Vendée Globe

More than two months of racing since 30 skippers left Les Sables d’Olonne and no more than a dozen will reach the finish.

Even with the improved safety, the security ice-gates, the rate of attrition in this incredible race now reaches 60% as title holder Vincent Riou this evening faces up to the cruel reality that his desire to even finish his second Vendée Globe was taken from him when the mast of PRB collapsed last night.

As the 2004 winning skipper said today, he and Le Cam had already sailed 250 miles since the rescue from VM Matériaux and only had 50 miles to go before a planned rendezvous.

The moods of the dozen skippers on the race course are, predictably, varied, mixed up even. Feelings of euphoria that they are still in the fight are mixed with intense sadness, now empathizing with Riou’s misfortune and trying to understand a race which then deals such injustice for a simple act of heroic seamanship within sight of the most inhospitable corner of the world. All that just more than a day after sharing the relief as Le Cam pulled himself cold, but unscathed from the half sunk VM Matériaux.

Yesterday there was the delight of Vendée Globe rookie Armel Le Cléac’h as he reached Cape Horn for the first time, his final turn for home, having stood by to help in the rescue of Le Cam. Today he is dealing with the fact that his running mate for so many weeks, Riou, will not be at his side for the final ascent of the Atlantic.

Sixteen skippers have now been the victim of mechanical failures, six dismastings, some caused by a simple case of bad lack – the wrong wave at the wrong time. 

Having just arrived at the dock in Port Stephens, the southernmost town in the world, after being towed in: Riou sounding flat and dejected said this morning, 

“Both Jean and me, our arms are just hanging at our sides. This is the straw that broke the camel's back.  We're going to have to live with it but after all the other problems I had last year (hit a sea mammal in Artemis Transat and retired, and lost part of his mast in Barelona World Race and retired) It feels like  history is repeating itself.” 

Peculiarly there is a remarkable calm, almost serenity in the fleet, both metaphorically as skippers adjust to the thinly spread fleet now, and physically as the Southern Ocean remains benign, Rapahel Dinelli (Fondacion Océan Vital) and Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch), the tail fin of the fleet have had very light winds.

Dee Caffari, GBR (Aviva) relinquished eighth place to her French rival Arnaud Boissières (Akenas Verandas) while she took the opportunity to give some much needed attention to her delaminating mainsail while winds were amenable, but as soon as the repairs were completed the breeze returned and the British soloist was back in the charge, quickest in the fleet this morning and regaining miles on Boissières. And Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) completed some repairs to some small cracks in the transom of his Open 60’s as well as climbing half way up the rig to add some protection to chafe damage, preparing for his final straight run to Cape Horn.

At the front of the fleet Michel Desjoyeaux believes that his easterly option will pay off. He is more than 260 miles to the east of Roland Jourdain now as the pair diverge to deal with a complex pair of high pressure systems which are expected to block their path. Desjoyeaux, leader since 16^th December, is 123.5 miles ahead of Jourdain, while Armel Le Cléac’h lies third 768.8 miles behind.

Vincent Riou (PRB): “ We sailed for 250 miles with the repairs that we'd carried out to the rig and we only had 50 left.  It's one of those things. Now, we have to get some rest, sort out our customs problems, which is not going to be easy.  The most important thing is not making any rash decisions.  Physically we're tired, but that's not really new.  Both Jean and me, our arms are just hanging at our sides.  This is the straw that broke the camel's back.  We're going to have to live with it but after all the other problems I had last year. It feels like  history is repeating itself. We're temporarily moored at a naval pontoon.”

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia): “ I have been sailing along at decent speeds.  I was at 22 knots a while ago. I have had 25-30 knots of wind.  During the night it was fairly variable.  I thin I just had the time to head east as I was ahead of Bilou, so I am pleased about that.  I don’t think weather is complicated.  I should get through without being held up, I do keeps thinking of eight years ago.  We will only find out at the end of next week which is the right option.  For the next few days it is light downwind sailing requiring a lot of work.”

Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar): “ I have been doing some repairs to the transom, some small cracks in the transom and so I had to cut up some more floor boards to an intricate pattern to fit on the inside of the boat and a carbon plate on the outside, and screw it all together with some sikaflex. It was interesting little job there, and then I climbed up the rig half way to check the lower shrouds there was a little bit of chafe on the lower shrouds, and so I put a little bit of tape on them. So that was two good jobs done before the final stretch to Cape Horn.”

On why the cracking occurred:

“We have a theory that it might be because we are using the opposite ram for steering, and the ram is at that point attached to the quadrant from the middle of the stock of the rudder, whilst on the other side – the side that had a crack - it is steered by the tiller arm which is above the top bearing and there is more torque, and that sort of makes more sense.”

On how he feels about the boat:

“ There is a repair now at the front which is feel now is pretty strong, but I am not going to go jumping off massive waves, and yes, there is a little bit of sail damage which is limiting the number of sails I can put up, but I think the rudder and transom will be fine, and so generally I am good, a little bit of wear and tear. Physically I am fine, it was quite tough over Christmas with re-building the front, a storm, a couple of fronts and then a couple of very rough mast climbs and that kind of took it out of me, but that was a couple of weeks ago and now I am feeling quite good and looking forward to getting round the Horn.”

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