Golding heads towards the Southern Ocean in a good place physically and mentally (read online here) .

- Boat Captain, Graham Tourell, gives his view of the weather to the end of the week (read online here)

- Message from onboard Gamesa as Mike describes a ‘scary and really horrid 24hrs in dreadful, huge waves’ (read online here).

It is not really his preferred domain, the deep south and the Southern Ocean, but Gamesa’sskipper, Mike Golding, has raced there often enough to feel at home and he embraces the many challenges that the often hostile waters and winds bring. 

After 23 days of solo racing on his fourth Vendée Globe, non-stop round the world race, Golding is in a good place physically and mentally. He lies in sixth position, well established among the trio of his ocean racing contemporaries: the effusive Jean Le Cam whose jokey demeanour masks a fiery determination and huge experience and the reserved, precise Swiss skipper Dominique Wavre. All are drawing on their guile and massive stock of hard racing miles as they seek to keep pace with the leading group. Gamesa passed the Cape of Good Hope at 1920UTC on 4 December. The British skipper has confirmed many times that time stands still during long ocean races, it is a matter of checking off each key landmark and taking each hour, each ranking, each day as it comes.

“I am feeling pretty good to be honest. I feel the boat is in good shape and I am in good shape. And I’m starting to feel we are making good progress around the course. To be fair I’d like the gap to the leaders to have been smaller but as long as we can stay in the same weather system as them, I’m happy. “And now we have seen real boat-breaking conditions like last night, it is a reminder that you cannot afford to push too hard. If you look at how the top three boats are working each other up just now, you really have to hope for them. “This race was physically hard for me at the start and everything felt a bit heavy and I struggled a little, but now I am right into it and thinking, bring it on! “I look back and there are no big mistakes to be worrying about now. My decision on how to go through the high pressure ridge, in hindsight lost me a few miles but I am happy that at the time the decision was the right one to make. And I have made some good decisions since then. And with Jean [Le Cam] and Dom [Dominique Wavre] in the same patch of water I feel like I am in good company. “I have to say that Alex Thomson [Hugo Boss] is sailing a very good race with an older boat. For me at the moment I can’t see how we, in this group, can match the speeds of the newer boats at the front.”

 

The topic of ice gates remains a slightly thorny one, though Golding and his team remain unequivocal that given the level of information available, and the ability to plot the flow of ice so accurately, there is no way that Race Direction could allow the skippers into waters where there was any obvious risk. Gamesa’s Boat Captain, Graham Tourell agrees. “I think you have to consider that the race has already seen two IMOCA60s hit fishing boats, and so to lose more teams from ice that is known to be present would be reckless for Race Direction. The ice is such a long way north at the moment, some of it is just 150 miles south of the racecourse, and the tracking gets better every year. So if it is known where ice is then Race Direction need to do all they can for the fleet to avoid it. “In 2004, Mike was right behind Seb Josse [VMI] when the French skipper hit a growler. I remember speaking to Mike about his mindset, he said that the best route for him to take would be to go straight to the same point because there was every likelihood that the one place the growler would not be was where it was last seen. Ice can move hundreds of miles a day so all the skippers can do is view the information they are sent and accept that it is out of date from the moment it is issued and keep an eye out with all means available.” You can follow Mike in the Vendée Globe via: iPhone/iPad app: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/gamesa-sailing/id474489616?mt=8 Android app: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mikegolding.www.ios Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mikegoldingyachtracing You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mikegoldingyr Online: http://www.mikegolding.com Twitter: @gamesasailing @goldingmike

Message from Mike Golding sent on 4 Dec at 21:00 GMT “A really horrid 24hrs running/reaching in dreadful, huge waves. The boat has, and still is, taking a serious pounding in these conditions. Only small things have actually broken such as the gennaker furler drum which detached itself from its stowage position and has done some damage to the bow – probably only cosmetic but there could be some delamination – I’m not concerned as this is a strong bit of the boat. One of the daggerboard covers has come off and broken which means the forward leeward ballast fills and needs continual emptying. The leak in the transom is much worse and I had a good amount of water building up which, with the bouncing and pounding, has leapt over into the next bulkhead – I could shut the door but I like to see what’s happening. “Everything else, keel system, rig sails, deck gear and me have taken real punishment: this is a true Cape of Good Hope experience – and there is no escaping from it. It’s just a function of the wind and massive seas which are so large because of the Agulhas current which is setting against the wind. The water is warm and has both flying fish  (normally unseen in the South) and Portuguese Man-O-War jellies in it – worth dodging when they arrive in the cockpit trailing stingers everywhere! “The predicted fleet compression looks now like it will become a serious extension by the lead pack – disappointing – I need to work the boat to the max, inspite of the conditions -  just in case the high comes in slower/faster and allows me to squeeze through. Seems doubtful now – but still worth a go.”

Boat Captain, Graham Tourell, gives his view of the weather to the end of the week “So, looking ahead at the next few days, it looks like the chasing pack will have their work cut out to make any big gains on the leaders, as the weather is naturally taking the skippers nicely towards the next ice gate at Crozet. This in effect is simply a drag race, and as you can see, there are some big miles being pushed! Mike is doing all he can to hold on to the breeze to take him up to the Crozet gate as there is the risk that he could be engulfed by the high and left behind. I’ve just spoken to him this morning and he is in a S/SWly 12 knots and he’s pushing 15-18 knots which is a good sign, based on the forecast. Looking at the GRIB files, it should be going more to the West, but for the moment,  he’s hanging in there, which is a great. The next 24h will be critical. “As the breeze settles from the South West, it will be increasing anything up to 35/40kts at times, and as we’ve heard from the skippers, they are already experiencing big gusts, but it is the wave conditions which are making life particularly uncomfortable at the moment. “In every edition of the Vendée Globe we see the skippers head into the Southern Ocean and watch in amazement at how hard the boats are driven, and wonder how long the pace can be sustained for. “I think the answer is becoming clear……. these guys are physically and mentally capable of keeping the pace up all the way through to Cape Horn. The question is, ‘who will get dealt a blow from ‘Lady Luck’? “The addition of the Amsterdam ice gate is a sensible one by the Race Direction, and from there, it seems the boats will then be able to take more of a dive south to 50 degrees + as they head under Australia & New Zealand.”

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At 23:25 GMT on Thursday, Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon crossed the Felipe Cubillos Cape Horn Gate at 56S with Class40 Financial Crisis. Racing 49 miles off the infamous outcrop at the southern tip of Chile, Financial Crisis is the second, double-handed, Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR) Class40 to round the world’s most notorious cape.

The fact that Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel took line honours at the gate with Cessna Citation doesn’t diminish the immense achievement of racing only the fifth Class40 to sail through the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn. “What a day!” exclaimed Nannini shortly after crossing the gate. “I think it will take me a while to fully process this fact, but I’m sure it’ll live in my thoughts for the rest of my life.”

Having carried out a text book heaving-to manoeuvre west of Cape Horn to avoid strong winds as they approached the cape, Nannini and Ramon timed their run through the treacherous Drake Passage perfectly – almost: “Just when the weather was finally improving we were left with a last minute reminder of where we are as a squall came through during the night bringing another stint of 50-knot winds and lots of snow…it was quite surreal,” comments Nannini.

For Nannini’s co-skipper, Hugo Ramon, rounding the cape is an opportunity to indulge in some Cape Horn traditions: “Now I can wear a gold earring in my left ear and pee into the wind!” claims the 26 year-old Spaniard. On a more serious note, Ramon knows that sailing through Drake Passage is a monumental challenge: “I’ve really learnt, once again, that you have to respect nature and the elements,” he confirms. “I don’t think we tamed or conquered the elements by rounding Cape Horn safely,” he says. “Simply that Cape Horn has let us pass.”

After rounding Cape Horn conditions became increasingly light throughout Friday as Financial Crisis climbed north steeply and with weather models predicting further light airs, Nannini and Ramon decided to cut the corner. At 17:00 GMT on Friday, Nannini and Ramon had committed to sailing through Le Maire Strait – a 17-mile wide stretch of water between mainland Tierra del Fuego and the offlying Isla de Los Estados that has famously tricky currents and eddies.

Meanwhile, 370 miles to the north of Financial Crisis on Friday afternoon, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel were 150 miles off the coast of Patagonia with Cessna Citation having left the Falkland Islands to starboard on Thursday night. Although the breeze has gone lighter for the New Zealand-South African GOR leaders, around 400 miles to the north a deep low pressure is building with 50+ knot winds forecast before the system tracks eastwards and into the South Atlantic. The duo on Cessna Citation are likely to aim for the western edge of the system.

Approximately 540 miles south-west of Cape Horn on Friday afternoon, Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire are working beneath a high pressure system blocking the route of Phesheya-Racing: ““The weather forecast from the Chilean MRCC said that the wind would ease some more and the sea would be ‘rippled to slight’,” confirms Hutton-Squire. “They are very right as there is a small swell rolling, but generally it is very flat,” she adds. “I can’t believe we are in the South-East Pacific but we are enjoying the sea state and wind conditions.”

The weather on Friday did permit 45th birthday celebrations for Leggatt: “The sea is so flat today we lit the candles, sang happy birthday, took some video and photos, then Nick blew the candles out.” Despite the celebrations on board, the frustrating light airs are set to continue: “We think we have about three or four days until we get to Cape Horn, but it all depends on the high pressure in front of us,” predicts Hutton-Squire.

GOR leaderboard at 17:00 GMT 24/2/12:
1.    Cessna Citation DTF 908 7.6kts
2.    Financial Crisis DTL 375 8.7kts
3.    Phesheya-Racing DTL 1011 7.6kts

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In the middle of the Southern Ocean night at 06:25 GMT on Wednesday, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel crossed the Felipe Cubillos Cape Horn Gate with Class40 Cessna Citation at the head of the double-handed Global Ocean Race (GOR) fleet.

The 28 year-old Kiwi, Colman, and his 41 year-old South African co-skipper, Kuttel, now join the ranks of Cape Horners and take the Felipe Cubillos Trophy in memory of the late Chilean yachtsman and skipper of the first Class40 to round Cape Horn in the 2008-09 GOR.  

Colman and Kuttel had pushed hard throughout Tuesday hitting 14-knot averages to beat the gale forecast to hit Cape Horn: “It was pretty intense yesterday, with 30 knots sustained, gusting more,” Colman reported on Wednesday morning shortly after rounding the cape. “I put myself on the helm for nine hours straight to make the best progress possible with the small running spinnaker,” he explains. “Following a backing shift in the wind, we were still able to make good miles east with flatter sails and as the squalls intensified we ended up broad reaching under just the staysail and double-reefed main.”

Colman and Kuttel crossed the Felipe Cubillos Cape Horn Gate at 57S, 87 miles south of Horn Island, clipping the southern tip of Latin America’s continental shelf and wisely avoiding the shallower water closer to the cape. “I finally had a nap just before crossing the magic line of longitude and climbed into the sleeping bag with a huge satisfied smile on my face,” says the Kiwi skipper. “A pretty special place to be and what a way to do it!” Colman exclaims. “First place at Cape Horn in my first circumnavigation after all the challenges just to get here. Very memorable.” Having submitted their Cape Horn ETA on Saturday when 1,000 miles west of the cape, Colman and Kuttel are in the running for the Cape Horn Navigation Prize as Cessna Citation rounded the cape just one hour and 25 minutes behind their projected routing schedule.

In the 15:00 GMT position poll on Wednesday, Cessna Citation was 69 miles south-east of Cape Horn, climbing north-east steeply as the gale approached. “The sea state is still well established, but the wind has moderated for now before building again significantly for a time,” says Colman who is already looking beyond Isla de los Estados. “Current routing is unequivocally around the east side of the Falklands,” predicts Colman of the obstacle positioned 330 miles down the track.

Meanwhile, 300 miles west of Cessna Citation on Wednesday afternoon in second place onFinancial Crisis, the Cape Horn ETA of mid-evening GMT on Wednesday submitted by Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon became unachievable as the Italian-Spanish duo hove-to at 57S, south-west of the cape to avoid intercepting gale force winds sweeping up from Antarctica. Marco Nannini explained the decision on Tuesday evening: “After much debate, we decided it was simply too risky for us to carry on heading for such a dangerous rendezvous and have instead slowed down and we’ll let the worst of the gale blow through,” he confirmed.  Although Cessna Citation had the lead and the horsepower to attempt clearing Cape Horn, Nannini and Ramon were further west and handicapped by the loss of their main, masthead spinnaker. “We considered this option, but ruled it out as we didn’t think we could make it in time,” Nannini explains.

His Spanish co-skipper was in total agreement: “Cape Horn may have the smell and aura of adventure and freedom, but it scares most experienced seamen,” points out Ramon. “Hundreds of boats have broken up and sunk here and it’s only because now it’s mainly racing boats that round the cape that the number isn’t even greater,” he adds. “The Race Director of the GOR, Josh Hall, has raced around Cape Horn three times and Nick Leggatt on Phesheya-Racing has been around the Horn five times and they both advised us in emails over the past couple of days that in the conditions we would face in the gale, there would be enormous, confused seas as we crossed close to the continental shelf.”

Early on Wednesday, Nannini and Ramon – carrying storm jib and four reefs in the main – reported that all was well on Financial Crisis and their skilled and text book heaving-to manoeuvre was working comfortably in 35-45 knots and gusts up to 55 knots. By 13:00 GMT, the low pressure was on the move, heading for Cape Horn, centred south-east of the Italian-Spanish Class40 and Nannini and Ramon were back in the game, tucking into the 30-knot south-westerlies on the back of the system. At 15:00, Financial Crisis was averaging just under eight knots with 280 miles remaining to the Felipe Cubillos Cape Horn Gate. 

As Cessna Citation approaches the Southern Ocean’s exit door and Financial Crisis piles on to Cape Horn, Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire are picking their way across the top of a high-pressure system with Phesheya-Racing and at 15:00 GMT on Wednesday, the South African duo had slowed to under three knots as the light airs struck at 58S with 860 miles to Cape Horn.

GOR leaderboard at 15:00 GMT 22/2/12:

1.    Cessna Citation DTF 1363 10.4kts
2.    Financial Crisis DTL 316 7.5kts
3.    Phesheya-Racing DTL 918 2.3kts

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Self-administered surgery for Adrian Kuttel on Cessna Citation On Sunday afternoon GMT, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel on Cessna Citation, leading the Global Ocean Race Class40s through the Southern Ocean, ran straight into a band of light wind stretching across the Pacific’s high latitudes with speed averages plummeting to below three knots. Further north-west, Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon in second on Financial Crisis have held the breeze as they approach 54S, taking a massive 117 miles from Colman and Kuttel in 24 hours. West of the bluQube Scoring Gate, Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire have made solid progress dropping south through the Roaring Forties in remarkable conditions with Phesheya-Racing. While Colman and Kuttel have been leading the fleet through the currently calm Furious Fifties, Adrian Kuttel took the opportunity to attend to his badly infected fingernails – a problem that arose through diesel spilt in the Class40’s bilge during the upwind pounding west of the scoring gate. “This was a high priority as it was affecting the sailing,” confirms the 44 year-old South African who was finding handling sheets and tying knots extremely difficult with swollen and tender fingers. Kuttel assembled the appropriate tools for the self-administered procedure: “In this case, the sharp knife blade in my trusty – if somewhat rusty – Leatherman and, after much deliberation and internal debate, a wet wipe from our ever-dwindling supply,” he explains. The process is not for the squeamish. “Works procedure was to scratch around the infected fingernail until a point of entry behind the fingernail could be found and the wound could be lanced,” says Kuttel. “Next step was to grunt up, clench jaw, and squeeze the infected fingertip until all the gunk had been expunged via the hole created during the earlier surgical procedure with the Leatherman.” This was then repeated a further nine times. “There was varying degrees of discharge with the amount of discharge being in direct proportion to pain,” he adds. Kuttel is now using antiseptic cream on his damaged hands and his fingers are improving rapidly. Meanwhile, the Italian-Spanish duo on Financial Crisis were making eight knots in the 15:00 GMT position poll on Monday, trailing Cessna Citation by 141 miles as Colman and Kuttel slowed to below two knots. The remoteness of their current location is getting to Hugo Ramon. “We are now getting a very long way south,” reports the Spanish yachtsman as they close in on 54S. “It is now more inhospitable and colder than I’ve ever experienced before,” he continues. “The closest speck of land is an uninhabited lump of rock about 1,700 miles to the north, which is almost the same distance as we have to Cape Horn in front of us.”

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 Conditions have been improving significantly at the front of the fleet in the Southern Ocean since two of the Global Ocean Race (GOR) Class40s turned back to New Zealand on Thursday. Leg 3 from Wellington to Punta del Este, Uruguay has already packed a significant punch with headwinds reaching up to Force 9 pounding the double-handed fleet and forcing the two lead boats, Buckley Systems and Campagne de France, to head west. However, within 48 hours the environment in the Roaring Forties has begun to moderate.

Indeed, leading the fleet and furthest east, Conrad Colman and his South African co-skipper, Adrian Kuttel, ran into light airs during Friday evening GMT with their Akilaria RC2 Cessna Citation and while Colman reports clear skies and sunshine at 47S, allowing the duo to dry clothes and gear in the cockpit of their Class40, Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon on Financial Crisis in second and Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire on Phesheaya-Racing in third have closed down the gap to the leaders as they remain in Force 6 headwinds.

 

 For all the GOR teams the news of Ross and Campbell Fields’ decision to turn west followed by the same call made by Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron has been a severe blow after racing together around half the planet. On Financial Crisis, the scenario still seems unreal: “If this was a movie, the last two days would have made for some nice drama on the high seas,” believes Marco Nannini. “Imagine the context: a fleet of racing boats headed for Cape Horn; a South Pacific gale battering the fleet; huge waves crashing against the boat through the night; the constant noise of halyards hitting the mast; leech lines flapping; autopilot ram overloaded; water sloshing in the bilges; the smell of your own boots turning your stomach inside out; wet, cold, miserable,” says Nannini, graphically constructing the storyboard for his forthcoming, big screen, offshore epic. “Then the satellite phone rings…no one has ever called us on the satellite phone!” For the complete update, click here.

A united GOR fleet as the Class40s head deeper into the Pacific

Conditions have been improving significantly at the front of the fleet in the Southern Ocean since two of the Global Ocean Race (GOR) Class40s turned back to New Zealand on Thursday. Leg 3 from Wellington to Punta del Este, Uruguay has already packed a significant punch with headwinds reaching up to Force 9 pounding the double-handed fleet and forcing the two lead boats, Buckley Systems and Campagne de France, to head west. However, within 48 hours the environment in the Roaring Forties has begun to moderate.

 

Indeed, leading the fleet and furthest east, Conrad Colman and his South African co-skipper, Adrian Kuttel, ran into light airs during Friday evening GMT with their Akilaria RC2 Cessna Citation and while Colman reports clear skies and sunshine at 47S, allowing the duo to dry clothes and gear in the cockpit of their Class40, Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon on Financial Crisis in second and Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire on Phesheaya-Racing in third have closed down the gap to the leaders as they remain in Force 6 headwinds.

 

For all the GOR teams the news of Ross and Campbell Fields’ decision to turn west followed by the same call made by Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron has been a severe blow after racing together around half the planet. On Financial Crisis, the scenario still seems unreal: “If this was a movie, the last two days would have made for some nice drama on the high seas,” believes Marco Nannini. “Imagine the context: a fleet of racing boats headed for Cape Horn; a South Pacific gale battering the fleet; huge waves crashing against the boat through the night; the constant noise of halyards hitting the mast; leech lines flapping; autopilot ram overloaded; water sloshing in the bilges; the smell of your own boots turning your stomach inside out; wet, cold, miserable,” says Nannini, graphically constructing the storyboard for his forthcoming, big screen, offshore epic. “Then the satellite phone rings…no one has ever called us on the satellite phone!”

 

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The double-handed Global Ocean Race (GOR) fleet started Leg 3 from Wellington, New Zealand, to Punta del Este, Uruguay, with a 6,200-mile course through the Pacific Ocean, around Cape Horn and through the South Atlantic ahead of the five Class40s.

 

 Shortly after 13:00 local time, the Class40s motored out of Queens Wharf – the fleet’s base for almost one month – and into Lambton Harbour followed by a spectator armada of motorboats, sailing yachts and dinghies. While the fleet milled in Lambton Harbour, the five teams self-sealed their engines with instructions to email a time-stamped image of the yellow, plastic tie-wrap in place to Co-Race Director, Sylvie Viant within five hours of the start gun.

 In around ten knots of breeze, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel were first across the line with Cessna Citation, followed by the South African duo of Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire with Phesheya-Racing. Colman and Kuttel led the fleet east across the mouth of Evans Bay as the breeze built fractionally and around Point Halswell, hoisting spinnakers and leaving Ward Island and Hope Shoal to port. For a brief period the breeze died completely before switching through 180 degrees, forcing a beat and short tacking through the gap between the eastern shoreline of Wellington Harbour and the jagged, exposed rocks of Barrett Reef before rounding Pencarrow Head and exiting the 2km-wide harbour entrance.

Cessna Citation led the fleet out into Cook Strait with Ross and Campbell Field on Buckley Systems in hot pursuit and as the Class40s dropped south into the Pacific, the wind built quickly to 20 knots with a long rolling swell for the first night at sea, forcing the teams to reef as the sun began to dip

 

In the 06:00 GMT position poll, the Fields on Buckley Systems were furthest east in the fleet, closest to the Great Circle route and led the fleet with Cessna Citation furthest west dropping back to fourth and Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron moving up to second on Campagne de France. The South Africans on Phesheya-Racingheld third place with Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon in fifth with Financial Crisis with just five miles separating the Class40s.

 

The GOR’s Race Ambassador, Dee Caffari, explains what is ahead for the teams over the next month: “This is the big one, but it is also rewarded with the infamous landmark of Cape Horn,” she explains. “The main difference with this ocean leg is that there are very few options along the way,” Caffari continues. “The previous leg had the teams cross the Indian Ocean which is littered with islands along the way which can give options. Now, they will have none,” she adds. “Once they leave the relative safety of the Cook Strait, they enter the Pacific with nothing between them and Cape Horn.”
Compared with the Indian Ocean, the Pacific is potentially a smoother ride for the five Class40s: “It is a long way, but the good news is the weather can be more enjoyable,” says Dee, who has raced around the world through the Southern Ocean four times; single-handed, double-handed and fully-crewed. “The waves will seem slightly longer and wider spaced allowing the boats to have more comfortable surfing conditions,” Caffari predicts. “The bad weather doesn’t seem as frequent as it is in the Indian Ocean, but it is almost guaranteed that there will be a big blow before you leave the deep South and head back into the relative safety of the Atlantic Ocean,” she warns. “It is almost as if the Southern Ocean wants to say goodbye and leave you with a lasting reminder of how hostile it can be. The sailors will finish this leg exhausted, but also exhilarated and possibly even a little bit sad, as saying goodbye to the South is difficult as it is such a magical place to experience.”
GOR Leg 3 positions at 06:00 GMT 29/01/12
1.    Buckley Systems DTF 6,040nm 7.4kts
2.    Campagne de France DTL 2.6nm 8.1kts
3.    Phesheya-Racing DTL 3.2nm 8kts
4.    Cessna Citation DTL 4nm 8.6kts
5.    Financial Crisis DTL 5.2nm 7.4kts

 

GOR points table and crew list for Leg 3:
1.    Buckley Systems: 64 points. Ross and Campbell Field (NZL/NZL)
2.    Campagne de France: 56 points. Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron (FRA/GBR)
3.    Cessna Citation: 54 points. Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel (NZL/RSA)
4.    Financial Crisis: 42 points. Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon (ITA/ESP)
5.    Phesheya-Racing: 24 points. Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire (RSA/RSA)
6.    Sec. Hayai: 6 points. Nico Budel and Frans Budel (NDL/NDL) RTD Leg 2, DNS Leg 3. Will re-join GOR for Legs 4 and 5

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On Saturday 22nd January at 12:11:45 pm (Paris time) the Maxi Banque Populaire V took off Ushant on her first attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy with a reference time of 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes and 52 seconds to beat.         
Thirteen days later, in the South Atlantic, just before entering the Indian, the wonderful adventure carried out by Pascal Bidegorry and his men stopped suddenly after a collision with an UFO *, damaging heavily the daggerboard. The crew decided to sail the giant trimaran back to Lorient after having performed some repair on the injured piece.

After 15 days delivery, the crew arrived this morning in Lorient, the opportunity for them to come back on this unique experience of this first attempt.
Pascal Bidegorry – skipper – off watch: “We continued to work well on this delivery. The objective was to carry on sailing as if we were still in the record … not with the full performance of the boat for sure but in the organization on board as the crew has done during the first twelve days of racing. It was important not to stop and to keep the same dynamic. I have had the time to ask myself all the questions possible. There are three tiny jobs to do (laughs) but I’m more determined than before. The boat is good, it’s a fact, everyone says so, but I really enjoyed sailing with the guys. We have everything to make this project a success. It is not trivial to spend thirty days at sea and it will definitely greatly serve us. The Team has done a tremendous job and we all grown up a bit. We learned to live together, living the boat’s performance. Living together at 20 knots or at 35 knots is not the same. We do not handle the boat as we used to do. I tried to learn by watching others and seeing the intelligence with which they conducted their boat and their men. It is not that simple. We did not break the boat. We sailed well. We hit something but we made no mistakes.
We are hoping to leave again this winter. There are roughly ten working days on the boat. We must make a complete check up as we sailed 30 days on this 40 meters multihull.

 Since we decided to turn around, we have not stopped looking at St. Helena and the trajectory of the competitors in the Barcelona World Race and the one of Thomas Coville. We know very well that it is not fun for anybody to turn back. We weighed the pros and cons, but it was a good choice.”

Juan Vila – skipper – off watch: “It was a great experience, very intense moments of ups and down, as always in this type of race. Everything went really well. It’s a shame but we are hoping to go back there soon. In my navigator role, I always spent a lot of time inside, making a bit of a virtual race on the computer. But I was also on deck to help for all maneuvers. It allowed me to see both parts of the navigation and given the desire to be leaving again. I know that after a day ashore, I’ll be looking at the files, telling me: when are we going back? “.

Yvan Ravussin : Watch leader – watch n°1 : “It was a great start from Brest on this first attempt. Whether the boat or the crew, it really was pure joy and our only wish is to go back there! We know that mechanical hazards are part of our sport but I really thought we were under cover on this kind of big boat. Even if it is not the first time I make repairs at sea, this one was really big!  We must keep in mind that this first attempt was a perfect way to learn more about this machine and gives us an incredible urge to see what she can do on the whole tour”.

Brian Thompson : Helmsman / Trimmer – watch n°1 : “ I’m feeling perfect and not too tired! We have been sailing back for 14 days which obviously were not that fast because of the daggerboard and we were not on the edge on the delivery. It was the first time I was sailing for that long on this boat and I must say it has an incredible potential: to reach the Cap Verde in 3 days is quite impressive. It is just a shame we had to withdraw. I was at the helm when we hit the UFO and we were doing a really steady 37 knots and t was really beautiful night. It was not a huge impact and we did not think it was such a big thing. When we crossed the Equator I made a dedication of saucisson to Neptune but I’m not sure it was enough. I guess he was a bit angry I did not give him any French wine!”

Thierry Chabagny : Helmsman / Trimmer – watch n°1 : “Thirty days at sea on a boat like that, it’s a very rich experience!  They allowed me to learn a lot more on all the maneuvers, sail trim … all the hours spent at the helm helped me developing sensitivities that I had not before leaving. I also realized that I really wanted to go back to try to finally finish this round the world we all dream about but still is very hard. Humanly, you realize it’s like a small company and that concepts such as respect and listening are very important. It went really well between us. I did a lot of solitaire, and little crew. It’s interesting to see in the eyes of others what you show. So you tend to try to do better, to correct even if the truth always comes out. I think we also all been “chosen” for our ability to get along with others and there was no problem at all. We really shared every moment and it was a real treat! “.

Pierre-Yves Moreau : Bowman – watch n°1 : “We were waiting to be in calmer waters to remove the daggerboard. We were really disappointed when we lifted it because it was heavily damaged. There was a lot of patch-up to do, some cutting with the means onboard. We cut nearly two meters of it, which allowed us to re-sail with the boat. The crew is good and well! I was very happy with my watch, it was complementary. We had fun but it was serious as well.”

Fred Le Peutrec : Watch leader – watch n°2 : “Having sailed thirty days on the boat with the crew are all assets for the future. There was no scratch, no complaint; we were all so disappointed when the collision happened. It’s rare to get it on the first try. What you learn is acquired for the successful attempt. We did not attack the area in which you make the nicest memories,  ie the south. But it’s always a great pleasure to sail fast on a well balanced boat, to be at the helm with a machine that bursts at 37, 38, 40 knots in the middle of the night. These are real pleasures. It stopped too quickly but this is only a postponement. It’s part of the exercise, it is not only a race but the frustration does not go beyond the bearable.”

Emmanuel Le Borgne : Helmsman / Trimmer – watch n°2 : “The departure was very nice with perfect conditions to reach the Doldrums. We knew long before arriving to Equator that the South Atlantic would be complicated, but we kept a small hope that things would improve. The mechanical problem has unfortunately forced us to review our strategies and we have had to take the decision to withdraw. I was sleeping at the time of the shock but it was not that violent. We had already hit a whale on our way to New York which was much more violent. Paradoxically this transverse shock is has provoked much more damage. The delivery back nevertheless allowed us to continue in validating things on board, such as watches organization, maneuvers and it oddly went quite fast. In any case, this first attempt was too short but very meaningful. We arrived at the door of the South, which remained closed so we will quickly go and knock a second time.

Erwan Tabarly : Helmsman / Trimmer – watch n°2 : “ It’s a great experience to sail on one of the fastest boats of offshore racing.  It is a great honor and a great pleasure to sail with this crew. I enjoyed every moment as a great privilege. I have very nice memories even if we would have liked to finish it for sure. We must bounce back and we won’t stop there. There will be a sequel and it will be for next time. ”

Ronan Lucas : Bowman – watch n°2 : “We nearly spent a month at sea and I have not seen it ! The first fifteen days have been a succession: The Canaries, Cape Verde, equator, the attack of the South, St. Helena … it goes really fast and we are always focused on the next move. Then there’s the disappointment that the record is lost. It is a lot of energy for a hazard that cannot be controlled. We had no success this time, next time we will. We do have satisfactions though, the boat goes fast, the crew is competent. We were 400 miles ahead when we withdrew, with no perfect conditions. There is disappointment because there was a lot of energy spent by the crew, the technical team and the sponsor who supports us for a long time. Everyone believes it. We have just touched the mythical moments of a round the world race and we would have liked to go further. ”

Jérémie Beyou  : Watch leader – watch n°3 : “The principle of the delivery is not to push the machine too far but we still want to see certain things at the same time. The question was therefore to know where to stop. It was interesting to see how we could sail fast with the boat, the closest possible to its maximum capacity but taking the daggerboard issue into account, to see how we get out there and record the data. This delivery has allowed us to talk more with others including those of other watches which we were just crossing over while racing. This human factor is on top of the stack of criteria for success. ”

Kevin Escoffier: Helmsman / Trimmer – watch n°3 : “ It was great! We saw that the boat was fast and I had a lot of fun. After a year and a half like we had, it feels really good to finally be leaving. It is obviously disappointing having to stop due to a daggerboard because expect that the boat has nothing at all. Those are unpredictable aspects of our sport and we have to take it as it is. We have to take the positive points out of this experience: the boat is in perfect conditions after 30 days at sea. Obviously we would have preferred to go further but this first attempt is a significant additional experience for a future departure. What impressed me most about this course are the first two days. We already had a fierce desire to go sailing, but we got super good conditions to go really fast. I have some beautiful memories of hours spent at the helm.”

Xavier Revil  : Helmsman / Trimmer – watch n°3 : ” First is the first time I spend that length of time at sea and I loved it! I am eager to go back. Everything went really well and I quickly got into my watch rhythm. The first night was a little difficult but you quickly adapt to the boat life and it give me a lot of confidence for the future. For my first crossing of the Equator, we had a little party on board. As we were fully concentrated in the race, it helped to have a pleasant moment altogether. I was in charge of the food on board and it went fine as well. There was no lack of anything but the only issue I faced was that it is not easy to satisfy everyone in terms of taste. As for the boat, we have learnt a lot and some improvements and adjustments will be made on the food. The most important is that everybody was happy. “

Florent Chastel : Bowman – watch n°3 : “There really were only positive aspects during these 13 days of racing, apart from the collision with the UFO. The boat’s ability to go fast in little air is impressive and although the weather has not always been very supportive, we still managed to stay a bit ahead of the reference time during most of it. It was a good session which does not end the way we would have liked but we must now do everything in order to be leaving the soonest. In any case, the boat has the full potential to get this trophy.”

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With a lead of 324 miles over the reference time, the Maxi Banque Populaire V was handicapped for more than 48 hours by a damaged daggerboard due to a collision with a UFO*.  The crew have tried everything to repair the broken piece and resume their round the world tour. However, after 24 hours of intensive care, Pascal Bidegorry and his men must face the facts: it is not possible for them to continue this journey with a daggerboard that does not fulfil its potential when one looks closely at the long upwind voyage ahead to the Kerguelen Islands. After fourteen days of sailing that has seen an impressive performance from the boat, the fourteen men on board are therefore forced to quit in their first record attempt of the Jules Verne Trophy.
Reached by telephone late this morning, Pascal Bidegorry talked through this difficult but reasoned decision:

“Yesterday, we spent the day sawing the end of the damaged daggerboard. We managed to clear a good part of it and scraped inside it to make it fair.  Right now, the guys are trying to fill it in with whatever they find. Then we will have to fair the outside. The boat is a true composite workshop at the moment, which is not ideal at 46 ° south, in the cold and permanent fog. We are left with two meters of daggerboard instead of the usual 5.80 meters. At the scale of a boat like ours, it does not help performance and we have a lot of upwind conditions ahead to get up to the Kerguelen Islands, conditions under which the total length of the daggerboard is essential. We have been working on it for two and a half days and despite all our determination, we fully realize that we cannot put it back before noon tomorrow at the earliest. We need to be objective, we are racing a record and need to be competitive. Not carrying on is more than obvious today, especially since we know that there are a lot of upwind conditions awaiting us. We cannot sail as fast as we wanted in the south. We have left the boundaries of what is the essence of our mission.

We have thus decided to leave some time for the team in charge of the “yard-work” to finish repairing the damage properly. Then slowly but surely we will return to Lorient. We are big boys, we came here alone and we will come back under sail. For now, we are still heading east. We should have a wind shift within a couple of hours to make a northern route. We should get very soft conditions within 24 hours, which will allow us to finish the repair. Then we will start again in the trade winds, downwind to the Doldrums. ”

The disappointment and frustration of the Maxi Banque Populaire V’s crew and of Banque Populaire itself are inevitably strong today, but everyone knows that this decision is right, as there is still two thirds of the world left to sail around in this attempt.

After leaving Brest on Saturday, January 22, the Maxi Banque Populaire had performed well, confirming its potential as a hunter of records. Nevertheless, on the night of February 2nd to 3rd, what is suspected to be a whale destroyed Pascal Bidegorry and his men’s hopes in the South Atlantic, a few hundred miles away from the Cape of Good Hope. Forced to retire after two and a half days spent trying to find a way out, they do not intend to stop and will therefore head north to their Lorient base Lorient, a trip that will take 18 to 20 days.

Without doubt, these fourteen great sailors and the Maxi now have a mission to take on this world tour. This is how Pascal Bidegorry concluded the today’s vacation:
“I am determined to do this round the world and to beat that record. We have both a reliable boat on which we worked really well and a sporty degree of quality that makes me think that the Maxi Banque Populaire V deserves so much better than what we are offering it today. We must continue to work for the future. ”

If this Jules Verne Trophy attempt ends this Saturday 5th February, we must recall that this was the first attempt of the giant trimaran bearing the image of the Sailing Bank, tenaciously committed forover 20 years in offshore racing and its mechanical hazards.

* UFO: unknown floating object
Maxi Banque Populaire V’s crew list
Off Watch :
Pascal Bidégorry : skipper
Juan Vila : navigator

Watch n°1
Yvan Ravussin : Watch leader, in charge of video and composite
Brian Thompson : Helmsman / Trimmer
Thierry Chabagny : Helmsman / Trimmer
Pierre-Yves Moreau : Bowman, in charge of fittings and composite

Watch n°2
Fred Le Peutrec : Watch leader
Emmanuel Le Borgne : Helmsman / Trimmer, in charge of medics
Erwan Tabarly : Helmsman / Trimmer, in charge of electonics
Ronan Lucas : Bowman, in charge of security

Watch n°3
Jérémie Beyou  : Watch leader
Kevin Escoffier: Helmsman / Trimmer, in charge of video
Xavier Revil  : Helmsman / Trimmer, in charge of food
Florent Chastel : Bowman, in charge of medics and rigging

Marcel van Triest : Shore weather routeur

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