5 - JEAN LE CAM, FRA [SynerCiel] at 2041.8 miles from leader
6 - MIKE GOLDING, GBR [Gamesa] at 2444.2 miles from leader
7 - DOMINIQUE WAVRE, SUI [Mirabaud] at 2500.8 miles from leader
8 - JAVIER SANSO, ESP [Acciona 100% EcoPowered] at 2599.7 miles from leader
10 - BERNARD STAMM, SUI [Cheminées Poujoulat] at 2808.4 miles from leader
13 - ALESSANDRO DI BENEDETTO, ITA [Team Plastique] at 5105.3 miles from leader

Full rankings can be found here