Tom Laperche is holding firm at the front of the Route du Rhum fleet, but the final 600 miles to Guadeloupe are proving anything but a victory lap. The SVR-Lazartigue skipper has spent the past day battling his way through a tropical depression that has scrambled the usually reliable Atlantic trade winds.
Speaking during this morning's radio check-in, Laperche described conditions inside the depression as unpredictable and draining.
"We're right in the middle of this tropical depression, which is a bit of the last obstacle before reaching the Antilles arc," he said. "We're going through big clouds, with very little wind, and we're waiting for it to turn so we can get the south-westerly back as far as the Antilles. It's not easy to know when to take a nap because conditions change all the time. I think getting out of this zone won't be simple either. It's a bit long, but we have to be patient."
For much of the fleet, those trade winds have simply disappeared in recent days.
"The end of the race is going to be quite unusual. It's extremely rare to have no trade winds at all in this region," Laperche said. He expects to finish close-hauled, sailing into a south-westerly through unstable conditions, with plenty of tacking likely required. He pointed to Franck Cammas, who faced something similar back in 2010 when he won aboard Groupama 3. "It's not common, but it happens. We also risk not moving very fast towards Guadeloupe. Right now, I'm a bit tense because I don't want to lose too many feathers in this transition."
Even so, the numbers still favour him.
"Obviously, the numbers are good. I would have signed up immediately for a lead like this at this stage. It means we could go twice as slow as the others and still arrive at the same time. But that's not the goal. The idea is to do the best with what we've got, without taking risks. And I still prefer arriving with a lead, it's always more pleasant. There's still a lot of manoeuvring and things to manage before Pointe-à-Pitre. I don't know how much time we'll lose in this depression, but I've got that in mind."
The demanding days at the front have taken their toll physically.
"Physically, it's okay, even though we've had some pretty intense days and that leaves a mark. You have to stay alert constantly, so you can't afford to sleep too much. But you still need to rest to keep a clear head. I try to nap whenever I can. It's mostly in the middle of the night that it gets difficult, when you start nodding off. During the day, it's generally better."
He expects to reach Pointe-à-Pitre during the evening of 7 November, UTC time.
