Vendée Globe

November 05. 2008 at 18:28The Bay of Biscay according to Gitana Team

Sylvain Mondon, the weather expert working alongside Gitana Team, has drawn up some precise forecasts for the start on Sunday at 13h02 (French time): «We're beginning to look more closely at the weather, but between now and Sunday things could still change. For the moment, it looks like being an upwind start in a south-westerly blowing between 20 and 25 knots. Then, the wind is expected to strengthen during the evening reaching an average of 30-35 knots. This disturbed flow will be accompanied by heavy seas, with waves reaching 2 to 3 metres (6 to 9 feet) at the start line. It is going to weed out the men from the boys from the outset!»

November 05. 2008 at 16:45Roland Jourdain's three Vendée Globes

Roland Jourdain  spoke this morning during the Vendée Globe radio programme on the website. On Sunday, he will be setting sail on his third Vendée Globe. For Bilou, his first Vendée was "a bit like your first parachute jump, as you don't know what to expect. The second was certainly the most difficult, as you know by then that there are some complicated places and rather like a horse refusing to jump, you turn away from the obstacles rather than confront them. For your third attempt, either you're completely off your head or you love it. Personally, I think I love it..."

November 05. 2008 at 16:11Old, but brand new

Marc Thiercelin still has his sense of humour, as we saw when he was presenting his DCNS monohull. «I may be old, but I'm brand new! It is true that I haven't sailed an IMOCA monohull since the 2005 Transat Jacques Vabre, but since the boat was launched in late May, I have done two transatlantic races… I'm back with a brand new boat, which is light and fast. There are twice as many competitors this time as for my first Vendée Globe in 1996, but at that time I had only sailed onboard her for ten days… While everything has made giant leaps forward, the Vendée Globe still remains a great adventure!»

November 05. 2008 at 15:26Yann Eliès in his own little world

The highlights of Yann Eliès's press conference (Generali) this morning in the Vendée Globe village….

Talking about the performance of the boats: «We have all spent three million euros on our boats and after all that, we end up with something like the Figaros! We all have fabulous machines, which all more or less go the same speed.»

Talking about his first Vendée Globe: «The first for me will be to finish the race. For the moment, we're in the final stages, the last kisses for my children, the last time I lock my front door… When the final spectator boat disappears from view, we'll be at the bottom of the mountain with our back-pack and pick.»

Finding the right pace and in my own world: «How do I see the start of the race? I go aboard my boat, close the doors and am off into my own little world. I'm going to try to do my race without paying attention to what is happening around me. I want to find my own pace and don't want to get carried away by the antics of the hotheads setting off at full throttle, who could see things all come to an end in a few days.»

Still on the pace: «I cannot claim to be going at the same pace as Michel Desjoyeaux, as I don't have his experience. The important thing for me is to be at one with myself and the boat.»

Talking about the food on board: «Pleasure should not consider weight, and food is one of the rare pleasures you can have on board.»

November 05. 2008 at 14:58Bernard Stamm: 20 potential winners

"There are around twenty of us in with a chance of winning. We know what we are doing and we have the boats that it takes. Having said that, some of us should be feared more than others..."

What do you think are the toughest parts of the voyage?

«To begin with, the start, not because of all the accompanying boats, as I know the organisers will take good care of that, but because of the fact that where you are positioned at the start can well determine the rest of the race. After that, there are the Doldrums, which are tricky, but the worst part is facing the aggressive conditions in the south."

November 05. 2008 at 12:02The talent contest winner

During Marc Thiercelin's press conference, DCNS announced the name of the winner of their talent contest: Christopher Pratt. «For ten months, we have been through a long selection progress with Romain Attanasio. I'm pleased to be learning alongside Marc, as after his Vendée Globe, he will be my tutor for two years before I take part in the 2010 Route du Rhum,» explained the young skipper.

November 05. 2008 at 11:35Spotlight on Sébastien Josse

Physically and mentally prepared, Sébastien Josse is back again this time with a boat designed with winning in mind. Seb can look back on his previous round the world voyages (solo in the 2004-2005 Vendée Globe and as skipper in the Volvo Race) from a more mature perspective… Cutting his teeth in Figaro races, he was also able to learn a lot from the previous generation of racers. Maybe Sébastien Josse represents the perfect synthesis bringing together the «old » and the «new»...

Extracts from his press conference:
«Physically I've been involved in this project for two years, but it's been on my mind now for four. »

«We weren't looking for any major innovations. She's a boat designed to complete the Vendée Globe. As the schedule was fairly tight, we didn't want to take any risks and we went for the tried and tested solutions.»

«I never said in 2004 that I would not do it again… »

«It's with the wind between five and ten knots that you have to spend time at the helm. In these conditions, a well-set boat can achieve the maximum of her potential.»

«During the last Vendée Globe, before setting out, I thought I was invincible… Then, like everyone else, I was surprised to find the weather wasn't always going to push us along. When I saw Michel Desjoyeaux crying in the film of the 2000-2001 Vendée Globe, I didn't understand. Now I do.»

«Does seeing such a strong line-up strengthen my motivation? No. »

November 05. 2008 at 10:56Radio Vendée Globe - today's schedule

From eleven this morning, the guests on the "Live from the Pontoons" programme with Pierre-Louis Castelli and Frédéric Ottenhof will be in order, Sylvie Viant, the President of the Race Committee, Dee Caffari, the skipper of Aviva, Roland Jourdain, the skipper of Véolia Environnement, Sam Davies (Roxy), Derek Hatfield (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) and Marc Thiercelin (DCNS).

November 05. 2008 at 09:50Foxy, Roxy and Sam's lucky pants

A light-hearted look with Sam Davies at what you can find inside Roxy…

"On my chart table, there is a hand-warmer. I've got a few with me, as I don't want to feel cold. There is also a watertight case for my camera. And some headlamps. In general, I tend to pick up headlamps and find them the next day in my back pack. On the other side, there is a little glass jar filled with sand from Les Sables d’Olonne. A gentleman from the Museum lent it to me. Apparently, it is the jar Ellen MacArthur took with her eight years ago. Now it's my turn to take it around the world and bring it home to Les Sables in February. On the right, there's Lucky Duck (a cuddly duck) and his little friend, Foxy (a flamingo). Lucky has already done eight transatlantic races, but Foxy has only just started to sail. Then, there is this little cow, which did the transat with Jeanne. And as usual, I'm taking my lucky pants and three pairs of red socks (Peter Blake's lucky socks)".

Girly items?
"A mirror, some shampoo, as my hairdresser was horrified to hear that I washed my hair in washing-up liquid! I have cut my hair and will be doing some plaits that I'll keep in place for five days until they start to itch!"

November 05. 2008 at 09:24Final trips…

The skippers and their shore teams only have a few hours left to head out to sea, as from two tomorrow afternoon (Thursday), all the monohulls will have to remain moored at the Vendée Globe pontoon until the start on Sunday. Today, nine boats have requested permission to leave harbour for some final checks before the start.

Algimouss Spirit of Canada : 08h00 – 20h00
Brit Air : 08h00 – 12h00
BT : 06h00 – 11h30
DCNS : 08h00 – 12h00
Ecover : 08h00 – 20h00
Fondation Ocean Vital : 06h00 – 10h00
Hugo Boss : 07h00 – 20h00
Maisonneuve : 08h00 – 11h00
Pakea Bizkaia : 08h00 – 12h00