There is no shortage of superlatives to describe the scene being played out less than 100 miles from Les Sables d’Olonne. Never has an IMOCA race enjoyed such intensity with the podium so open. This evening, at around 22:40 hours local time, there may well be a photo finish between Charal, LinkedOut and Apivia!

It won’t be just the land sickness or the champagne making the sailors stagger around tonight once they’ve crossed the finish line! Indeed, the swaying gait of the first solo sailors to hit dry land will be a sight to behold given the levels of exhaustion! The head of the race has been embroiled in a hellish rhythm for the past 10 days and for this final downwind run at 20 knots, the Vendée- Arctique-Les Sables d’Olonne protagonists are having to dig deep into their final reserves of strength and energy. Right now it’s impossible to leave the trimming for even a minute in this shifty northerly breeze, which is sure to take a toll! In the meantime, the intensity of the race is giving them a hefty dose of adrenalin. “I’m flat out! I can see Charal just beside me and I’ve luffed to get closer to him,” explained a very excited Thomas Ruyant at the noon video call. The blue boat is back up to speed again after falling off the pace slightly yesterday due to the light airs. Somewhat outdistanced over the past 24 hours, he has made yet another blistering comeback and is up at the front of the pack again, neck and neck with Charal.

A handful of miles to leeward of his two rivals, Charlie Dalin is gambling on a more direct route towards the finish line. The approach on the French coast is going to be a real dilemma as the wind will lift and they may have to absolutely nail the timing on some gybes. Whatever the strategies adopted by Beyou/Ruyant vs Dalin, the skippers are just minutes apart according to the routing simulations. Moreover, the trajectories of the three rivals are in the process of converging…
 
It may all come down to a final gybe!
 
Vendée Globe airs

The finish line is none other than that of the non-stop, unassisted, singlehanded round the world race for which all the skippers competing in the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d’Olonne are preparing. Namely, a 550-metre virtual line located to the south of the Nouch mark that is symbolic to say the least! The terrific trio is expected to reach the finish from 22:15 hours local time (latest ETA). And in its wake, there will be a great slew of finishers barrelling across the line. Starting with Samantha Davies (4th) and Kevin Escoffier (5th). Competing on boats built some 10 years before the new foilers, these two sailors have sailed a fantastic race. “I’ve had a lively night”admitted Sam Davies with a big grin that betrayed her unwavering delight to be at sea. “It’s a lovely day. There’s a smooth sea, the boat is hurtling along downwind and it’s rare to have such fine sailing conditions. I’m going to do everything I can to keep Kevin behind me now.” They are expected to finish around an hour after the three leaders.
 
Pulling an all-nighter offshore of Les Sables d’Olonne

The third volley of finishers – from 6th to 12th – will arrive in a burst. Indeed, the lights of the boats skippered by Boris Herrmann, Yannick Bestaven, Fabrice Amedeo, Giancarlo Pedote, Maxime Sorel, Clarisse Crémer and Kojiro Shiraishi will likely illuminate the night sky off Les Sables between one and three o’ clock on Wednesday morning. And for Isabelle Joschke, who has a very different battle on her hands – that of finishing the race under jury rig of sorts with her now ‘boomless’ mainsail, to qualify for the Vendée Globe- , we’ll have to wait until first light on Wednesday.
 
Finally, the last four competitors rounded the Gallimard waypoint today. Their ETA in Les Sables d’Olonne should be decided 24 hours after that of the leaders, overnight on 15 through into 16 July.