The leading group of the Barcelona World Race may be ready to reflect on their passage across an unusually lenient south Indian Ocean but the tail enders of the fleet have been dealing with a punishment which is more perhaps more typical.

The top five boats will already be considering their passage to the Cook Straits which looks set to be influenced by the timing of a high pressure system which may give favour to the second and third placed MAPFRE and Estrella Damm, cost some miles to the leaders Virbac-Paprec 3, and possibly more to Groupe Bel and Renault ZE Sailing Team.

But while their problems, with one known exception, are largely mathematical – evaluating gains and losses, reducing risk and exposure, the three teams at the back of the fleet were well into a strong low pressure system. For most of the Spanish crews this will be their first real experience of stormy conditions since passing into the Indian Ocean.

“The windspeed indicator does not drop below 45 knots and at the moment it is topping 53. In these conditions it is a real battle to get the mainsail down.? Reported Gerard Marín from Fòrum Marítim Català this afternoon .

The laughing cow, on the horns of a dilemma?

Kito De Pavant and Seb Audigane on Groupe Bel, the laughing cow, are caught on the horns of a dilemma. To pit-stop or not to pit-stop?

That is their question which they and their team need to evaluate having today revealed that they have been sailing without two key sails – their big gennaker and heavy kite – since before the Cape Verde islands.  De Pavant’s team reported that the first incident happened 29 days ago, when the fleet leaders were sailing fast in strong NE’ly trade winds.

The boat is reported to have luffed violently damaging the big gennaker which was rendered unusable. They continued under heavy spinnaker which they damaged the next day. De Pavant explains subsequently that they no longer have the ideal downwind and reaching sails for the wind range 15-25 knots. They are understood to be considering a technical stop, possibly in New Zealand. Any stop after leaving the Indian Ocean must be of a mandatory minimum of 48 hours. Teams can carry up to 10 officially measured sails which. Up to 60 percent of a damaged sail can be replaced.

From having been in sight of Estrella Damm over recent days Groupe Bel has steadily dropped back to be nearly 200 miles behind the third placed Spanish boat this evening, De Pavant considering that Groupe Bel has been up to 20% below her usual polar speeds compared with Estrella Damm.

Swiss Timing

Swiss skipper Dominique Wavre was given to comment on the unfortunate timing which has been certainly been precise, but very unfortunate. Each time he and Michèle Paret  have come north to satisfy a gate of the course they have been unlucky enough to be slowed by high pressure, whilst others have been much more blessed. Neutrogena have been dealt the same cards. Mirabaud was slowed to under 8 knots at times today but the sixth and seventh placed boats were joining a fast moving low pressure this afternoon.

And the catch up continues for Estrella Damm, this afternoon just 13 miles from passing MAPFRE for second who have been consistently slower than their usual selves, while Hugo Boss had cut the lead of GAES Centros Auditivos to 17 miles and remain around one knot quicker. Virbac-Paprec 3 leads MAPFRE by 526 miles.

 

Standings at 1400hrs UTC Wednesday 9th February 2011

1              VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at13721,4 miles to the finish

2              MAPFRE at526,6 miles to the leader

3              ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at539,4 miles

4              GROUPE BEL at731,7 miles

5              RENAULT Z.E at1042,4 miles

6              MIRABAUD at1578,3 miles

7              NEUTROGENA at1676,4 miles

8              GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at2210,3 miles

9              HUGO BOSS at2227 miles

10            FORUM MARITIM CATALA at3279,9 miles

12            CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at3548,8 miles

RTD        FONCIA

RTD        PRESIDENT

 

Andy Meiklejohn (NZL) and Wouter Verbraak (NED), HUGO BOSS: “ We are fast reaching, surfing safari Southern Ocean style. It is fast reaching, very wet, the boat accelerates quickly to 25-26 knots. The cloud cover is cleared and we have blue skies and sunshine, water is 17 degrees. It is really enjoyable hand steering in the waves trying to maximise every mile we have. We have the guys from Hugo Boss Germany on line as well.

It is hard to stay on top of time of day when you are moving so far east, but we try to make it work by always having breakfast when the sun rises and then go from there.

We have had an amazing couple of days, really fun to properly race the boat always looking for the protection and finding a nice balance. One thing we have learned is that there are more gears on this boat, some daggerboard, sails, and we have been really creative in finding new gears, and being fast. The weather has helped and that has helped us catch, but even now we are getting closer and we are still catching. It is looking good. Rumour has it the girls have some nice red wine and toast so we can really close and get a nice platter from them.!?

Alex Pella (ESP), Estrella Damm:”We have gybed before them (MAPFRE). We caught up a lot. The truth is that we are going super fast in the Indian Ocean. We have had almost four days with good winds,  reaching and downwind in the right direction for eating miles. We spent nearly three days fighting with Groupe Bel and now we see stretching. We do our stuff and by now it is perfect. Pepe drives the boat very well and I really enjoy my watches as well. I hope it keeps like that for a long time!

I think we will pass quite quickly the Australian barrier. After that, a front comes with a low, probably the strongest wind so far, but that will be in two or three days. At the moment I think the crossing of the barrier will be very clean.
We are very excited. We are third and the boat is performing very well. We would have signed being across Cape Leeuwin in this situation. We will soon have a new opportunity to toast with beer, which will now be chillier. The waves are large and crossed. We used to have the wind on the side and the wave n the back and now downwind and wave at the side. Recently the sky was gray and it rained a little, but now it’s been cleared and it’s a beautiful day in the Indian.

It would be nice to get second, but we have not done even half the race and we must keep our feet on the ground. What is important is that we are good and the boat as well and we are eating and resting well in order to keep moving forward. ”

Dominique Wavre (SUI) Mirabaud:“Every time when we have gone towards an ice gate we have been met with an anticyclone. We have managed to get away from Neutrogena and this time they are behind. Since the start we have arrived at the worse times, bad luck I suppose and the saving grace I suppose is that we have shared our bad luck cards with Neutrogena.

But we had some brilliant times before we got planted into another anticyclone. The conditions are not too tough. With the position of the ice gates we flirt with the anticyclones rather than the depressions. And so it goes quite tamely compared with my past  memories. But physically we are tired all the same. We have so many maneuvers and changes to make because of the anticyclones and they are more stressful than good depressions with stable winds.

We stick to French time on the boat so that we don’t wake people on land when we need to communicate. We adapt our sleep pattern because effective, deep sleep is most effective at night and so we try to adapt to that.

Our personal hygiene is not ideal. I have not shaved for a week and I’ve not had time to. With everything going on then that slides down the agenda.

When we were north of Kerguelen I recalled being there after my keel problem in the last Vendée Globe, to bring the boat 2500 miles was really stressful and one of the worst memories of my life. But now the keel system is much more reliable and it feels so much safer to be racing with Michèle.?

Kito De Pavant (FRA) Groupe Bel:“We have been sailing close hauled a lot, and we’ve been running downwind in either a very strong or weak wind, which enabled us to continue at a good pace

On the other hand, in the last few days, everything got back to normal with a fair wind of about twenty knots, and this is when the gennaker has been lacking. We are 20% below Groupe Bel’s performance. Conclusion, Estrella Damm which we were sailing in view of less than a week ago, has flown away 100 miles ahead of us.?
“Today, there is nothing vital that requires us to stop? Kito analyses. “We will make our decision as soon as we have a precise idea of the weather conditions around New Zealand, which may or may not favor a pitstop, and which might penalize us in relation to our contenders. It is also possible that other crews are currently considering the same question. The race is far from over…?

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It was a significant moment for Loïck Peyron and Jean-Pierre Dick when they passed through the Amsterdam gate and set a fast course yesterday for the Australian barrier, signifying the end of a bone-shaking ride in confused seas and the chance to open the gap again on the pack which are pursuing the long time Barcelona World Race leaders.
Indeed the weekend programme for the race leaders, could be a diet of ‘champagne sailing’ other than first edition winner Dick revealing today that three bottles of Coke comprise the celebratory tipple of choice aboard the Virbac-Paprec 3. But life is certainly sugar sweet for Dick and Peyron today as they see their speeds elevated back towards 16-18 knots averages, consistently re-gaining today some of what they lost to the 2004 Olympic 49er champions who are 515 miles behind this afternoon.
If Dick and Peyron have champagne conditions, MAPFRE in second have been trying to deal with a very potent but confusing cocktail, a party punch which is packing very variable breezes and mixed seas which sees Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez forced to maintain a high, but nor necessarily profitable work rate. But the Spanish duo should find it simplified when they too get through the final ice gate of the Indian Ocean this evening, though their wind pressure is set to ease as the frontal trough they have been shadow boxing dissipates. Their motivation remains high but will spike higher when they feel like they are on the same ‘leg’ of the course as the leaders.
Again Jean-Pierre Dick reminded listeners to today’s VisioConference that anything can happen in this mechanical sport, that they are essentially little more than a fast day’s sailing ahead of the second boat, and he reaffirmed how a seemingly small problem can escalate to become a big one.
Ryan Breymaier and Boris Herrmann dealt with their own problem efficiently but did, in the end have ‘outside assistance’ to recover their Code Zero headsail which had slid off the boat when it broached due to a ballast tube malfunction. The Neutrogena duo had to gather their wits quickly when the key sail slipped over the guard rails and into
the sea when they momentarily lost control. But a text book return to the locus where the sail had disappeared was rewarded when the floating sail was pinpointed by a few albatross who were standing on the waterlogged sail, enjoying respite from their own Southern Ocean endeavors aboard their own Neutrogena ‘island’. That the pair were able to get the sail back on board was something of a ‘miracle’ Hermmann reported today.
Having yesterday morning been sailing alongside and in sight of sixth placed Mirabaud, Neutrogena’s problems coast them miles. But the German-American pair passed the Crozet ice gate this morning at between 1130 and midday, some four hours after Dominique Wavre and Michèle Paret on the Owen Clarke designed Mirabaud. Neutrogena were just 26 miles behind Mirabaud this evening.
Looking at the long game is always an essential virtue racing around the world, one which Dee Caffari learned especially on her 2008-9 Vendée Globe solo race. Having been forced to route north and upwind, surviving a very stressful 36-48 hours in big, confused seas, the record breaking British skipper and Anna Corbella were back to their radiant best today, looking forward to easy miles directly down the track, knowing that they have a good chance to reducing some of the deficit they lost out to Mirabaud and Neutrogena.
Standings at 14hrs Saturday 5th February
1 VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at 15 143,3 miles from the finish
2 MAPFRE at515,3 miles to leader
3 ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 604,4 miles
4 GROUPE BEL at658,3 miles
5 RENAULT Z.E at938,1 miles
6 MIRABAUD at1454,1 miles
7 NEUTROGENA at1482,1 miles
8 GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at2177,3 miles
9 HUGO BOSS at2359,6 miles
10 FORUM MARITIM CATALA at2851,4 miles
11 WE ARE WATER at2976,8 miles
12 CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at3158,4 miles
RTD FONCIA
RTD PRESIDENT
Dee Caffari (GBR) GAES Centros Auditivos: “ The sun is shining and we are going fast in the right direction, and we are very happy bunnies. It was horrible, we did not like it, the boat did not like it and it was a really horrible, intense 36 hours. And it is probably the worst conditions we have had in the race so far. It was only about trying to keep the boat and the crew in one piece, and we got out of there and the weather has just got better and better.
She did not feel 100% and was not firing on all cylinders, but she is back in full.
It is looking like this northerly component will stay with us and we can crack on straight to the ice gate and clear that by Monday. It is looking like easy miles for us which is quite a change because we have had to work quite hard recently.
Neutrogena and Mirabaud are always our targets because we obviously lost a lot by having to take that northern upwind route, and it did cost us dearly while they were able to take that more direct route, so to close that gap would be lovely and we have not given up.
I was really happy with the boat, I had a good look around yesterday when it became a bit drier, and we sponged out a good deal of water. Everything is good with the boat and she is doing a good job and looking after us.”
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Virbac-Paprec 3: “We had very strong winds at an angle which was just not good and big waves and so to get to the gate we did not go so fast. Behind us I think they were averaging 19 knots and I think we were 16 knots. But we are downwind again and thing will open out again. We will have a little less wind over the next bit. The last two days were really full on, the boat was shaking with lots of carbon noises.
Everything can crumble because we are on a mechanical boat and we saw what happened with Foncia. You can lose the rig in a second. But 500 miles of a lead is nice, but it is not enormous compared with how far there is to go. We try to read a little and listen to some music. Bur of course sometimes we don?t have time to because we just crash to sleep, tired out. Since the start we have not dropped the rhythm between sailing, eating and sleeping.
Loïck is quite accustomed to our life on board and we had discussions before the race. We take the freeze dried but try to have the best, and we have treats like chocolate. We have energy powders to rehydrate us and we have three bottles of Coke for each great moment. And some semi sparkling water after a big effort which I really like.

Boris Herrmann (GER) Neutrogena: “ The basic problem is pretty steep waves and how to make the boat go fast. It is easier to sail the boat in very steep waves with a lot of ballast in the stern. Our problem started yesterday when we lost the stern tube and the boat wiped out and in this whole episode we lost one sail over the side. We were sailing with the small kite and one reef in the main and so it takes quite a while to take sock the kite.
Once we had done that we looked at each other and said do we really do this because we had at least one and a half miles to go back and it was big waves, and gusts and everything. We did not expect to find it, so we said „lets try? and we turned and on the trace on the navigation programme we could find the point where we wiped out, we went to the position with a couple of tacks, going upwind with very small sails.
From there we went downwind very slowly. And all of a sudden I could see a few albatross and they were sitting on our sails.
I think we have something going on with the albatross. Today we had a problem, we were Chinese-ing the boat (Chinese gybing) heeling over from one side to the wrong side. When that happened once again an albatross was flying close, as if he was keeping an eye in us. Each time we make a stupid mistake it seems like there is one near the boat.
First of all it was quite stressful but in fact finding the sail and then managing to get it back on deck in these big waves was a miracle, but even since then it has been steep waves. And so since then we have probably had to reef and unreef the main probably five times since then, sometimes down to two reefs, some time one and sometimes full main. Yesterday between two positions we were very close or ahead of Mirabuad and we did not want to lose too many miles, to gain back the lead over them and it was the perfect time to go fast this morning.
Ryan worked on the tube today while I took care of the boat and cut a piece of it off to seal it again. We cannot use any ballast then and had to heel the boat over to keep the ballast tube empty. It was a challenge in many ways. But the thing has been glued in place for half an hour and now we are just waiting for it to dry, and the glue can set within a hour because we will pass the gate and then need to gybe south again.
Yesterday we saw them all morning, we sailed alongside them and could see them pretty clearly, we were close and then gained on them, from quite a way behind, just gaining on them before we gybed.”
Alex Pella (ESP) Estrella Damm: “ The waves are long and about eight metres high. There are twenty knots of wind from the south (170), and we are doing 15 knots heading east (94 degrees) Last night the wind dropped a little but has risen again. We have the front just ahead of us and in the next 20 hours will start to get northerly wind. The day is very cloudy and thus it is very difficult to read the swell and wind, which is very unstable in direction and intensity. The last 24 hours we have not gone so fast but the important thing is that we have been closing towards the gate in the right direction.
The idea is to pass the gate and see what to do with the front, probably go south. The boat is going well and as long as it is, so also we’re all right.
Mind you, the watches are exhausting. You finish completely punctured.
So we try to eat and sleep as much as we can. But we remain very motivated and morale as high as ever. I am very happy to be here in the south, although it is a strange and unusual south as we are not much in the south. It will be different after the gate. And currently we?ve got good weather, between 11 and 14 degrees. When we go further south it will be a lot colder.”

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Who of those towards the back of the Barclelona World Race fleet would swap their unfortunate reality and certainty for the high stress and uncertainty which leaders Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron appeared to be facing over the next few days as they look set to deal with a difficult, active subtropical low pressure system?

Duos like Andy Meiklejohn and Wouter Verbraak on Hugo Boss and Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella on GAES Centros Auditivos, who were all joined through this morning’s Barcelona World Race Visio-Conference, are trying to come to terms with the weather cards they have been dealt, initially: a hand offering at least two or three days of upwind sailing and surely more.

In contrast, with a lead of 589 miles this afternoon over second placed MAPFRE, Dick sounded slightly anxious this morning as he admitted they were still not clear on the timing of, or how they will deal with the muscular low pressure which is threatening them. 

He and co-skipper Peyron have been making optimal use of their time in slacker breezes, making just 12 knots this afternoon in light upwind conditions, by reviewing the weather files as they get them, preparing the boat, rig and equipment for the big blow and sleeping and eating as much as they can.

For those who are getting used to the idea that their domain will be slamming upwind at an angle for days to come rather than surfing downwind, there is more to deal with mentally than simply considering how their endurance and patience will be tested.

For sure there will be also now be some bigger gaps in the fleet developing and overall duration of their race is likely to be greater than anticipated.

Ryan Breymaierand Boris Herrmann expressed a certain satisfaction in having got back to within 44 or so miles of sixth placed Mirabaud yesterday but they are snared this afternoon in calms which have seen them making less than a two knots average, losing 28 miles this afternoon alone. And Caffari confirmed that their aggregate losses could accumulate to five or six hundred miles.

Under such circumstances the duos solidarity as a unit will be tested, as will their discipline and humour. Hugo Boss’ Wouter ‘The Router’ Verbraak joked this morning that they simply discard the forecasts they don’t like the look of and resort to another cup of tea, before getting on with the job to the best of their ability, while Caffari stated starkly and simply:

“It sucks”

Joined by video link with We Are Water’s Barcelona skipper Cali Sanmarti who celebrated his 42nd birthday today, Anna Corbella warned her friend Cali, both former Mini class skippers, not to start ‘robbing the food bags’ a mistake which, when all the treats are used up too early, can make the final stage of the circumnavigation especially tedious.

From second placed MAPFRE Iker Martinez compared previous life in these latitudes on the fully crewed Volvo Ocean Race with the different kind of stress and tiredness, racing as a duo for the first time on an IMOCA Open 60, which they seem to have adapted to well.

“ These boats anyway are designed for downwind, so they are rather uncomfortable, in fact to speak now I am wedged on the floor, it is uncomfortable and even dangerous. The Volvo is intense but over shorter periods. But the IMOCA can be slower and more difficult over short periods – during manoeuvres. We have no heating on board, a choice which seemed nice but we decided not to because of the fuel we would have needed. The way we sail is very different to the Volvo. The Volvo is a bit like being in the army with 10 guys. This is totally different with just the two of us, we sleep little but in the Volvo we sleep for longer periods. Here is it is 30 minutes, an hour maybe two.”Explained Martinez today.

Meantime Président’s Jean Le Cam continues to follow the Barcelona World Race closely, speaking out in complete support of the ice-gates:

“ Combined with the complicated weather patterns in this part of the world which are going to complicate things for the competitors adding a touch of spice to the race, that is why I would like to say well done to the race director….”Le Cam commented.

Rankings on Monday 31 January at 1400hrs UTC

1              VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at 16 868,8 miles to finish

2              MAPFRE at 589 miles to the leader

3              ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 706,3 miles

4              GROUPE BEL at 727 miles

5              RENAULT Z.E at 874,5 miles

6              MIRABAUD at 1232,8 miles

7              NEUTROGENA at 1321,9 miles

8              GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 1555,5 miles

9              HUGO BOSS at 1931,8 miles

10            CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 2016,7 miles

11            WE ARE WATER at 2026,7 miles

12            FORUM MARITIM CATALA at 2141,3 miles

ABN         FONCIA

ABN         PRESIDENT

Quotes

Alex Pella (ESP) Estrella Damm:“ We are now sailing on starboard with little wind, about 8 knots from SW, heading 80 and doing 9-10 knots of boat speed. We spent the night with the genoa and with almost no wind. We believe that everyone in the group will be affected by this calm, but MAPFRE seems to have more wind up North so let’s see if it does not escape too far. Wind is heading and it seems we’ll sail upwind for a good while.
It is sunny; we have about 13 degrees and lots of birds around. We have just seen a whale.

The review of the first month is very positive. We are in the fight. We had very good moments. The Mediterranean went very well, we just had some bad luck after leaving it. The descent of the Azores high was very successful and the doldrums went perfect. When the two boats ahead stopped in Recife we became first.

Then in the descent of the Atlantic we were not good, we made mistakes and we were stopped with a bit of bad luck and the fleet came on us. We took the brunt of the fleet in this option.
Now after passing Agulhas we are fine but the places have been compressed. The boats are very engaged. We hope MAPFRE does not escape.”
“ In one month we have tried to minimize wear of the boat and ours: we are trying to stick with the watches and eat properly, we look after each other, the boat does not have any serious problems, only broke a wind wand and replaced it and the hydros are not charging much as we would like but they are all little things so for now everything is fine.
I think we understood very well the race: It seems there is much ahead, maybe more than two months, and we are sailing calmer trying to ensure the material. We believe it is likely that there are more abandons and we will try to be among the boats to arrive to Barcelona.”
“ The worst moment was the passage of Santa Helena High, when we missed the front and the fleet came upon us. It was a difficult time for the moral, but it is past now.
And the best moments were undoubtedly passing through the Doldrums and getting first. On a personal level is now one of the best times to be in the Deep South for the first time. We’re feeling very comfortable and I am loving it to sail here. It will be much longer than I thought because the ice gates have been moved far to the north and we’ll pass through many transitions, which will make the race much slower”

Dee Caffari (GBR) GAES Centros Auditivos:“Let’s put a reality check on this! We are in the Southern Ocean going upwind, it is just ridiculous. Burt we can’ stay miserable and we have to try remain positive because we have got like three days of this, and it would actually be easier to stop in South Africa and have a party and then go again when the weather is nice, so we really are looking for positives from this.

But it sucks, I went the other way around the world and went upwind, now I am going this way and am upwind. Everyone promised it should be downwind. Something is seriously wrong. This not what we signed up for in the brochure for the Barcelona World Race.”

Andy Meiklejohn (NZL) and Wouter Verbraak (NED), Hugo Boss: “ The weather model this morning I have thrown in the rubbish bin. Oeverur philosophy in this race is that the glass is always half full, so when we get a bad weather model like this we just say that it never happened. We go have a cup of tea and hope it goes away.

We need that kind of inspiration, those are great stories when you are a young fellow and that is what heroes are made out of, that what shows a lot of character. Mike showed a lot of character starting a week behind everybody having broken his mast, and came through and set a fast time. That is the kind of spirit we are trying to keep going. We have had some set backs, but we are just keeping on looking forward to the race continuing, us doing our jobs as best we can, and we will try and pull some places back.

We promised Dee that we were coming to catch her two weeks ago, now we are going to make sure we keep that promise.” 

Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Virbac-Paprec 3:“Just now we will have calms then some wind today but on February 1st we will see quite a lot of wind. The conditions this morning are a little better than yesterday evening but it is a bit alarming because there is a lot of wind coming from the north. We have two objectives, to try and pass the Crozet gate and to then try and get down to the next gate without too much wind and seas which are not too extreme.

We are spending a lot of time and energy trying to understand what will come down to us. It is a big depression coming down from Madagascar which comes with a warm tropical air which is mixed with the cold air. It looks malicious. We are trying to rest as much as possible and prepare the boat and gear for this big wind.

Whatever, it is a sort of stress because we don’t know what will happen and we need to make somemanoeuvresin the big weather that will be stressful. The boats are really pushed in these conditions and at times like that we are’ sailing on eggs’. The Indian is quite wild and these are unstable winds and very active fronts. I hope that it all goes well.

Compared to what we have been through (down here) before it is a bit different. We are more in the north, at 42 degrees, and the depressions we get will be strong with wild conditions.  I believe the Indian Ocean is more challenging with very young depressions, with very aggressive with northerly winds or very strong from the south.”

Tomorrow’s LIVE VISIO CONFERENCE (1000hrs UTC on wwww.barcelonaworldrace.org) with the fleet will include guest Mike Golding (GBR), Dominique Wavre on Mirabaud, Dee Caffari on GAES Centros Auditivos, Central LecheraAsturiana,Estrella Damm

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Consistently covering over 500 miles in 24-hours, Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron (FRA) are setting the pace in the Barcelona World Race.

The Virbac Paprec 3 duo’s total mileage peaked earlier today at 516.37 nautical miles, achieved between 0900hrs (UTC) yesterday morning and 0900 today. Sailng at an average of 21.51 knots this potentially sets a new 24-hour record for 60ft monohulls, depending on ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).

This would replace the previous record set by Hugo Boss in the first edition of the Barcelona World Race in 2007, which stands at 501.3 miles with an average speed of 20.88 knots over 24 hours by Alex Thomson (GBR) and Andrew Cape (AUS).

The ‘Schtroumpfettes’, as Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) has nicknamed the duo, are surely the fastest Smurfs in the west. Currently in second place, Virbac Paprec 3 continues to maintain 20-plus knot average speeds since this morning’s position update, whilst race leader Desjoyeaux and Francois Gabart (FRA) on Foncia have dropped a knot slower. The blue Verdier-VPLP boat is also gaining on the front-runner, and now less than 20 miles behind.

Foncia and Virbac Paprec 3 have been experiencing record-breaking conditions sailing ahead of a clearly developed front which has produced consistent north-westerly winds in the high 20s, with occasional gusts topping 30 knots. Together with moderate waves of around 2-3 metres from the same direction this is allowing for high average boat speeds for the front two boats as they sail high to the waypoint of Gough Island. Foncia and Virbac Paprec 3 may be able to keep pace with the front throughout for another 12 hours or so, but as they approach Gough Island can expect to see substantial wind shifts to lighter southerly breezes. The first boat is anticipated at the Atlantic waypoint of Gough Island tomorrow afternoon.

By contrast, MAPFRE in third place are under the influence of the same low pressure system, but at the northern edge of it have been sailing 2-3 knots slower for the past 24 hours and this afternoon have dropped to less than half the leaders’ pace. While Virbac Paprec 3 gains, Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (ESP) are now 350 miles behind Foncia – a loss of around 70 miles since they gained the third podium place in the small hours of this morning.

Different weather conditions for the main fleet of boats to the north-east suggest they set to be halted by another wall of light winds as two high pressure systems merge across the Atlantic. Estrella Damm remains in fourth, separated from Groupe Bel in fifth by just five miles in the ‘distance to leader’ rankings and around 60 miles of ocean.

In this afternoon’s 1500hrs update Mirabaud in sixth are over 460 miles behind Foncia, showing the leading pair’s phenomenal pace as they double their advantage from yesterday. At the time the ranking statistics were taken Mirabaud had also slowed to sub-6 knots, in keeping with the patchy conditionsDominique Wavre explained they were experiencing: “The highs are playing hide and seek with us and now it’s us who’s losing!?

Renault Z.E. and Neutrogena remain closely matched, with just 0.1 of a knot splitting the pair over the past 24 hours, with the Spanish team of Pachi Rivero and Antonio Piris on Renault holding the advantage in seventh. Behind them GAES Centros Auditivos reported that they too had experienced the frustration of getting caught under windless clouds, but Dee Caffari (GBR) acknowledged that for them worse was yet to come:

“We seem to get stuck in clouds that nobody else has and these clouds do all sorts with the wind and basically stop our progress, but thankfully we seem to have got rid of them for a while and managed to keep up the pace of everybody else again. So we’ve lost a few miles and it was a bit frustrating, but that’s nothing to what lies ahead I’m afraid.?

Hugo Boss has regained 10th place from Central Lechera Asturiana, but as the fleet becomes increasingly spread out once again their distance to the leader is currently over 660 miles, with 13th placed Forum Martim Catala now 879 miles back, double the span of the fleet just two days ago.

Standings at Saturday 22 January at 1400hrs UTC

1 FONCIA at 19584 miles from the finish

2 VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at 19 miles from the leader

3 MAPFRE at 357 miles

4 ESTRELLA DAMM at 392 miles

5 GROUPE BEL at 397 miles

6 MIRABAUD at 461 miles

7 RENAULT Z.E. at 474 miles

8 NEUTROGENA at 483 miles

9 GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 548 miles

10 HUGO BOSS at 667 miles

11 CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 672 miles

12 WE ARE WATER at 748 miles

13 FORUM MARITIM CATALA at 879 miles

RTD PRESIDENT

 

Skipper quotes Saturday January 22

Loick Peyron (FRA), Virbac Paprec 3:

“Over the last 24 hours, the wind has not stopped changing so we kept with it, staying at a constant angle to the wind and with a great sail combination up. We have not changed our sails, we kept the same headsail and it’s been very effective.

“Apparently we’ve been going relatively quickly for the past 24 hours. Jean-Pierre has done some very thorough calculations and worked out that we’ve covered 516 miles in 24 hours so it shows this beautiful boat’s potential!

“We’re ready in our heads for the Roaring Forties but here we’ve been under pressure for the past 48 hours so we haven’t have time to prepare the boat. However, with the milder conditions, we will have more time to inspect everything.

“The most important thing is to stay in the race, not to break anything, and to stay in contact with the leader. Do not let go of Foncia!  Virbac Paprec-3 is built for just that … it really is phenomenal!”

Dominique Wavre (SUI), Mirabaud

“The highs are playing hide and seek with us and now it’s us who’s losing! The wind is quite unstable, the sea is relatively calm with a small wave in front which balances the boat a bit, and we’re moving at 10-12 knots.From tonight it will be difficult and it’s only in 2-3 days that we’ll get back into regular wind.

“MAPFRE will find it slightly more difficult than those in front of them to get into the South because they’ll have a little pause after the passage of the anticyclone. They have a good position but obviously not as good as Foncia and Virbac.

“We chose the “least worst” option because if we had taken the path of the Brazilian coast we would have missed the train of the low pressure that has moved past, which would have been a real disaster!

“The goal for now is to get out of the anticyclone and attacking the Roaring Forties in the best possible position, fifth or sixth. For now, we just manage the situation day by day, it’s difficult to make long-term strategies. The only sure thing is that the boat is going well and the crew is in great shape.?

Boris Herrmann (GER), Neutrogena:

“We had a perfect night, maybe the first night in this race without any sail changes. Steady windspeed and direction and we moved okay at a 10th of a knot faster than our direct rivals Renault.

“Every position update we try to get in front of them. It’s not easy, they have this Farr-designed boat which works well in these conditions and we have to be really perfectly trimmed to keep up with their speed or to be a little bit faster.

“We’re not too worried about Foncia and Virbac Paprec going that fast and flying away, they are kind of in a different game at the moment. Our focus is this group. We’re in a good position here and I think everything is still possible, and we’re looking forward to meeting the first southerly winds from the Southern Ocean in a couple of days.?

Ryan Breymaier (USA), Neutrogena:

“We complement each other pretty well. We like to sleep at different times, and we work well on deck together and are happy to make all the decisions together.

“It’s definitely not easy with the light airs conditions we’ve had a lot, that’s the hardest thing in the race. Just keeping motivated to keep changing sails, keep moving in the right direction, and that kind of stuff. We’re already pretty motivated individually so we don’t have to motivate each other very much. It’s just a matter of whoever’s on deck, saying we need to do this or that, and the other person is right there ready to help every time.?

Dee Caffari (GBR), GAES Centros Auditivos:

“We seem to have avoided our nemesis. We have lots of black clouds which stopped our progress while everybody else was sailing, and that was really frustrating, but for the last 24 hours we’ve managed to keep moving with no cloud so we’re much happier today.

“I think we’re going to start a new club, the St Helena club, as we all float around going nowhere for a while. It’s going to be really tough. There’s two kind of stopping areas and we’ve just got to try and get past them, there’s no way round them, we’ve got to let it pass over us, and just try and get in that breeze as soon as possible.

“Once we’ve got this out the way then we’re in the south and we’re away then, just like we’re looking enviously at Foncia and Virbac down there already in that southerly flow and getting good mileage. But we’re not alone, everybody in our little group has to go through this difficult patch so there’s a chance we can catch up some miles in our gang ‘cos we’ve all got to do it, but it’s going to be really difficult.

“We’ve just got to keep the boat moving, that’s the hardest thing. When the wind is really light it comes from all different directions and we have to choose which direction is our favoured one. Obviously we want to go south, but if south isn’t an option then we have to decide if west is better or east is better, and we’ve just got to try and keep the boat moving. It’s just very frustrating, and we get hot, tired and irritable and it’s just a case of knowing that each of us is trying as hard as we can. We know it’s a difficult few days ahead so we’re prepared for it.

Anna Corbella (ESP), GAES Centros Auditivos (ENG):

“This [part of the Atlantic] is new to me, and I’m very surprised because I thought it would be a little bit different. Sometimes I think that I am still in the Doldrums, because we have a lot of clouds with variable wind, and strange things happening under the clouds. But now I think that I am more happy because things are going better and we are moving.

“We want to be where Foncia and Virbac are, because they are doing 20 knots now, but we are going to stop for some days in a wall that we have in front of us. It’s not very nice to see the two boats in front doing 20 knots while we have to cross this horrible part!

“I wasn’t expecting anything because I didn’t know where I was going. But I think this is more or less what I expected. I think that the surprise for me will be when we arrive in the south, for the moment I have the feeling that I am probably sailing in the Med, it’s not very different! So I think the surprise will maybe be next week.?

Wouter Verbraak (NED), Hugo Boss:

“It’s very variable conditions, so the only warning of a change in the wind is the squalls but they come within 10-15 minutes so it’s hard to be properly set up with the right sails up and so we just have to manage with what we have up at the moment.

“The more unstable the conditions the more we have to be on deck and doing sail changes and hand steering. But it’s the nature of the race and we’re managing to find a good balance between sleep and hand-steering so we’re doing good.

“I think the next 24 hours it’s going to be challenging again. This morning looks to be ok, but from this afternoon, like the rest of our group, we’re all going into light winds and things will get tricky. To keep the wind you have to stay north, but long term you have to be south, so it’s a real challenge to find a balance between those two.

“Before we get to the Southern Ocean flows, I would say we have five days of very light winds and fighting for every millimetre.

“Virbac Paprec 3 obviously has very good conditions with flat water and a good angle. Our boat is more powerful than Virbac and I’m sure we could do the same, but nonetheless records are very hard to claim because you need a very good weather window, and obviously as a crew and boat you need to be 100 per cent. So well done to the guys in the south, and hopefully we’ll get another opportunity in this race to beat that record.

“The latest generation of Open 60s are really incredible machines so I’m sure we’ll see more high speed sailing in the weeks to come. For us as a team our boat is geared up for stronger winds. For us just 25 knots would do fine, we don’t need any storm force winds, nobody needs that. But I think the Southern Ocean could be good and we’re looking forward to that.

“Andy is doing a fantastic job being pro-active and always looking for the last percentages of speed. We’ve had our ups and downs but for me the downs have really built and strengthened our team relationship, and I’ve no doubt that will be of benefit in the future.?

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The all female duo aboard GAES Centros Auditivos have climbed four places in the rankings in four days with just 108 miles separating them from the current leaders, Pepe Ribes and Alex Pella on Estrella Damn. At the 1500hrs polling today Caffari and Corbella sat in fifth place, three miles ahead of closest race rivals Pachi Rivero & Antonio Piris on Renault Z.E.

Speaking earlier today, Caffari, said:

“It’s a little hot, a little sweaty, but very happy here! We’ve always kept an eye on Neutrogena after we let them get away in the North Atlantic and it’s been really good for us to see that we’re just doing the same speed if not a little bit faster.”

Caffari and Corbella are anticipating tricky conditions ahead in the South Atlantic and although they have blue skies and high temperatures now, they know life in t-shirts will be brief. As they head towards the Southern Ocean they are keen to make sure the boat has been thoroughly checked over.

Caffari added:

“We’re enjoying the glorious sunshine while we’ve got it, because it will be short-lived. But the weather’s really complex in the South Atlantic so it’s going to be a really difficult week. This morning is lovely, the wind is decreasing – we’ve only got 8 knots and it’s a little up and down, but we’ve got really flat water which means we can open the hatches and actually get some air flow in the boat which is really nice. It’s blue sky and scorchio! We know the cold weather is coming but we can’t even think about it at the moment.”

“This time in the South Atlantic, although it’s complex it will actually go quite quickly and we’ll be on that train going round the bottom pretty quick so it’s important we do as many checks as we can while conditions allow and make life easy. But we’re in pretty good shape on GAES so nothing’s too stressful.”

The Barcelona World Race is led by Pepe Ribes and Alex Pella on Estrella Damn by 37 miles.  At the 1500hrs ranking today, Caffari and Corbella on GAES Centros Auditivos were in 5th place, three miles ahead of Pachi Ribero and Antonio Piris on Renault Z.E.

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The only all female duo in the Barcelona World Race were all smiles this morning aboard GAES Centros Auditivos as the rankings showed them two miles ahead of French sailing legend Michel Desjoyeaux (known as Le Professeur) and Francois Gabart on Foncia. British yachtswoman Dee Caffari and her Spanish co skipper Anna Corbella have moved up two places overnight to seventh, having also overtaken ongoing race rivals Pachi Rivero and Antonio Piris on Renault Z.E. Reporting from the boat early this morning, Caffari, said:

 

Good progress south today in warm and wet conditions. The sky has been blisteringly hot with the odd cloud and the spray has been continual making everything feel sticky from being caked in salt. The weather for the next couple of days will see wind speeds drop slightly and then we need to keep a careful eye on the weather ahead to see if we can hook into something to propel us into the motorway around the bottom!”

 

After a relatively short Doldrums crossing, GAES Centros Auditivos crossed the Equator and entered the Southern Hemisphere late on Friday night and have since been enjoying fast sailing conditions as they head south. By being further east than much of the fleet Caffari and Corbella are showing as being further along the race course.  The all female duo have made decisions that keep them on the eastern side of the fleet and, off to the west, Foncia and Virbac-Paprec 3 have been forced close to the South American coast by the necessity of stopping in Recife.  The course Gaes Centros Auditivos takes will be shorter; however, it means a more complex transition zone to cross in a couple of days.   The boats to the west will sail a longer course with the pay off of potentially faster boat speeds.  The next few days will be very telling; will the largest gains come from the shortest course or the highest boat speeds?

Elsewhere in the race and currently in fifth place, Virbac- Paprec 3 have become the second boat to use ‘ghost mode’ whereby a competitor elects not to appear on the rankings for a 24 hour period. Pepe Ribes and Alex Pella on Estrella Damn are currently in pole position with a lead of 108 miles. At the 0900hrs ranking this morning, Caffari and Corbella on GAES Centros Auditivos were in 7th place, 16 miles ahead of Pachi Rivero and Antonio Piris on Renault Z.E.

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The excitement of Saturday, when they both took over first and second places, is behind the Spanish duos.

Ribes and Pella keep their options open as they lead into the complex south Atlantic, entering negotiation with Saint Helena to try and pass through or round a split personality anticyclone which dominates the passage down to the Roaring Forties and the fast lane into the South Atlantic Ocean.

The options for the leading group are, in fact, many. On Mirabaud, in fourth, Dominique Wavre, the fleet’s veteran with 30 passages up and down this stretch of water – crewed, solo and as a duo- said today that he had assimilated at least ten routing choices.

One of the difficult aspects is that the weather models may be accurate for the next few days, but for seven to nine days hence, when the real ‘end game’ for this stage plays out for the fleet, passing to Starboard of Gough Island and the Atlantic Gate, then it becomes much less clear.

Before they went undercover today, MAPFRE’s double Olympic medal winning helm Iker Martinez wrote that in some ways they had breathed a sigh of relief that the two French IMOCA Open 60’s Foncia and Virbac-Paprec 3, elected to make a technical repair stop in Récife as he felt that the level they had been sailing at was too high for the MAPFRE pair to live with long term.

In fact the duo from Spain’s rugged Atlantic north coast had shown a propensity to at least match Foncia and Virbac-Paprec 3 in the fast, trade winds going.

The Recife pit stop was over first for the double Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux and co-skipper François Gabart, back on the race course since yesterday evening.

Then first edition winner Jean-Pierre Dick with Loïck Peyron were back on the track at 2300hrs UTC. Since then they have been the among the quickest three boats in the fleet. But their westerly routing, closer to the Brasilian coast means they still spend miles against the leader.

When the MAPFRE duo blink back on to the tracker screens Monday evening, on the 1900hrs UTC ranking – stealth mode sends them under the radar for six consecutive position reports – where are they most likely to reappear?

Given their fleet racing experience and sensibilities, one might expect them to try to cover the French duo on the inshore western lane, looking to reconnect with the two duos which have set the pace and strategy so far, those with the most successes IMOCA racing around the world.

Furtive or Ghost mode can be used four times, once in each ‘ocean’, and is a new innovation for this edition of the race. The standings consider the ghost mode boat fixed to her last position, hence MAPFRE remains third until the other pursuing boats pass.

With all of the fleet now in the Southern Hemisphere, since We Are Water crossed at 0230hrs, the fleet compression has continued in small part due to the leaders’ pit stop, but considering that four days ago the deficit from first to last was nearly 700 miles, and now it is just over 500 miles.

Moving into the better established SE’ly and E’ly trade winds resets the routines after the doldrums for the middle order racers, giving a chance to catch up with domestic and technical chores to ensure the respective IMOCA Open 60’s are in perfect shape.

But the easy routine also offers a little down-time for the co-skippers.

On today’s live Audio and VisioConferences (streamed live at 1000hrs to 1100hrs UTC daily on www.barcelonaworldrace.com) Ryan Breymaier from Neutrogena remarked how pleased he was to have had time to catch up with digital media loaded on to a USB which connected him with friends and family from his native USA.

And on Renault ZE Sailing Team, Toño Piris today explained how he and co-skipper Pachi Rivero had nurtured back to health a tiny waterlogged bird which had landed on their eighth placed IMOCA Open 60 to hitch a ride.

Their little visitor left, fully re-charged, and ready for its long passage home, just like Piris and Rivero.

1400hrs UTC Standings, Sunday 16th January.

1              ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 21 119 miles to finish

2              GROUPE BEL at 137 miles

3              MAPFRE mode from 16/01 at 0930hrs

4              MIRABAUD at 189 miles

5              FONCIA at 223 miles du leader

6              VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at 269 miles

7              NEUTROGENA at 291 miles

8              RENAULT Z.E Sailing Team at 333 miles

9              GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 350 miles

10            HUGO BOSS at 429 miles

11            CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 465 miles

12            WE ARE WATER at 517 miles

13            FMC at 526 miles

  RTD        PRESIDENT

Quotes

Francois Gabart (FRA)Foncia:
“ We took over the boat again after the shore team. Over the course of the day had made some small repairs, little things which were not working. We had to just be patient because of course all this time the boat was not going anywhere. I carried on watching the rankings and saw the others moving on and then we sailed out again at 1700hrs UTC.

We are disappointed to lose ground on a stop like this, but are happy that it went well. The day before I had run some routings for setting out again at 1800hrs. So today we are in the race with a repaired boat, in good shape in and in a ranking which is far from bad.

We can smile and sleep contently back now we are back on course. For the moment the breeze is not very stable.  It is quite pleasant to steer when it is like this and it saves a bit of energy not using the pilots. And the boat certainly moves a few tenths of a knot more quickly.

I had not really registered that MAPFRE had gone into Furtive mode. The field is quite open even if we are a little bit to the west, but we are several thousand miles to the Gate Number 1. We have looked at the situation very carefully yesterday evening and this morning. We did ask ourselves if it was worth using Furtive mode. But for the moment there was no big reason to do it. But it is cool that they start to use it. And today that does not change anything with our strategy.

There are small depressions which are moving SE. The idea is to get to Gate 1 round the western side of the anticyclone which moves with some small low pressure systems. So the question is can you cut the cheese (corner) and go directly to Gate 1 or to stay with the pressure and to seek the depressions which build off South America.”

Iker Martinez (ESP) MAPFRE:

“Our training was probably not as good as we really would have like in this kind of two handed sailing so that was painful for us in the Mediterranean when I guess we really did not know how best to order and choose the right priorities in things. When you have a number of problems up ahead you need to know how to make the decision, that is the case with the navigation. Some times you have to think of everything, and if the boat is going slowly you can’t divide your brain across the different things, tactics and the speed of the boat.

Foncia and Virbac Paprec 3 will likely catch us again because of the level that they are setting, that they have demonstrated in the first part of the race when they were very, very strong. The pace and rhythm is very hard for us to reach, to sustain their level. For the time being the time factor is back with us. But we will see how long it takes them to get back to us.

There are two tough days ahead. The routing models show that Estrella Damm will get 200 miles in front of us in two days. Each time they increase their lead it is slamming our fingers in a door, but we have to be patient and then it will be our turn to strike back.

The key point right now is how to get across the high we have just in fornt of us and to get toe the First Gate in the South Atlantic. The boat can’t jump across the high, so we will have to get around it. So that is why the next days will be so intensive until we get to the south and speed up with the westerly winds.”

Dee Caffari (GBR) GAES Centros Auditivos:

“We have some nice sailing today, finally the rain clouds have gone and we have much more stabilised, constant upwind conditions and so it is lovely sailing.

Weather wise ahead it is not clear cut at all, but it is nice for us for sure to be in the saem weather system as others, so that is important for us.

The Doldrums were hard work for us, you could not leave the boat for two minutes, so it is nice to be in established wind and that gives us a chance to go through the boat and do all the little jobs which are outstanding and to start looking tactically at the south.

We lost some miles in the trade winds when the others were pushing really hard, but tactically I feel I have had a much better race than before and I am much happier with the decisions I have made. It’s all good.

Ryan Breymaier (USA) Neutrogena:

“I got a USB key with photos of sailing I have done in the past, an essay that my cousin wrote on our ancestors, some interesting stuff to read, chocolates. It was good. I miss my friends and family I haven’t seen because I have been in Europe for so long, so it is cool to get things like that. And you do get a little bit of time just now so it is good to be able to catch up.”

 

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Three of the Barcelona World Race fleet have now crossed the Equator. After Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron at around 0215hrs UTC this morning on Virbac-Paprec 3, and second placed Foncia about an hour later, around 1305hrs UTC after the French leaders it was Barcelona duo Pepe Ribes and Alex Pella on Estrella Damm who crossed the line into at around 1405hrs this afternoon

The Spanish duo remarked how easy and straightforward their Doldrums crossing was, their strategy and speed over recent days bringing them to just over 100 miles behind the leader, scarcely slowing below nine knots.

Behind them the Doldrums are starting to expand north deteriorating the trade winds and encroaching on the teams who are in pursuit. The leading pack of four or five boats look set to have been gifted a pretty benign doldrums crossing, though once again there was the occasion for a Doldrums first timer – Ryan Breymaier (USA) – to marvel at the experience of their boat taking off in the wrong direction when a huge wind shift arrived completely unannounced.

Aboard Hugo Boss Wouter Verbraak (NED) admitted today that there had been some mixed emotions on board following last night’s news that Alex Thomson would not be joining his IMOCA Open 60. Instead Verbraak, who expected to be a safe pair of hands until Thomson was declared fit after his appendectomy, will continue with Andy Meiklejohn.  He confirmed on today’s radio vacation with Barcelona that their strategy will be to stay in the game until the finish, ready to take what opportunities that come their way;

“ There have been 24 hours of mixed emotions. On the one hand we are very happy that the decision has been made. We are very happy that we can go on, but at same time we can see that Alex is going through a very tough time at home, and so our thoughts are with him. And we hope that it is all resolved for the best.

We have discussed this a lot. We always had the focus on Alex joining the boat in Cape Verde. We have had to make a mental switch, and I have had to inform my family that I wont be home but will probably be home in another 70 days. So it is all a bit surreal really.” Said Verbraak.

Ironically the Dutch navigator and weather specialist, who lives in Norway, will have to sail around the world not only in Thomson’s ‘shoes’ but in his clothes. Because there was no time to have a full set of clothing made for Verbraak he is wearing Thomson’s clothing which is a full size larger.

Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella continue their close fight with their Spanish counterparts on Renault ZE Sailing Team. The British round the world record holding skipper said today that they had found the hard going in the strong trade winds very tough, and they chose to ease off to ensure they could preserve themselves and their boat GAES Centros Auditivos:

“ We got stuck. We fell of the back of the pack we were with and for quite a while it was hard to push. It was such a white knuckle ride. I bottled it a little bit and we went for a more conservative option for a while. While everyone was on the edge all the time, we have everything working, we have no problems with the boat, but we did lose some miles.”Said Caffari.

There was a humorous moment as well this afternoon when today’s videoconference linked Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia with Xabi Martinez on MAPFRE, the Vendée Globe winner’s former IMOCA Open 60.

“Wait a few hours for us til we get the boat fixed?”asked Desjoyeaux

“Not likely, you did not wait for us in the Med.” Was the double Olympic medallists retort.

In fact both Spain’s third and fourth placed IMOCA Open 60’s are respectively the former Paprec-Virbac and the ex Foncia.

Quotes

Wouter Verbraak (NED) Hugo Boss:

“ There have been 24 hours of mixed emotions. On the one hand we are very happy that the decision has been made. We are very happy that we can go on, but at same time we can see that Alex is going through a very tough time at home, and so our thoughts are with him. And we hope that it is all resolved for the best.

We have discussed this a lot. We always had the focus on Alex joining the boat in Cape Verde. We have had to make a mental switch, and I have had to inform my family that I won’t be home but will probably be home in another 70 days. So it is all a bit surreal really.

We got the message from our team yesterday around midday. And at that stage it came as a bit of a surprise to us. We have been taking this whole trip so far just living in the moment and doing the best we can, but we said ‘ well actually this has been working quite well, let us continue doing what we have been doing, and let us concentrate on being fast to the equator, and try to catch up with the group ahead of us.

There will be a bungee effect but yesterday afternoon we were next to one of the other Open 60’s and we have put 12 miles on them so we have potential and that we can do a job.

Long term we have to realise that this is like a basketball game, there will be a lot of opportunities to go back and forwards, and making some good moves and trying to put some points on the board, but in the end it goes down to the last few minutes of the race, the final sprint up the Atlantic and so our focus is to keep in the game, focus on making good moves and not wearing ourselves out and being ready to punch in the last part of the game

Physically we have to say that this boat is a handful. Having gone from crewed sailing it is a very different level of exhaustion that we are learning to experience. But mentally we have been in such limbo these last days that today it is a feeling of relief, and focus on catching up.

Actually as Alex would not have been able to bring anything on the boat, we have all his clothes on the boat. Before the race start there was too little time to get a full supply of clothes for myself. So I find myself in Alex’ clothes for this trip around the world. And he is an XL (Extra Large) and I am a Large, I have plenty of space in them!

Actually the funny thing is there is a lot of Norwegian food on the boat which only I am able to know what it is (he lives in Norway). Andy has to ask me what we can have for dinner.”

Dee Caffari (GBR) GAES Centros Auditivos:

“We expected more of a drop in the breeze, but we still have 15-20 knots, and more in the puffs. But we are keeping up good boatspeeds. I think we will some changes in the weather and maybe suffer a bit today.”

I have a feeling their crossing of the Doldrums they hardly slowed and they are away and we will not have it so easy. Ours will be slightly different.”

It is about time that the Renault boys caught up with us, we have been waiting for them.

We got stuck. We fell of the back of the pack we were with and for quite a while it was hard to push. It was such a white knuckle ride. I bottled it a little bit and we went for a more conservative option for a while. While everyone was on the edge all the time, we have everything working, we have no problems with the boat, but we did lose some miles.

So it is good to have a pacemaker with us, even just to give an indicator of how we are doing on the rankings.”

It was like being in the rinse cycle of a washing machine. At that stage it is quite physical to drive and you have to drive all the time to be fast. And at that stage we lost a bit like that. Someone like Iker and Xabi, they are born to do that, and it shows in their speed which was amazing to see.

I don’t think they will have the same effect in the Southern Ocean.”

Alex Pella (ESP) Estrella Damm:

“ Inside the boat we have 30 degrees, we have 10-12 knots and we are doing about 11 knots of boat speed. We have a bit to go to the equator. We have passed a really easy Doldrums. We are really happy with the way the race is going. We have the new boats ahead of us and they set a really high level and so we have to keep making the distance bigger. We only really have to see how they go. These Doldrums have been a really easy, comfortable passage. The boat has been going very well, we are very comfortable, enjoying the day to day life. We have made some mistakes but we have learned from then, but there are still a lot of things can happen, we have made some small repairs and work, nothing significant but we need to have the boat at 100%.”

 

Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) Foncia:

“We swapped hemispheres after crossing the Equator last night. Francois is hardly a beginner. He will not need me.

With wind will be a little stronger, more southerly. But it starts to heads us and we are well heeled.

We are under Solent and full main. We are almost fully ballasted. We have about 15 knots of wind and are making nearly 10 knots. The seas is always a bit disorganized where the northern hemisphere meets the southern hemisphere. They are hardly in agreement.

We should arrive in Recife during the night of the 14th to the 15th. The shore team is already there and is seeing what the best place will be. Either it will be Recife or Suave where we have some French contacts who could help with the job. We hope to spend as little time as possible there, but that will depend on what conditions that we get to work, and what the exact state of the repair required is. At the moment the foam is still there with some small holes on either side. Part of the laminate is still there on the port side.

We will take the advantage because there is waiting time while the resin hardens. We could have done some of these repairs at sea, but on land it will be easier and there will be help for us”

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