(Reuters) - The solo monohull 24-hour distance record fell once again on Wednesday during the Vendee Globe as Sebastien Simon sailed 602.56 nautical miles, outdoing his compatriot Yoann Richomme's short-lived mark by 22.7 nautical miles.
The fleet is being propelled by a fast-moving depression, with the record books being rewritten frequently in recent days.
Groupe Dubreuil skipper Simon is among the leading group, including record-breakers Richomme, Nicolas Lunven, Thomas Ruyant, leader Charlie Dalin and Jeremie Beyou.
"I beat the record! It is not the goal but the boat is doing really well, there's only one metre of sea, a reasonable wind between 24 and 26 knots of wind," Simon said.
"I have two reefs in the mainsail, under FRO, in a relatively safe configuration for the boat. It's an incredible distance, I would never have imagined doing that. In my opinion it's not over because the scenario is improving for us.
"And since I'm staying in the front group, I'm on this depression all the way to Bonne Esperance instead of dropping off it this evening so I'm going to continue to go at this speed for almost another full day, so there's a chance that the record will be beaten again, I hope by me."
Simon's record is less than 40 nautical miles off the 24-hour crewed record, held by Lunven's Holcim-PRB vessel, which logged 640.48 nautical miles during the fifth leg of The Ocean Race in 2023.
The Vendee Globe is a solo, non-stop and unassisted round-the-world sailing race, dubbed the "Everest of the Seas".
Starting and finishing in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France, the route spans approximately 24,000 nautical miles, with sailors dealing with harsh and remote conditions in the open seas.
The race started on Nov. 10, featuring 40 skippers representing 11 nations and including six female competitors.
Frenchman Yannick Bestaven won the last edition in 2020-21 in 80 days three hours and 44 minutes.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
