Vendée Globe

October 20. 2008 at 09:24 PMEliès and the children

125 primary school children from Vendée were able to meet and chat with the skipper of the 60´ Generali. Yann Eliès willingly answered all sorts of questions, such as, "Do you get scared at sea?" and "Do you do the housework on board?" Each class went away pleased to have met the yachtsman and with a signed poster.

October 20. 2008 at 06:48 PMUpdated news from Hugo Boss repairs

It is understood the manufacturers of the rig for Hugo Boss have confirmed that the broken mast can be sleeved and repaired. The boat itself is expected to be moved this evening, detailed ultrasound inspections are being completed. Mike Sanderson, skipper of Britain´s TeamOrigin America´s Cup team is presently helping oversee the inspection and giving input to the possible repair procedure and timings. Tuesday´s press conference announcement has been delayed until 1700h.

October 20. 2008 at 01:03 PMThomson still waiting

There has been little additional information concerning the repairs planned by Alex Thomson and the Hugo Boss shore team. While the British yachtsman remains confident in his ability to get his monohull fixed after the damage she received when struck by a fishing boat off Les Sables d’Olonne last week, the evaluation process continues. A large part of the internal structure of the boat has been damaged at the level of the starboard shroud chain plate, and it will be necessary to rebuild and fill a five metre long, two metre high hole in the side of the boat using the original Hugo Boss mould. For the mast, Alex Thomson believes the solution of repairing the spar, which broke in two, is the most realistic. After an inspection by the manufacturer, he is now waiting for some specialist equipment to arrive to analyse the breakage using ultrasound technology. The conclusions are expected to be announced at a press conference tomorrow morning.

October 20. 2008 at 09:40 AMChecks and safety procedures

All of the skippers got together this morning at 9h30 for two briefings with the Race Directors, the Race Committee, the Protest Committee and the Rules Committee, in order to learn about how the measurement and safety checks will take place aboard the monohulls during the next two weeks.

October 20. 2008 at 08:47 AMA change in the weather

With the arrival of a low-pressure area affecting Brittany and the Channel coast on Tuesday morning, the weather will gradually change in Vendée during the afternoon and it will start to cloud over from the north west. Thanks to a southerly wind the temperatures are rising today and are expected to go above 20° this afternoon. This afternoon, the ten-knot southerly that is currently blowing will veer south westerly this afternoon and increase to around fifteen knots.  For tomorrow (Tuesday), we are heading for a steady decline with rain and much cooler temperatures as the wind continues to veer from the west to north west. However, the fine weather is expected to return by Thursday with a gradual improvement from Wednesday.

October 19. 2008 at 01:11 PMThe sailing world

Several racers from the Vendée Globe and other events have already strolled through the aisles of the village and taken a close look at the thirty monohulls lined up neatly for inspection down on the pontoon in Port Olona. The new generation of Imoca 60 boats are in the spotlight, as eighteen prototypes have been specially designed and built for this non-stop solo race around the world without assistance. Philippe Poupon, Alain Gautier, Jean-Luc van Den Heede, Titouan Lamazou, Yvon Fauconnier, Jean-François Coste, Jean-Luc Nélias, Eric Dumont, Karen Leibovici… are just a few of the skippers, who have come to Les Sables d’Olonne to bathe in the atmosphere of this sixth edition of the Vendée Globe.

October 19. 2008 at 11:26 AMMorning trips

It was before the milk was delivered this morning that Roland Jourdain set sail on a short trip to test the new sails on Veolia Environnement. Then at 10h00, Marc Thiercelin joined him out at sea on DNCS to sail until the evening tide. We should add that the thirty Vendée Globe monohulls can leave the pontoon in Port Olona for a few hours, as long as they have sought permission from the Race Committee.

October 19. 2008 at 09:51 AMBrilliant sunshine

Not a single cloud in the sky today (Sunday)! Brilliant sunshine in France thanks to a huge high-pressure area and Vendée is particularly lucky with nothing but blue skies forecast to day and clear skies throughout the night, perfect for stargazers. Tomorrow morning should start off the same way, but gradually a change will come from the north west during the afternoon… While thunderstorms are expected on Tuesday. As for the temperatures, rather on the cool side this morning, around 11°C, they will climb back up to above 17°C tomorrow afternoon. The easterly winds will remain light to moderate at around ten knots easing off to below eight knots during the day and veering southerly.

Tide times in Les Sables d’Olonne
Sunday 19th October: coefficient 81 - 74
High tide: 8h08 – 20h49
Low tide: 2h01 – 14h31
Monday 20th October: coefficient 66 - 58
High tide: 9h10 – 22h15
Low tide: 2h52 – 15h28

October 19. 2008 at 09:39 AMThe honourable ladies

At daybreak this morning (Sunday), the two ladies taking part in the Vendée Globe were given a makeover for an unusual photo, which will appear in the French magazine, Paris Match. Dressed in evening gowns, the two yachtswomen posed alongside their monohulls moored side by side for the occasion.

October 18. 2008 at 10:35 PMAnswer on Monday

Alex Thomson has indicated that no definitive decision will be taken before Monday, when his monohull Hugo Boss (hit by a fishing boat while just off Les Sables d’Olonne), will be fully assessed. The designers from the Finot-Conq Group and composite experts have taken it in turns to carry out their inspections, in order to calculate how much time it will take to repair the hull on the starboard side. As for the mast, several solutions are being considered. The Hugo Boss team will take their decision on Monday.