Francois Gabart on Macif (Photo by Francois Gabart / Macif / DPPI/Vendee Globe Race)
Gabart ETA this weekend
Fleet News
Jean Pierre Dick still racing
Winner’s weekend
Sanso without wind instruments
Breaking News
The fleet leaders are expected to arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne, Vendée, France either Saturday evening, or Sunday morning. Please visit the website for regular updates. The current plan is that the first three boats crossing the finish line and making their way down the canal will receive LIVE coverage on the Vendée Globe web TV channel hosted by Daily Motion.
Fleet News
Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) has delayed his decision whether he will abandon the race, or to try and make it back to Les Sables d’Olonne until after the Azores. He is currently talking with his architects (Guillaume Verdier and VPLP) and considering whether or not he can use the water ballast system effectively to provide greater stability to his boat. Previous, Vendée Globe winner, Alain Gaultier, said today web tv show Vendée Globe LIVE, “Jean-Pierre Dick is probably sailing with 6 or 7 tons of water in the ballast, which is fine and safe when sailing upwind. But when sailing downwind, the situation may change. I know Jean-Pierre will make the right choice and do what needs to be done to stay safe.” Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss), today on the web tv show Vendée Globe LIVE said “there’s some big weather ahead. It’s not something I would do – well maybe before I had a family.” At the end of the show, a congenial Thomson said, “I would rather that Jean Pierre Dick finished the race and came third and I came fourth then he didn’t finish the race at all.” Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) is currently making fair progress down the track and although Alex Thomson(Hugo Boss) is slowly picking off the miles but on some level Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) is also keeping him at bay. There currently stands 130 miles between Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) and third place.
It’s not over until it’s over
It’s simply a matter of days. The estimated times of arrival (ETA) forFrançois Gabart (MACIF) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) are becoming more refined. It was only 74 days ago that we watched the fleet of 20 intrepid adventurers cast off in the rain and sail off into the grey, overcast north Atlantic. The weather is good for a rapid progression towards the finish.
With only 1400 miles from the finish line, the young pretender seems likely to have knocked out his challenger in the 74th round. The challenger,Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) is currently behind by 89 miles, in other words, ten hours of navigation. The weather situation is not complicated and will automatically benefit François Gabart (MACIF) who gybed this morning and headed straight towards the stronger breeze, whose generous west southwesterly winds will advance him with unstoppable force. At best, he should arrive Saturday morning (January 26) on the finish line, and at worst in the evening. But it’s looking like the winner will smash the record of around 77, or 78 days. An incredible feat! Currently, Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) should finish ten hours later, knocking 11 days off his circumnavigation time of 4 years ago. Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) who allowed for 90 days should have food to spare when he returns.
Dear Prudence
It is these at best case scenarios that Race HQ, now on the ground and located in Les Sables d’Olonne, are working towards in their daily meetings. However, the skipper of MACIF is not immune to danger. He still has to negotiate the Azores, Cape Finisterre and the congested maritime traffic lanes of the Atlantic, where cargo ships and fishing boats go about their business. Lest we not forget the large marine mammals and other hidden dangers that inhabit these waterways.
The weather conditions are expected to deteriorate as they enter the Bay of Biscay, with southwesterly winds of 30 to 35 knots and 5 metre waves.François Gabart (MACIF) told the French version of the web tv show Vendée Globe LIVE that he was not planning to take any risks. “I’ll definitely be careful, I won’t take risks. I haven’t really taken any, but I’ll take even less now! I’ll keep things simple, I won’t try to go too fast to gain half a mile or something. Things would be different if Armel were ahead of me, but he’s not, so I’ll make sure we surf nicely and smoothly.”
Sanso wind blind
Javier Sanso (Acciona 100% EcoPowered) told the web tv show Vendée Globe LIVE that he was sailing his Open 60 like a dinghy. He sent this further detail in an email to the race HQ “I have been sailing for a few days as if it was dinghy sailing because I don’t have any wind information. The boat’s electronics haven’t been going well since Cape Horn and for three days nothing has been working. Thank God the automatic pilots are working though! The problem is with the wind vanes – the three I have on board are not functioning. It is a problem to sail the boat fully at 100% since during the day I can helm as much as possible but at night it is more difficult.” This inconvenience will undoubtedly delay his progress and he is now anticipating that he will reach the Equator later than he expected.
Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) and Mike Golding (Gamesa) will cross the Equator in around 36 hours, followed 24 hours later by Dominique Wavre(Mirabaud) who told web tv show Vendée Globe LIVE that it could be his 20th crossing. In fact he had crossed it so many times that he was unsure of the exact figure.
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|
Rankings
| Boat
Skipper |
Lat Long |
DTL | Course | VMG | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
MACIF François Gabart |
36° 21’13” N 28° 24’2” W |
0.0 nm 1334.9 nm |
23 ° | 14.5 nds 12.3 nds |
|
|
2
|
Banque Populaire Armel Le Cléac´h |
35° 30’38” N 30° 2’47” W |
94.5 nm 1429.4 nm |
360 ° | 15.7 nds 9.2 nds |
|
|
3
|
Virbac Paprec 3 Jean-Pierre Dick |
28° 55’27” N 35° 45’21” W |
569.4 nm 1904.3 nm |
1 ° | 10.7 nds 7.3 nds |
|
|
4
|
HUGO BOSS Alex Thomson |
27° 20’41” N 37° 12’32” W |
690.4 nm 2025.3 nm |
5 ° | 13.1 nds 9.9 nds |
|
|
5
|
SynerCiel Jean Le Cam |
5° 54’5” S 31° 57’60” W |
2231.8 nm 3566.7 nm |
24 ° | 13.4 nds 13.4 nds |
|
|
6
|
Gamesa Mike Golding |
6° 19’18” S 31° 54’51” W |
2254.3 nm 3589.2 nm |
19 ° | 14.6 nds 14.5 nds |
|
|
7
|
Mirabaud Dominique Wavre |
12° 16’33” S 32° 6’5” W |
2594.1 nm 3929.0 nm |
356 ° | 9.4 nds 8.6 nds |
|
|
8
|
AKENA Vérandas Arnaud Boissières |
+1 | 14° 14’52” S 33° 12’12” W |
2727.1 nm 4062.1 nm |
61 ° | 10.8 nds 8.1 nds |
|
9
|
ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered Javier Sansó |
-1 | 15° 44’9” S 28° 28’42” W |
2728.4 nm 4063.3 nm |
319 ° | 8.2 nds 4.4 nds |
|
10
|
Votre Nom Autour du | 17° 59’34” S 34° 52’5” W |
2971.1 nm 4306.0 nm |
13 ° | 12.0 nds 11.9 nds |
|
|
11
|
Initiatives-coeur Tanguy De Lamotte |
24° 10’15” S 35° 30’18” W |
3331.5 nm 4666.4 nm |
10 ° | 13.8 nds 13.6 nds |
|
|
12
|
Team Plastique Alessandro Di Benedetto |
37° 9’32” S 40° 32’15” W |
4151.7 nm 5486.6 nm |
11 ° | 8.6 nds 8.4 nds |
|
| PRB Vincent Riou |
Retired | |||||
| ENERGA Zbigniew Gutkowski |
Retired | |||||
| Maître CoQ Jérémie Beyou |
Retired | |||||
| Savéol Samantha Davies |
Retired | |||||
| Bureau Vallée Louis Burton |
Retired | |||||
| Groupe Bel Kito de Pavant |
Retired | |||||
| Safran Marc Guillemot |
Retired | |||||
| Cheminées Poujoulat Bernard Stamm |
Disqualified | |||||
Alex Thomson near Cape Horn (Photo by Alex Thomson / Hugo Boss / Vendée Globe Race )
British solo skipper Alex Thomson had less than 200 miles to make to Cape Horn at 1500hrs UTC this afternoon and should pass the legendary rock in the early hours of Friday morning lying in fourth place in the Vendée Globe solo round the world race.
Though the skipper of Hugo Boss still has more than one quarter of the course to complete, and the ice strewn passage of the Cape in itself holds considerable danger through the next 24 hours, a successful release from the Pacific Ocean and into the Atlantic will also release many of the demons of past disappointments.
Two failed previous Vendée Globe races and one solo Velux 5 Oceans – when he had to abandon his IMOCA Open 60 in the Indian Ocean – mean that this will be his first Cape Horn alone. That he is in an excellent fourth place in an older generation of design, still in touch with the podium whilst managing an acute on board power shortage is already an enduring endorsement of his skills as a solo sailor. Thomson has been in power saving mode since he broke a hydrogenerator on December 11th, but plans to speak to Vendée Globe LIVE after his passage.
“It will mean a huge amount to Alex tonight. Don’t get me wrong we have not finished yet, but in itself he has got further solo than ever before and passing Cape Horn successfully in fourth will the culmination of 15 years of hard work on his part. This is the last big milestone before the finish and it has been a great race that Alex has sailed. He has worked so hard, as have the whole team over the years, so he deserves this. He has put up with a lot of criticism, negative feelings and back biting over the years, and Alex has thicker skin than most people, but for sure that has hurt him.”
“It has been like in any sport when there is a pressure on a tennis player, a driver or a golfer to perform but Alex will be pleased to have got this far and done so well.”
“Not many skippers will have worked harder. He has done four Transatlantics in six months including setting a new record.” Comments Stewart Hosford, CEO at Alex Thomson Racing.
Dick gets the full Cape Horn experience
Third into the Atlantic after passing Cape Horn at 0442hrs this morning, Jean-Pierre Dick’s fourth time round the Horn ranked as probably his most difficult. In the pitch black with the ever present threat of ice, with big confused seas which he described as ‘crazy’ and a gusty wind, “….the boat was shaking in every direction.” Said JP on Vendée Globe LIVE this morning, still sounding tired and anxious. “It was a Cape Horn which I passed ‘virtually’ because I was a way off and could see nothing. It was not much of a celebration.”
After François Gabart (Macif) and Armel Le Cléach (Banque Populaire) breached Cape Horn on January 1st there are now three skippers in the Atlantic. The two leaders have been sailing quickly in NW’ ly winds of 25kts. The ascent towards the coast of Brazil will offer a range of opportunties for gains and losses, with a small succession of depressions spinning off the South American coast challenging a substantial dominant high pressure which will more or less block the leaders path.
JP Dick, 337 miles behind the leaders, remains confident he can keep catching Gabart and Le Cléac’h.
Buses at Cape Horn?
Cape Horn may be one of the most isolated landmarks on the planet but it will see IMOCA Open 60’s of the Vendée Globe passing like buses over the next two weeks. Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) should pass on Sunday morning, Mike Golding on Gamesa expects to pass late Monday and could have Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud), Javier Sanso (Acciona 100% EcoPowered) and Arnaud Boissières (Akéna Verandas) following closely behind. Compression in to Cape Horn is a normal feature, but one weather routing study has the five boats passing hours rather than days apart. Today less than 300 miles separates sixth Golding from Boissières.
Key to the recent gains have been stronger winds arriving from astern. Dominique Wavre reported today that he is still feeling the effects of a battle with his gennaker .
Behind them the contrast between the fortunes of eleventh placed Bertrand De Broc and twelfth positioned Tanguy De Lamotte are very different. De Broc is set to struggle with a huge high positioned over the next gate, whilst De Lamotte has had 45 knots making life on board Initiatives Coeur.
Bernard Stamm, disqualified yesterday for receiving outside assistance, still holds a hope of a final ranking after submitting a request to have his case reopened.
BERNARD STAMM (Photo by Bernard Stamm / CHEMINEES POUJOULAT / Vendee Globe Race)
2012 Vendée Globe Skippers last press conference before race start. (Photo courtesy of 2012 Vendee Globe Race)
• 20 skippers line up in the press conference room
• The magic continues in the Les Sables d’Olonne sunshine
• British skippers relaxed and ready
With an audience of more than 200 media, Bruno Retailleau, the President of the Vendée General Council, accompanied by Louis Guédon, the mayor of Les Sables d’Olonne, Patricia Brochard the Co-President of the Sodebo and Denis Horeau, Vendée Globe race director presented the 20 skippers who will take part in the imminent Vendée Globe.
Highlighting how the Vendée Globe race has remained true to its core values, Retailleau emphasized the universally high level of the entries for this edition. “Getting 20 entries on the start line is an unexpected result” He said.
Denis Horeau, Race Director, praised the high quality of the entries, how well prepared the boats are and the professionalism of the teams involved in this 2012-13 edition.
The Mayor Les Sables d’Olonne recalled some of the history of the race while Patricia Brochard of Sodebo praised the entrepreneurship and enterprise which is inherent in each of the IMOCA Open 60 campaigns.
After the formalities the skippers spoke in turn, at once humorous, relaxed and insightful, an uplifting atmosphere before they join each other on the start line on Saturday 13h02 hrs.
The magic continues…..
The Vendée Globe magic continues. As the countdown continues to Saturday’s start of the solo round the world race each new day brings bigger and bigger crowds to Les Sables d’Olonne, to the pontoons where the 20 IMOCA Open 60’s are primed, ready for the emotional dock out. Teams are still refining the small details on board, adding the little luxuries and comforters which can lift the skipper’s mood when times are hard. But at three days before the start the tension is now palpable as the start gun beckons.
There are many skippers who have enjoyed the unique ambiance of the final countdown in Les Sables d’Olonne before. Bertrand de Broc (Votre Nom autour du Monde avec EDM) was here in 1992 and 1996 and says the passion for ocean racing is still the same. So, also, confirm Dominique Wavre and Mike Golding who are both back for the fourth time. The visitors come from all over Europe. Les Sablais strain at the guardrails on the pontoons to see their local heroes Arnaud Boissières, past winner Vincent Riou and the Italian skipper Alessandro di Benedetto who has adopted Les Sables d’Olonne as his home. There may be favourite solo sailors among the crowds which have queued sometimes for more than one hour to make their pass down the pontoons, but each skipper is offered the same universal respect.
“What is unique about the Vendée Globe is seeing three generations of a family all there to pay respect to the skippers whoever they are and the very strong relationship between the skippers and the public. It surpassed competition. They realise the dangers the skippers face and the fragility of their world. That is the strength of the Vendée Globe.” Said Bruno Retailleau, President of the Vendée Council.
But, for all that, there is also the simple, enjoyable sport of spotting and chasing down skippers for autographs, collecting posters and enjoying the massive Vendée Globe race village which for the last two days has been bathed in warm sunshine.
For the ocean racing cognoscenti the heroes of the sport are widely accessible. Vincent Riou (PRB) and Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) have been on their boats regularly. The poster boys, Vendée Globe rookies Louis Burton (Bureau Valley) and François Gabart (Macif) set female hearts aflutter, while the characters who have engaged the race audience in the past, like Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) and the race’s only female Samantha Davies (Saveol) who illuminated the 2008-9 race with her effervescent joie de vie, her tenacious spirit and her astute sailing. And the likes of Kito de Pavant appeals to all ages, the laughing cow entertaining the kids, whilst travails of the sanguine skipper from the south of France are well known, not least his heart breaking retirement from the last race, breaking his mast less than 36 hours in.
The British skippers have been impressively relaxed. He had to battle to make the start line last time after his Hugo Boss was hit by a fishing boat on its arrival in Les Sables d’Olonne but at today’s press conference Alex Thomson joked:
“This is my third Vendée Globe and it is the first time I have been ready. The last time I was in Les Sables d’Olonne it was less enjoyable. This has been great fun this time. But we sit up here and take all the glory and go on the boat, but I need to say thank you to my team. If I can put in 50% of the effort they have done then I will get to the finish this time.”
Mike Golding (Gamesa) is more relaxed than he as ever been, now just wanting to get out on to the race course:
“When you’re here the first time you’re full of excitement for the unknown. When you come the second time you’re full of anticipation of what you’re going to achieve and now it’s becoming even more enjoyable as it’s getting closer. The wait to get to the start of the Vendée is very long and when you’ve done it three previous times it’s even longer, sometimes you just want to get on with it. But for all that my motivation is improving not waning.”
Bruno Retailleau: “The Vendée Globe has taken on a more popular dimension in the village. What has impressed me is the capacity and passion of the public. There has not been so much of a queue as a procession. People wait patiently, talking quietly, look at the boats and share the dream. You sense a certain harmony, forming a communion between the event and the public. There is something which develops between the public and the skippers. People want to see them because they are heroes. The concept of the race is so simple that everyone can understand it, you don’t have to be any kind of sailor. I think mostly it is a beautiful, simple story, a legend. It is more than a competition, a race. This is the story of a confrontation between man and nature. Man in a world in which he is fragile faces nature which is big and dangerous. But whether you are French, Brazilian or Japanese you can live this race. And the race is gaining an even more international dimension.”
THEY SAID…
PRESS OFFICE
Liliane Fretté Communication
MEDIA CENTER
Tel: +33 (0)1 46 53 50 25
Tel: +33 (0)1 46 53 50 19
FRENCH PRESS
pressefrance@vendeeglobe.fr
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
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Skype: sabinamollartrogerson
Tel: +33 (0)6 38 62 09
+34 666 759 530
“These three weeks in Les Sables d’Olonne have been amazing, I have loved it, we do not see this atmosphere anywhere else. ”
Sam Davies, Savéol
“The Vendée Globe is a global race already as we go around the world solo. ”
Tanguy de Lamotte, Initiatives-Coeur
“I wish my 19 rivals three months at sea which are as great as the three weeks before the start! ”
Kito de Pavant, Groupe Bel
“Team Plastique “I’m really excited to go, we still have a little work, it will be ready in two days …”
Alessandro Di Benedetto
“It is important that each of us enjoy our Vendée Globe and sail safely carefully, because it is a long course. “
Mike Golding, Gamesa
Hugo Boss (Photo by Chris Cameron / DPPI / Barcelona World Race)
It is certainly not the 50th birthday present that Groupe Bel skipper Kito De Pavant was looking for, especially not ‘second time around’.
Such is the ironic timing of the Laughing Cow’s crossing of the international date-line later today and tomorrow that De Pavant was passing his first 50th Birthday concerned about the weather situation but tomorrow he will facing up to the formidable tropical cyclone Atu when the ‘second edition’ of his 50th birthday comes around.
Both De Pavant and Spain’s Pepe Ribes, who both left Wellington on Tuesday night together on Groupe Bel and Estrella Damm, expressed their concern about how they would best deal with the trajectory and force of the challenging weather system which will propagate very strong winds and big, confused seas. Their key decisions will be based around the speed at which the system moves and both duos have been tracking the system consistently since before they left the Kiwi capital.
Mirabaud at Cook Strait (photo by Dave Greenberg)
“ We don’t really know which way to deal with the problem: either by the south or by the north. What we do know it that it lies right on our course.” SaidDe Pavant this morning, “ It is a pretty violent and unpleasant character, not what you want for your birthday. The cyclone brings with it a lot of rain, a lot of wind, and big seas. It is a small but very compact phenomenon which can damage the boat, very risky.”
Pepe Ribes said this morning: “ The passage of the Atu cyclone will be very complicated and neither Alex nor I have ever been confronted by such strong winds and I don’t really know what it will do to us and we are worried to look after the boat. We have been looking at if for a while and still don’t know how we will cross it.”
The system is due to pass swiftly, the two boats which were in Wellington, will have it directly in their path, giving them the option to pass to the north which will at least give them the chance to use the westerlies on the north side of it, but they would need to sail a steeper angle and more miles to get there. The pragmatic solution might be to simply slow and avoid the worst of it
At the front of the fleet Spain’s Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez got to within 25 miles today of the long time race leader MAPFRE. The leading duo are nicely placed on the southern side of a progressive high pressure system which is allowing them a classical arc up to the NE to respect the second ice gate of the Pacific without having to worry about manoeuvres, simply having to sail fast towards the same target. As an instructive insight into the relative speeds of the 2007 generation former Foncia, built prior to the IMOCA Rule’s power cap, and the latest generation design, and of course the sailors potential, this is proving a thrilling encounter which is due to continue for a few days more at least.
It was a triumphant but difficult passage through ‘home’ waters for the Barcelona World Race’s only Kiwi, Andy Meiklejohn who passed through the Cook Strait today, feeling a real mix of different emotions.
Hugo Boss at Wellington NZ , Cook Strait (Photo by Chris Cameron)
On the one hand Meiklejohn was feeling devastated and helpless at the earthquake which hit Christchurch, on the other he was intensely proud to be bringing the powerful Hugo Boss past Wellington, foregoing any technical stopover.
Having started the race with stand-in co-skipper Wouter Verbraak the duo have sailed a smart race so far, rising to seventh place, and now within 650 miles of the race’s podium. Alex Thomson was on the water off Wellington with technical manager Ross Daniel to greet the two co-skippers on the wet, bumpy ride past the capital.
“ We have had a tough time of the last seven weeks with several issues forcing us to be slower than optimal, this was also after a very light exit to the Med, conditions that the heaviest boat in the fleet definitely did not like.”Wrote Meiklejohn, “Wouter and I have managed to pool together our resources, our common strength and the belief and with the support of Alex and our shore team to keep the yacht in the race, and here we are just 400 miles behind 4th place and the battle begins again.”
“ Our troubles however are insignificant compared to the disaster that has just hit the Christchurch region of New Zealand. This is an area with incredible pride and emotional toughness. They boast an unrivaled sporting success through their Cricket teams, netball teams and the All-conquering Crusaders rugby outfit who have dominated southern hemisphere rugby for the last 15 years.”
“ So it’s with real sadness that I sail up Cook Strait in sight of home, its hard to feel excited when there are so many people feeling so much pain. Its great to celebrate what we do and getting to the halfway stage is an achievement in itself but it pales in comparison to what happens in the real world. It’s a real mix of emotions that’s hard to contain and harder to put down in words. We Kiwis are brought up to be hardened to tragedy and sadness but sometimes it doesn’t feel right, sometimes there’s a bigger picture.”
“ Christchurch, our thoughts are with you. Look after each other, give those you don’t know a hug or a helping hand, it’s with that bond that you will once again pull through and, like the phoenix, rise again.”
Rankings at 1400hrs Wednesday 23rd February 2011
1 VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at 10076 miles to finish
2 MAPFRE 38 miles from the leader
3 RENAULT Z.E at 812 miles
4 NEUTROGENA at 940 miles
5 MIRABAUD at 1066 miles
6 GROUPE BEL at 1278 miles
7 ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 1282 miles
8 HUGO BOSS at 1454 miles
9 GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 1482 miles
10 FORUM MARITIM CATALA at 2966 miles
11 CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 3284 miles
12 WE ARE WATER at 3900 miles
RTD FONCIA
RTD PRESIDENT
Quotes:
Alex Thomson (GBR) Alex Thomson Racing Team/Hugo Boss: “ It was amazing to go out there and see the boat and see the guys, a bit weird in a lot of ways, but the guys were in great spirits, the boat looked fantastic and I just feel very proud of what they have achieved so far in a very difficult set of circumstances. They continue to stay positive and are really looking forwards at the possibilities.
The mast track problem means they can’t currently sail with the mainsail above the first reef. So basically upwind in anything less than 17 knots of wind they are compromised, going slower, and downwind in anything less than 22 knots they are going slower. So the boat is definitely not being sailed to its potential, but when you look at the options to stop or not – losing 48 hours, potentially nearly a 1000 miles – when there is the possibility of them doing the repair on board was too difficult for them to bear, and if I was in the same situation I would have made the same choice.
We went out and were alongside them for about half an hour and both Ross, our operations manager, and I had a happy conversation with them for about half an hour on the VHF, lots of laughing and joking, them suggesting I get a hair cut. It was fun, but it was also difficult: Andy and I had planned to be doing this race together so for both of us it was probably a bit strange, but I think that the reality is that the guys are in the groove, they have worked together brilliantly, they have formed a great partnership. Their place is on the boat and my place is on the land on this one. That is just a fact.
It is a difficult one. The guys speak to our team every day, sometimes more than once a day, but usually it is about media stuff, or about technical matters: the media stuff does not involve me and my forte is not the technical side, so I am acting as a bit of a supporter really, a little bit of a mentor really. It is kind of strange and I feel at a bit of a loose end at times. But I have accepted the situation but today it was real proof to me that I feel good about the situation, There is nothing I can do about it. I can be happy about where they are that they are fighting and they are doing a great job.”
Kito de Pavant (FRA) / Sebastien Audigane (FRA) on Groupe Bell At Cook Strait (Photo by Chris Cameron / DPPI / Barcelona World Race)
Kito de Pavant (FRA), Groupe Bel:“Fifty years old, it is the fourth Cape of this round the world race for me. I am not feeling very birthday. We did not have very much time to prepare anything because we were a bit preoccupied in Wellington, there was a lot of work to do. The weather conditions before we stopped were not so good, and we have lost a lot of time. And so the festivities have gone by the by. It is not that important, especially with a cyclone which is approaching, and we don’t really know which way to to deal with the problem: either by the south or by the north. What we do know it that it lies right on our course. It is a pretty violent and unpleasant character, not what you want for your birthday. The cyclone brings with it a lot of rain, a lot of wind, and big seas. The sea, especially will be huge and the winds might be 70-80kts. It is a small but very compact phenomenon which can damage the boat, very risky.
Wisest would be to leave it to the north but that does not take us towards Cape Horn. And of course if it gets dangerous then we would just turn and avoid the worst of the waves.
The difficult conditions should not last very long, 24 hours maybe and then after that we should have some strong winds which should allow us to go quickly towards the ice gates. The Spanish crew are just behind, we can see their lights. It is reassuring to be with them facing the same things. But the truth is that in such circumstances the second boat would not be able to do too much. We ate together yesterday evening and it would be good if we remained together until Barcelona.
It took us a few weeks to get into the rhythm of the race and now you feel like its starting again from zero. We have enjoyed the comforts ashore and so now it is not so easy to set out again. And the 48 hour stopover is not good, it is too long or too short. But this is a curious birthday, because as we pass the date-line I will have two birthdays!
Pepe Ribes (ESP) Estrella Damm:“We have Groupe Bel about a mile away and it will eb good to sail with someone again as a reference. The passage of the Atu cyclone will be very complicated and neither Alex nor I have ever been confronted by such strong winds and I don’t really know what it will do to us and we are worried to look after the boat. We have been looking at if for a while and still don’t know how we will cross it.
Our morale is not so high and so we must get back to the feelings we had and stop thinking about were we were in the race and what has happened to us. We need to get back into that mind set because the race is only half way.”
(Photo By CHRIS CAMERON / DPPI / BARCELONA WORLD RACE)
Estrella Damm (Photo courtesy of Barcelona World Race)
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.
Mapfre (Photo courtesy of Mapfre / Barcelona World Race)
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.”
GAES (Photo © María Muiña )
Despite a two hour setback that halted them in their tracks late last night, Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella aboard GAES Centros Auditivos have moved up the rankings over the last two days and are now in sixth place in the Barcelona World race. Caffari and Corbella chose a route closer to the African coastline which has paid off and resulted in a visible split in the fleet as those who opted for a route along the Spanish coast have suffered very slow boat speeds. However, these gains were in jeopardy last night when at around 1930hrs GAES Centros Auditivos became entangled in fishing nets and the duo spent around two hours in the darkness cutting away the netting that impeded their progress.
After completing the task at hand, Caffari sent this report back:
“We just spent two hours tangled in fishing nets. We had to cut ourselves free with the fishing boat watching. It was tangled around the keel and rudders and in the dark it is very disorientating. We think we are clear but we will see at daylight when we can use the endoscope to see if anything is still attached to us and if I need to go swimming. I think we will tackle the Straits first though. It was disappointing that we were held up for two hours as we were making good progress on those ahead.”
Project Manager for the GAES team, Harry Spedding, added:
“I am really pleased the girls have maintained 6th place overnight but holding this will be quite dependent upon whether they will need to do further work today. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to cut themselves clear in the dark and it is disappointing news after their tactical decision had allowed them to take three places in 24 hours. The weather in the Gibraltar Straits was very light overnight so they were able to win back any ground lost against their nearest rivals.”
Today there will be a tricky transition for the girls between the weather systems of the Gibraltar Straits and Atlantic, with a high pressure to the east and low pressure up to the north west which will contribute to a very difficult exit through the Gibraltar bottleneck.
The 09H00 ranking showed Caffari and Corbella in 6th position, with GAES Centros Auditivos just 2 miles behind nearest race rivals Boris Herrmann and Ryan Breymaier on Neutrogena. Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron onboard Virbac- Paprec 3 currently lead the Barcelona World Race.
Aviva has been a longstanding supporter of Dee Caffari and her inspirational record breaking sailing achievements, assisting her to three world records including becoming the first woman to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in both directions. As Founding Partner of Caffari’s sailing campaign, Aviva is pleased to extend this support to Corbella and GAES for the Barcelona World Race.
Pos. Boat Distance from Leader
1. VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 0
2. FONCIA 2.2
3. ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team 6.7
4. NEUTROGENA FORMULA NORUEGA 18.9
5. MIRABAUD 32.6
6. GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS 49.2
7. GROUPE BEL 58.1
8. PRESIDENT 58,9
9. MAPFRE 71
10. WE ARE WATER 103
11. RENAULT Z.E 106.1
12. HUGO BOSS 125.9
13. CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA 129.7
14. FORUM MARITIM CATALA 133.3
VIRBAC-PAPREC 3
The first prize of the Barcelona World RACE 2010-2011 has been won by race title holder Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), sailing with Loick Peyron (FRA) on Virbac Paprec 3.
The pair have claimed the North to South Mediterranean Trophy by becoming the first team to the reach the longitude of 05 37W, having best overcome the capricious light winds and strong tides faced by the fleet on the 540-mile first leg stage of the non-stop race from Barcelona across the Western Mediterranean.
The 2010 VPLP-Verdier designed IMOCA 60 crossed the gate this evening at 1955hrs (UTC), having set off from Barcelona 3 days, 7 hours and 55 minutes previously – knocking nearly 7 hours off Dick’s own previous record time from the first edition of the Barcelona World RACE, set in November 2007 at 3 days, 14 hours and 25 minutes.
Behind the race leader, Foncia and Estrella Damm were separated by just two miles at this evening’s latest position update, and are expected to cross the Straits in a tight duel.
Squeezed by the pillars of Hercules
Anna Corbella (ESP) on GAES Centros Auditivos and Boris Herrmann (GER) on Neutrogena sounded pretty despondent on this morning’s radio calls. Herrmann said ‘ we might never get out of here, we might be here for ever!” and Corbella: “It might be hours, it might be days!” At least the two had seen each other this morning and realised that they were sharing the same problem.
For the leaders there is the relief, practically and physically, of getting clear of the Mediterranean and the straits. Virbac-Paprec 3 leads by 18 miles still on Foncia, with Mirabaud third at 38 miles behind the leader.
In fact since their visit by Moroccan officials yesterday the Swiss-French duo of Dominique Wavre and Michèle Paret have done well on Mirabaud, escaping to a solid third place making more than 30 miles at least on the Neutrogena duo and very much in touch with the leaders, just 38 miles behind Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) and Loïck Peyron on Virbac-Paprec 3.
Herrmann said this morning that they reckon they were no more than half an hour away from being able to get free in the same breeze as Wavre and Paret. Corbella recounted how they were stopped yesterday evening when they sailed into fishing nets, slowing them for two hours. The GAES girls still have some remnants of the net round their appendages but while they are in three to four knots of current this is not the place to be trying to free it any further.
“ We just spent two hours tangled in fishing nets.” Reported co-skipper Dee Caffari last night, “ We had to cut ourselves free with the fishing boat watching. It was tangled around the keel and rudders and in the dark it is very disorientating. We think we are clear but we will see at daylight when we can use the endoscope to see if anything is still attached to us and if I need to go swimming. I think we will tackle the Straits first
though. It was disappointing that we were held up for two hours as we were making good progress on those ahead.”
Estrella Damm’s Barcelona duo Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes have not had to search for problems either. They have had to stop and back down three times as they said in their morning mail, and since passing Gibraltar in fourth, they have been in just about every direction but west, and have headed north to try and get some relief from the current.
“ Since the approach to the Straits it has gone very badly for Estrella Damm. We have had to stop three times and go backwards with plastic, a bit of a tree round the keel, and some fishing net. Now we are fighting with the current sailing back towards the Mediterranean at 3 knots, with no wind.” They reported this morning.
Is there a danger the leading trio, Virbac-Paprec 3, Foncia and Mirabaud can increase their lead even more significantly? At present they have a live option to get south and west and escape under the Azores high pressure which will start to reform very rapidly as the low pressure to the NW of the fleet moves away.
But as this zone of light winds spreads itself across the course this same option may not still exist for the likes of Neutrogena, GAES Centros Auditivos and maybe fourth placed Estrella Damm.
For the chasing pack, those who have not been quite as stuck on the no man’s land, with no wind trying to breach the Pillars of Hercules (as the two promontories which squeeze together for form the straits were historically known) and get into the Atlantic, there does look to be some chance to catch up as a favourable easterly breeze, may build from the east around lunch time to 1500hrs.
HUGO BOSS 2010 (Photo by Lloyd Images)
Today is a very important day in the Alex Thomson Racing calendar, as we prepare to launch our new Juan K Open 60 at Canary Wharf in London. The boat has taken 4 months to refit to create a race yacht that will provide Alex with the best chance of winning, and as the most powerful yacht in her class she promises some very interesting sailing.
She will be officially named and launched on the 27 May at a glittering HUGO BOSS event, in front of 600 guests including media, VIPs and celebrities. The boat will leave directly after the launch for a summer of corporate hospitality, racing events, and HUGO BOSS parties, hitting hot spots such as The Hamptons, Sardinia and Ibiza, before heading back to base for the build up to the Barcelona World Race.
Hugo Boss (Photo courtesy of Alex Tompson Racing)
Last August Alex Thomson was joined onboard his IMOCA Open 60 HUGO BOSS by former Olympic skier Graham Bell for the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race. To watch their journey and get an exclusive view into life onboard the premier racing yacht HUGO BOSS tune into Channel Fiver on Sunday 10th January at 12 noon.
The 2009 Fastnet Race saw a hugely competitive line-up come together for this classic 600-mile offshore race. The 300 strong fleet included Olympic medalists, America’s Cup and round the world sailors. Lining up for his first race was former Olympic skier Graham Bell, a complete novice sailor onboard the IMOCA Open 60 HUGO BOSS one of the fastest racing machines on the planet. 2009 saw the 30th anniversary of the 1979 edition of the race, the race was brought to national attention after an extreme storm swept through the Irish Sea, 15 crew as well as 4 from the trimaran shadowing the race and two from a cruising yacht, tragically died. Only 85 boats finished, 194 retired, and 24 boats were abandoned. Graham speaks to sailors both past and present on their memories of this tragic event, and how technology has changed at sea over the last 30 years.
Date: Sunday 10th January
Channel: Fiver
Time: 12:00
FREEVIEW: Channel 30
SKY: Channel 176
VIRGIN MEDIA: Channel 152
TISCALI TV: Channel 31
Following the Fastnet Race, HUGO BOSS then took part in a challenging two handed Transat Jacques Vabre. The 14 strong IMOCA fleet were battered by storm force conditions in the North Atlantic, causing multiple breakages and one boat to be abandoned. On day nine the race was cut short for HUGO BOSS after a collision on the bow, although the damage was small it wasn’t possible to stop the ingress of water until the area was free from water. Sadly HUGO BOSS was force to retire and after a affecting a temporary repair headed back to the UK.
HUGO BOSS has been surveyed after the collision, and the results showed the damage is minimal. Skipper Alex Thomson commented, “The team are currently working on the repair. The potential was there during the Jacques Vabre, it was so frustrating to have to retire when she had performed so well
