Vendée Globe

With 25 to 30 knot winds, gusting to 40 knots in the squalls, Jean-Pierre Dick’s arrival (Virbac-Paprec) looks like being invigorating tomorrow. For this sixth arrival, the sea will be rough to very rough for the first time. This lively finish is in many ways fitting for the yachtsman from Nice, whose whole race will have been tough, because of all the damage he suffered and dealt with so brilliantly.

Benoît Parnaudeau (Max Havelaar Best Western) is getting ready to cross The Equator before this evening. In the Northern Hemisphere, he will be joining Bruce Schwab (Ocean Planet), as the American sails upwind off the coast of Mauritania, and of course, Joé Seeten (Arcelor Dunkerque) and Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto). Both, although on different routes, are battling it out in the centre of the Azores high. They are due to finish next weekend.
«I’ve still got south westerly to westerly winds, and I’m making 11 knots headway. I’m waiting for the wind to back north westerly this evening. I’m going to have to keep a close eye on what happens during the night, and am sure that I’ll be exhausted tomorrow.»

Jean-Pierre Dick, used to racing around three buoys, has been learning about ocean racing for three years now. Aboard his racing yacht Virbac-Paprec, a boat acknowledged by all his opponents as one of the fastest and most well prepared, he will have experienced a Vendée Globe rich in emotions. A broken boom, a gooseneck which fell apart twice, the link between the rudder and automatic pilot about to break…These are just some of the damaged pieces of equipment he has suffered. The most astonishing thing is that Jean-Pierre managed to sail around the world with just his solar panels from the moment he entered the Indian Ocean. Many others would have given up at that point. Even if the skipper admits that he did consider this possibility, he stuck it out and continued on his way, making drastic savings in energy consumption, depriving him of any comfort – light, music, telephone, limitless water, etc…. Tomorrow, Jean-Pierre will be welcomed by a crowd, giving him the impression that he has won the race. Out to sea, Joé Seeten (Arcelor –Dunkerque) pointed out his stubbornness. «He has had a remarkable voyage. He’s a really great chap.»

Hide and seek

To the north of the Island of Florès (Azores), Joé Seeten has managed to get on a course taking him closer to the finish. He is therefore winning back miles from his close rival Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto), who, on the other hand, in a wind backing northerly, is no longer on a favourable bearing. Both are struggling to cross through the centre of the Azores high. A real game of hide and seek is going on, and indeed, is likely to continue for at least the next 36 hours. Behind, Benoît Parnaudeau (Max Havelaar Best Western) is preparing to enter the Northern Hemisphere by this evening, with the Doldrums lying ahead. He is heading north thanks to a gentle 6-7 knot flow. «I’ve just re-read the book on the weather by Jean-Yves Bernot. He says that until 10°N, you are not really out of trouble, as that is where the North Atlantic begins. I’ve still got some way to go.»

NicolasR

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