Vendée Globe

A slow afternoon looks like following into the slow night, a slow Friday and a slow weekend for Arnaud Boissières as he finally has to bite into the sticky conditions which are settled between him and the finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne.

Predictions are that he should bring Akena Veranda across the finish line on Sunday, but he will have to remain patient as there is not much set to change in the light upwind conditions which are due to prevail for his final 400 miles of racing which he needs to complete to land seventh place.

The skipper of Akena Vérandas has been contemplating stepping ashore after 105 days at sea and how that will feel and how he will adjust. Considering the party that his team is preparing for him he would do well to get as much rest as he can. Sam Davies was complaining that she has had less sleep since she did when she was racing!

105 days was also the time taken by Thomas Coville on the same boat in 2001 (93 days for Sébastien Josse in 2005 when the boat was VMI). 

To improve on Coville’s time, Cali will have to finish before 19h26 GMT on Sunday evening.  It would be nice for him to do that, although it is difficult to compare the two performances.  The weather conditions were different and the boat has undergone some major updates since that race, but this is the sort of comparison that motivates some sailors, particularly when the rankings are already more or less determined.

Just as Steve White has been looking at the times of Josh Hall in that race, so it is a way for the skipper to stay in racing mode until the end, although of course, Arnaud will not want to take any unnecessary risks. 

He remains very cautious and is fully aware that there is always the danger of damage at the last moment.  Fortunately for him, the high-pressure conditions that dominate are more likely to offer him time for reflection rather than a rodeo race to the finish.  Seeking an extra push he has hoisted his damaged solent to try to pick up some speed in the light airs that will be accompanying him all the way to the finish line.

Steve White, too, was in reflective mood today. He past the Azores last night and was enjoying great, fast sailing conditions on Toe in the Water, making a good northerly course and set to regain a few miles on his French rival who is slow in the water, but ‘Calli’ is still nearly 720 miles ahead of him. White has been contemplating the key facets of his next Open 60 and has some fixed ideas of what he would like, not least maximum protection over the cockpit area.

Rich Wilson in ninth place has been struggling a bit in the difficult seas, easing back his speed and sticking with his compass course rather than rise with the lifting breeze, simply to take the big seas at a slightly gentler angle, but this afternoon the American skipper was moving well making 11 knots having covered 181 miles in the last 24 hours on the Great American III, which is on its fourth circumnavigation.

Trade winds sailing is kind for Raphael Dinelli and Norbert Sedlacek, but Dinelli – some 480 miles in front – was already starting to feel the effects of the Doldrums earlier today and should start to really enter the unsettled calms and squalls of the ICTZ this evening.

What an appetite.

More than 13 million videos have been watched so far oover just ten weeks on the VG website. That is the equivalent of 345,000 hours or 39 years…

Streamlike technology was chosen for the video streaming, a system developed by Mediatech based in Versailles.  It means no unnecessary downloading, and allows the ability to monitor exactly what is watched, how long the long audience watches, where they are watching, whether they watch the same video more than once…

There has been fifteen times more video data than last time.

Skippers sent 510 videos posted representing 70h in three video quality rates depending on the visitor’s connection speed.

75% of the videos were watched from within France.

Yann Eliès arrival in Fremantle was copied on Australian and US sites, but most videos were viewed directly from official www.vendeeglobe.org website with copies on news sites or video sites only representing 20% of the overall audience.

In the Top 10 in terms of time spent by viewers includes eight of the weekly round-ups, with the week including Yann’s rescue number one. 

Also in Top 20, Marc’s video of the rescue, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) rounding the Horn and the dismasted Gitana 80.

Among the most popular videos, some shorter ones with no. 1 the 9 seconds filmed by Vincent Riou alongside VM Matériaux, then Generali filmed by Marc Guillemot, the dismating of Gitana, PRB and Paprec Virbac meeting in the S. Atlantic and Sam’s enjoyment in 40-knot winds

The biggest audience then was for when competitors were close to each other: Riou – Dick, Guillemot – Eliès, Riou – Le Cam.

235 videos were sent by the skippers over ten weeks

Arnaud Boissières (Akéna Vérandas):  After a bit of wind in the night, I’m back in calm conditions again.  It suddenly changed during the night and I went from staysail with two reefs to full mainsail.  There was a lot of rain and it was quite cold.  But this morning the winds are light and my peak speed is around seven knots. Yesterday evening, the seas were a bit crossed when the wind got up, but I needed to take advantage of that while I could, as I knew it would ease off again later.  As for my ETA, that keeps changing.  Sunday would be good, as the party will be bigger. But if I had to choose, I would prefer the conditions that I have to those that Armel had. I’ve changed pace a bit this morning.  I’ve hoisted my torn sail hoping to get some more speed.  Since the Azores, with a bit of wind, I have been taking advantage to enjoy the surfing.  I’ve been spending more time outside and listening carefully to every little sound, as I need to remain vigilant, not wishing to break something at the last moment.   I’m in a hurry to finish, but at the same time, it will be the end of the round the world voyage, so it feels a bit strange.

Raphaël Dinelli (Fondation Océan Vital):   I’m still battling with squalls at night, but am making good headway towards the Equator.  You can see them coming on the radar or in my case by seeing dark clouds appearing, as I don’t have the radar on, as I’m saving energy.  The wind shifts by 60 to 90°.  The wind gets up to 20 knots and it pours down.  Doldrums for Saturday or Sunday, as they look like moving southwards.  Doldrums are always a mystery.  You never know when you’re getting in and getting out.  But people like Mich Desj and those with computer programmes, electronics and weather access managed to get through without being held up.  Elbow is OK today, so happy about that.

Steve White, GBR, Toe in the Water: “It is lovely to be moving properly, I have just fully filled the forward ballast tank and I am fully powered up and doing 13.7 knots, occasionally 14.5 knots and in the right direction and so that is a good thing. For the next 24 hours it should be the same, there is a little bit of light stuff to the north of my track to avoid, I’ll have to tack and go round, and then just the easterlies in Biscay.

It’s a bit cooler than it has been. I had a race with a ship last night, I am getting quite a bit of sleep, I am obviously up and down a fair bit, fairly regularly. It is really nice sailing, I have all the doors open and stuff like that.”

“I am just coming as quick as I can, I really hope I can get in on Monday, now.”

Rich Wilson, USA, (The Great American III): “It was kind of a rough night, the trade winds are supposed to be steady but we have seem probably 15 knots across the deck to 35 knots and change of direction of plus or minus 15 degrees or so, so there have been a lot of sail changes to get the boat to settle into something which isn’t so much crashing around. We took a pretty bad beating last night, the boat did, so we are trying to calm things down this morning and we finally have a bit of a lift, and we are not going up with it we are going to go across the waves. It has been pretty hard on the skipper too. You really have to be careful not to miss a hand hold. I think I got a little bit of rest but it never seems t get any easier out here.”

Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch): “The last 24 hours have been quite pleasant and we have done over 200 miles over the ground, around 218 miles, so I am on the way to the Equator, and no new damage on the boat and I was able to do some small repairs on the lazyjack and on the foresails, so it does not look to bad. It is 28 degrees, the sun is shining and it is just a little broken cloud around, it is a great sailing day. It is much more comfortable than the days in the south.”

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