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Reasons to be Super Happy


The 10th week of the Vendée Globe saw Ollie celebrate the biggest milestone of the race so far, passing Cape Horn.

 

Rounding Cape Horn

 

The weather gods favoured Ollie as he approached and rounded the notorious tip of South America on Tuesday 14th January (Day 66). The winds eased, the seas flattened and Ollie was sailed close enough to land to enjoy a radio conversation with the lighthouse keeper!

 

José Luis Luarte Sepúlveda, the former Chilean soldier who resides full time at the isolated lighthouse with his wife, two children and their cat, welcomed Ollie to Chilean waters, before congratulating him on passing Cape Horn and wishing him a safe return to Les Sables d’Olonne.

 

José, the Cape Horn lighthouse keeper, and family
José, the Cape Horn lighthouse keeper, and family

Passing Cape Horn is one of the most significant milestones of the race. It is the 3rd of the three major capes, marking the exit from the cold, grey and inhospitable Southern Ocean and the entry to the Atlantic Ocean with the promise of warmer temperatures and the start of the final leg home.


In this achievement, Ollie was also welcomed into the 'Association of Cape Horners' – by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston , who in 1969 became the first person ever to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation.

 

Ollie beamed with happiness as he rounded the Cape;


“I’m so happy to leave the Southern Ocean behind and start pointing to the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne, but there is a symbolic meaning for me too; since I was a little kid sailing my Optimist on Lake Zurich I dreamed of sailing in a round the world race and passing Cape Horn. 4 years ago we turned this dream into an objective and today here I am. I am super super happy. Super happy.”


Weather Watch


As Ollie continued northwards, passing the Falkland Islands overnight on Wednesday 15th, he felt the effect of the mountains ashore, frequently alternating  between wind shadows and acceleration zones. This kept him busy on deck with sail changes but also brought the fragrance of land – a noticeable change to the sea air of the previous 66 days.

 

During this period, Ollie was sailing on port tack, which is the side where his keel has a limited function, causing the boat to heel at 25-30 degrees.

“It’s not very comfortable! But I am making good progress which is important as tomorrow I will sail into a patch of very light winds, and the boats behind me, unfortunately will catch me up as they will continue to have great sailing conditions. But that’s life!”


 

Smooth Sailing


By Friday 17th January (Day 69) Ollie was very aware that he was no longer in the Southern Ocean. He had arrived into the patch of light winds and, with rays of warm sunshine on his face, took the opportunity to open the hatches and air out the boat.

 

“There was no way to sail around this light patch, I am limited by the ice limit just off to my right. But the nice thing is it is warm and sunny – almost 15-degrees on the boat which is a proper relief! Even though the sea looks like a mirror, I am still going at 3-4 knots. That’s the advantage of a tall mast and my big gennaker – often higher up there is a little bit more wind than on the surface.”

 

Not So Smooth


The sunshine continued into the weekend, giving Ollie time to tidy up and complete some jobs on board.  

 

Then, unexpectedly, at 1am on Sunday 19th January (Day 71), while sailing in just 10 knots, the mast head gennaker ripped apart. Ollie leapt out of his bunk and onto the deck where he was dismayed to see his largest sail flapping uselessly in the wind and collapsing into the water. He was forced to wrestle, in the dark, to retrieve the 300m2 sail back on board as quickly as possible.

 

“It was a mission to get it down, and it took over an hour, but I have managed to get it all back on board. Now I’m exhausted”

 

The sail appears to be beyond repair. And for now Ollie has bigger priorities – he has to choose whether to taking an inshore route closer to land, or stay to the west, taking more of an offshore route back up the Atlantic towards Europe.

 

Looking ahead


The forecast shows multiple wind holes across the Atlantic, and the task ahead of Ollie is to try and get North as quickly as possible, avoiding the windholes as much as possible.

 

With approximately 3 weeks remaining, Ollie is still being tested physically and mentally. Unexpected challenges disrupt his plans, forcing him to react quickly, adapt and revisit decisions, all whilst battling the ever present fatigue from sleep deprivation.

 

News of damages from around the fleet shows that both boats and skippers are tiring, reinforcing the Vendée Globe’s reputation as the Everest of the Seas.


Continue to follow Ollie's progress live on the race tracker .


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