After having to deal with sluggish winds over the past few days, the Vendée Globe favorites are once again enjoying ideal conditions as they continue their descent of the North Atlantic. Yoann Richomme, at the helm of his monohull Paprec Arkéa, is delighted to be back up to speed. The rookie, who despaired of his Imoca’s senatorial pace on Monday, declaring the 2024-2025 edition of the Vendée Globe to be “the slowest of the last four“, even estimating that “80 days of food would not be too much“to complete the round-the-world trip, was able to put his foot on the gas pedal.

In a video sequence sent out this Tuesday, the two-time winner of the Solitaire du Figaro (2016, 2019) gloats as he sees his speed soar thanks to the westerly winds. “We’re off again, back in the wind. It’s going like crazy… 27 knots, 28…29… come on! That’s it!”rejoices the 41-year-old sailor. “We’re off again, the wind’s back after this high-pressure area, and we’re heading for the Doldrums. We’ve still got 400 miles to go (before entering the Doldrums), less than 24 hours, and it’s going to be a blast.”he adds.

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Richomme was even hoping to tease the 24-hour record set a few days ago by Nicolas Lunven (546.60 miles or 1,1012 km) on a mad dash to the top. “It’s not going to be long enough to do it, but it’s going to be a really fun tack.”he says, shaking his head in the cockpit of his monohull, before climbing on deck to record some striking images, particularly at the stern of the boat. Conditions are optimal, with a strong westerly wind and not too much sea: the Imoca boats can make the most of their potential. Richomme still has some margin to go faster, since in May 2023, he reached a top speed of 37 knots, or 68.5 km/h!

“We can’t get enough of it, it just goes on and on”.concludes the naval architect by training, as he continues his assault on the top of the rankings. By 3:00 pm on Tuesday, Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) had regained the lead, 28.21 miles ahead of Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère, Armor Lux), leader dethroned by mid-day and Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil), the leading trio in a fleet that has picked up the pace. A sprint to savor before entering the dreaded Doldrums, an intertropical zone with highly unstable winds.

Ranking at 3:00 pm:
1. Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) 21,987 miles from the finish
2. Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère – Armor Lux) 28.2 miles from the leader
3. Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) 50 miles away
4. Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable) 61.9 miles away
5. Charlie Dalin (Macif Santé-Prévoyance) 78.2 miles away
6. Nicolas Lunven (Holcim – PRB) 87.6 miles away
7. Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Coeur) 96.1 miles away
8. Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) 100.4 miles away
9. Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq V) 100.7 miles away
10. Clarisse Crémer (L’Occitane en Provence) 111.7 miles away