Vendée Globe

November 07. 2008 at 17:05Norbert Sedlacek: 40 kg of noodles

In 2004, Norbert Sedlacek became the first Austrian to line up at the start of the Vendée Globe. A keel problem forced him to retire at Cape Town (South Africa). The former tram driver,who is now a chandler (Nauticsport) in Vienna, is setting sail aboard the same boat that he has strengthened and improved over the past two years. With one of the smallest budgets, he hopes to complete the voyage at his second attempt and to be able to build a new 60-foot boat for the next Vendée Globe. Here area few extracts from this morning's press conference…

 «I have an old boat, a small budget, but the experience of my first attempt. I would like to see IMOCAs taking off in German-speaking countries. If this Vendée Globe is successful for me, I would like to build a new 60-foot boat for the next race.»

 «My goal is to enjoy a great adventure, to sail well and return in under 110 days. If I end up somewhere around twentieth, it will be extraordinary. But I don't want to be last.»

 «After the 2004 Vendée Globe, I put the boat into the yard for two years in Port Bourgenay. An assistant and my son worked on her, taking her apart to improve and strengthen her. She weighs 800 kg less than four years ago. With a small budget (just 750,000 euros), it is not easy to change everything. But going to and fro from Vendée, we now have a lot of friends here and have been well supported. This human aspect is very important in this project. »

 «My supplies are 70% food that has come from Austria. I have got some French meals for festive occasions: birthday, New Year, Cape Horn. And as I really love Chinese noodles, I have 40 kg of them on board.»

November 07. 2008 at 16:32500kg taken aboard without counting the sails

A few interesting facts and figures about what has been taken aboard Roxy by Sam Davies:

Sails: The heaviest element. Taking into account the sails that are ready and those that are stowed.
117 kg of food: Samantha Davies is taking only freeze-dried food. But she loves her cup of tea with a touch of milk and is also taking a lot of chocolate with her, as this is something she enjoys. There are also 7kg of dry biscuits and 8.5kg of bread.
50 kg of clothes
30 kg of spare rope
25 kg: The weight of the hydro generator, which she will use to recharge her batteries
20 kg of tools for any repairs
20 kg of spare equipment: automatic pilot, electrical, hydraulic and electronic equipment
18 litres of drinking water: The Roxy Sailing Team has opted for two desalination units, one fixed and one portable. This option means Sam will only take 18 litres of water (2 packs) instead of the normal 72 litres. She will require 9 litres of drinking water for emergency purposes
14 kg: this is the weight of the cleaning and washing equipment required for the boat and Sam
14 kg is the weight of the engine parts (Belts...)
12 kg of deck fittings and 12kg of other products (adhesive tape, grease…)
10 kg of composites to allow repairs to be carried out
9 kg of spare computer equipment
8 kg of small items required to repair the sails (material and thread…)

November 07. 2008 at 16:28Ellen MacArthur: Maybe four years from now

This morning Ellen MacArthur, who was the runner-up in the 2000 Vendée Globe, was back in Les Sables d'Olonne paying a visit to the pontoons in Port Olona. She talked on this morning's Live from the Pontoons radio show and gave us her impressions of this year's Vendée Globe.

« This year has been the first time I've really been able to look around. I can really take in everything and experience it for myself. It's absolutely amazing what is happening here. The Vendée Globe changes from year to year, but there's always one thing that remains and that is the adventure. It's what makes the event what it is. Yes, it's a race, yes, it's fast, yes, the boats are becoming better and better, but at the same time, it is still a round the world voyage. As a human being, you cannot go any further on the sea. It is also a dream. Already, if you manage to finish, it's an achievement, so racing around at full speed is something else! Even if it remains a top level competition, they are still going into the middle of nowhere. Everyone looking at the boats here has the same feeling.»

Memories of the race
«For me, the Vendée Globe is a long story, which begins from the outset, when you are looking for a partner and only ends, when you cross the finishing line. It's difficult to look at just one part. The thing I remember most is the fear before the start. In 2000, the start was delayed, as the forecast was for sixty knots, which is quite a storm. That was tough, because deep down, you want to get going. You have such a fear inside you that you just want to be at sea. It was a real mixture of feelings.»


The boats
«As in all sports, there is progress each year. The boats are getting better and better, but at the same time getting closer and closer to the edge, so there is the risk of breakage. As it's a round the world race, you have to finish to win.»


BT and Sébastien
«We really love our boat, as this is the first time we have built our own. We wanted to be there from the first piece of carbon to the last. We raised her like our own baby. We designed her in collaboration with Farr, then set up our own yard and fifteen of us set about building her. The result is that we know the boat extremely well and have every confidence in her.(...) As for Sébastien Josse, I have a lot of respect for him, as we've known each other for ten years. He has a wealth of experience: he has already done the Vendée Globe, knows the tune, knows what it is like to be alone for so long.»


Current work
«I spend a lot of my turn on environmental work. When I sailed around the world, I became aware of a lot of things. Aboard a boat, you have to ration your resources, because they are limited and you live differently. It's vastly different when you are ashore. At sea, you are completely dependent on the wind and nature. Those, who are at one with the elements, are the ones that win. When you are ashore, you are completely cut off from that. We no longer feel dependent on nature, while in fact, it is the basis of life itself.»


One more time?
«Yes. I'd really love to do the Vendée Globe again. For the moment, my work on the environment is more important to me. But when I see all these boats, I really feel like doing it again. Maybe four years from now...»

November 07. 2008 at 15:39The final Live from the Pontoons

Pierre-Louis Castelli and Frédéric Ottenhof will be broadcasting their final show live from the Vendée Globe pontoons tomorrow (Saturday), when they will be talking to three previous competitors, who are now spectators, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, Hervé Laurent and Patrice Carpentier. They will also be hearing from Sébastien Josse with 24 hours to go to the start and will finish with an interview with Philippe de Villiers, President of the Vendée Council and the SEM Vendée, which organises the Vendée Globe.

November 07. 2008 at 14:52Kito de Pavant: the cow jumped over the boat

Kito de Pavant was extremely relaxed this morning at his press conference. Under a barrage of questions from journalists, the skipper from France's Mediterranean coast talked about how he will be tackling his first Vendée Globe….

His boat: «She corresponds exactly to what I was looking for. I believe that a boat, which is light is easier to handle than a powerful boat. I think to sail quickly, you also need to be able to do it for a long time… »

Kito and the cold weather: «Like all Southerners, I need to be warm. Apart from my fleeces, in order to to save energy, I've gone for a heat pad. My seat is fitted with an element which warms my back. Not to be confused with an electric chair.... »

Talking about the three months of sailing with the cow on his sail: «I love that cow. She laughs all the time and as I'm someone, who is naturally happy, that suits me fine. Besides, my cow is so big that in the end I'll not even notice her… »

Talking about his experience of IMOCA boats: «I'm a rookie in the Vendée Globe. That's a drawback, as I know I lack experience in those seas. But at the same time, it may be an advantage, as I don't know what to expect down there. When you have no idea what you'll be facing, you can't feel apprehensive. As for IMOCA sailing, I was lucky enough to sail twice with Jean Le Cam in the Transat Jacques Vabre and I learnt a lot from him.»

November 07. 2008 at 10:50Live from the Pontoons this morning

Each day from 11 to noon (French time), Pierre-Louis Castelli and Frédéric Ottenhof bring you interviews from down on the Vendée Globe pontoons. Today (Friday), they will be talking to Ellen MacArthur, the designer Pascal Conq, Patricia Brochard (Sodeb’O) as well as Mike Golding (Ecover), Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) and Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) in the company of the award-winning French author, Erik Orsenna.

November 07. 2008 at 10:09Busy on Boss

Since her relaunch, Alex Thomson's monohull has been carefully examined by the shore team to check for any collateral damage from the collision with a fishing boat. Thus the mainsail halyard has been changed, as wear was detected: « Following the sea trials we were able to confirm that structurally HUGO BOSS is fine. The issue with the halyard only came to light after some time on the water sailing, and fortunately for us, we were able to get the boat out sailing in enough time to identify the issue,»explained the operations manger, Harry McGougan.

 The alloy chaff plate within the HUGO BOSS mast, was corroded from the time the mast spent on the sea bed, following the collision. This corrosion was causing chaffing to the main halyard inside the mast. Continuously for 15 hours (throughout last night), the team devised a shift system to hoist the halyard up and down the mast, a total of 1800 times. This has effectively smoothed the corroded area.

«Until the incident with the fishing vessel, I felt as prepared as I have ever been for a race. I felt physically strong, mentally ready and after completing the Barcelona World Race in second position and breaking the world distance record - I felt I had a strong chance of becoming the first British skipper to win the Vendée. Since the accident – all I have been able to think and focus on is getting HUGO BOSS repaired in time for the Vendée start,» explained Alex Thomson.

November 07. 2008 at 09:02The young man and the sea

Jean-Pierre Dick was the first solo sailor to work with the American Bruce Farr design team. In 2003, he had Virbac-Paprec built and won the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2005 on her. Since then, Bernard Stamm has bought the monohull and he updated her this winter. However, for the ex-vet, in no way are technical innovations the most important thing: «Design choices and technological developments are a plus, but they are not everything. Paprec-Virbac 2 features two major innovations (trim tab and strakes, editor) which should give me that little bit extra over the competition. However, I am convinced that on such a route, it's what's going on in the mind of the sailor that makes all the difference: the human aspect dominates. Motivation and determination can be found throughout this project from the design and build stage and during the race itself. These are the key elements in such an event, which is won over several years on land as well as at sea.»

November 07. 2008 at 08:50The age of the skipper

The average age of the skippers in this sixth Vendée Globe is 41 and a half. The youngest competitor in 2008 is Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Maisonneuve) born on 13th February 1978, while the eldest is the American, Rich Wilson (Great American III), born 19th April 1950.

November 07. 2008 at 07:24A mixed bag

The disturbed area over the Atlantic is what is going to influencing our weather for the next few days off Europe… A huge low has settled over Iceland, offering variable conditions over the Bay of Biscay. For today (Friday), after the rain late in the night, there will be a mixture of conditions with clouds and sunny periods and here and there a few drops of rain. The temperatures are pleasant enough reaching 19°C this afternoon in a moderate westerly reaching a maximum of fifteen knots. For the weekend, Saturday looks like being fine in the morning, but rain will move in later, while Sunday will be grey, damp and overcast with a strong south-westerly. It looks like being a rather rough start for the thirty competitors…

Tide times
Friday 7th November: coefficient 34
High tide: 11h43
Low tide: 4h55 – 17h35
Saturday 8th November: coefficient 38 - 43
High tide: 0h33 – 12h45
Low tide: 6h07 – 18h41
Sunday 9th November: coefficient 49 - 56
High tide: 1h22 – 13h34
Low tide: 7h05 – 19h33