Routing : from reality to play (episode 3)

While, this morning of the 9th day, Hugo Boss at the top of the Vendée Globe 2020 finishes crossing the “Doldrums” at a slow trot (¹), followed by the fleet of competitors which spread out behind him to the north of the Cape Verde Islands, It is a completely different score that the leaders of the game are playing Virtual Regatta.

Alex Thomson has crossed the Doldrums in the lead. Heading for 197° on the most logical routing this morning of the 18 November.

The first three group of the game chose a route that no navigator would certainly have taken. They may not be, but on the contrary, I suspect them of being experienced players.

The most logical route is to reach the Cape of Good Hope by rounding the Saint Helena High, whose winds blow counterclockwise (The Southern Hemisphere obliges). It is therefore generally necessary to go very far south to look for the trains of depressions that are circulating, with favourable downwind winds to the east. Knowing that the road down to the South can take a good week, it is difficult to anticipate the exact position of the south-western edge of this anticyclone, who has the bad habit of moving frequently during the austral summer.

Projected position of the St. Helena High towards the 25 November.

On the side of Virtual Regatta, Two radically different options present themselves. The big pack of players more or less grouped on the same route as the real skippers, and the small clan of leading players who are trying the option along the African coast. To look at the routings today, It is not impossible that the strategy of the latter will be successful. We will only know when we pass the Cape.

The two-week forecast is very uncertain, But the gamble could pay off…

Enough to keep you busy for the days to come !

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(¹) ITCZ : Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone
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See previous episodes :
Routing : from game to reality
Routing : from game to reality (continue)
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