Vendée Globe

November 09. 2008 at 18:19Jury to meet

The International Jury will be meeting to make a judgement concerning the fact that four crewmen were still aboard Bahrain Team Pindar in the four minutes leading up to the start.

November 09. 2008 at 18:10Temenos versus the tide

The shore crew of Temenos are working hard to fix the electrical problems which forced Dominique Wavre to retire. If the problem can be solved before midnight tonight then Temenos may be able to leave Les Sables d'Olonne and rejoin the race.

Dominique Wavre: "Already this morning, when I was leaving the pontoon, the electric system was a bit doubtful. Once out at sea, I realised that it wasn't charging. The batteries were losing their power all the time. They're down now to half of their capacity. None of the chargers are working, neither the solar panels, nor the wind turbine nor the alternator. It was a fairly easy decision to decide to turn back, as by the end of the night I wouldn't have had any battery left, no energy at all.  I would have been in 30-40 knots of wind, with the front that is forecast, with no automatic pilot, nothing at all.  It was therefore only natural to head back to port and try to find out what is wrong with the damned electrical system!

“We realised there was something wrong a bit too late. We thought we had sorted it out by phone with the electrician. At sea upwind, I went inside and stripped down the wires to see if it wasn't a connection problem. I looked over the whole circuit, but couldn't find anything. So, it's beyond my electrical skills.  It's down to the experts to find out what's wrong now.

Do you think you'll be stuck here for long? “All depends if we find out what is wrong. I just hope that it is not the battery units themselves, which are the problem, as it will take a while to get some more from Paris. An electrical problem can be very complicated or very simple. I hope it is simple this time, so that I can get away on the next tide.  If we repair it very quickly, we should be able to set sail again before midnight.”
 

November 09. 2008 at 17:42Wavre back on the dock

Dominique Wavre, the skipper of Temenos, who turned around at 15h05 because of an electrical  problem, moored up at around 17h00 in Les Sables d'Olonne.
 

November 09. 2008 at 16:421st rankings: Josse and Guillemot tied

Sébastien Josse (BT) and Marc Guillemot (Safran) were tied for the lead in the first rankings in this sixth Vendée Globe. At 1600h, the two solo sailors were 0.2 miles ahead of Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) in third. After three hours of racing the first thirteen boats of the 30-strong fleet are within a mile of each other.

November 09. 2008 at 15:43Temenos to return

At 15h05, Dominique Wavre (Temenos II) informed the Race Directors that he was returning to Les Sables d’Olonne with electrical problems. He is unable to charge his batteries, but hopes to set sail again as soon as possible.

November 09. 2008 at 14:32Farrs out in front

The early leading boats are all from the drawingboard of Farr Yacht Design (BT, Paprec Virbac and PRB), while Dee Caffari's Aviva just behind them is an Owen-Clarke design. Skippers Seb Josse and Jean-Pierre Dick will also be closely matched, having trained together at Port-la-Foret. Also in the top 10 were the two Swiss skippers Bernard Stamm and Dominique Wavre, sailing side by side.

As the competitors left the spectator boats behind and headed out to sea the breeze has built to upwards of 22 knots.

November 09. 2008 at 13:49PRB leads the charge

Defending champion Vincent Riou on PRB, and Paprec-Virbac (Jean-Pierre Dick) have led the 30-strong fleet away from Les Sables d'Olonne. Sebastien Josse on BT has been climbing well to windward to join them at the front, with Dee Caffari on Aviva not far away. Hugo Boss was also set nicetly to windward, while Brian Thompson is in the middle of the pack but showing plenty of pace. Sam Davies on Roxy is sailing lower than the leaders, while Mike Golding on Ecover is chasing hard to catch up.

November 09. 2008 at 13:10... and they're off!

After the emotional farewells on the dock, the final goodbyes were an undignified scramble for most teams, with shore crews despatched to RIBs at the very last minute.

With one minute to go it was Foncia who was closest to the line, but at the gun Mike Golding on Ecover 3 was ahead — too early, he was called OCS and returned. Vincent Riou on PRB pulled away into an early lead, with Aviva on his hip — Dee Caffari having got a great start on the far right-hand side of the course. Seb Josse's BT, Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss, and Jérémie Beyou's Delta Dore were all in the front row of the main pack.

The fleet are being chased by a flotilla of RIBs, spectator boats, and yachts, with 60 Zodiacs marshalling the race area.

November 09. 2008 at 12:44Ready, set....

The breeze is keeping the sailors guessing in the final approach to the start of the Vendée Globe - currently it is about 12 knots, but very up and down. All the skippers will be trying to get the boats set up for the conditions they expect while they still have support crew on board to hoist headsails etc.

Mike Golding and Alex Thomson are currently sailing under full main, but Cheminées Poujoulat,  Delta Dore, Gitana, BT, and the majority of the fleet have opted for one reef. Headsail choice also varies – Norbert Sedlacek is one of the 'adventurers' in this fleet who have opted for a deep reefed main and staysail, clearly taking a long-term view on the expected conditions for the next 12 hours and setting up for safety.

November 09. 2008 at 12:32Feeling green?

Half an hour to go and most of the boats are milling close to the start area with nearly full main up and the few remaining members of the team still on board are being transferred to waiting RIBs — a tricky test of timing in these waves!

French Vendée legend Catherine Chabaud — who became the first woman to sail around the world alone when she completed the race in 1996-97 — is providing commentary on board the media boat. She points out that although these sailors are about to spend three months afloat, it's not unknown for them to suffer from seasickness in the opening hours due to their severe stress levels, tiredness, and messy, choppy seas in close to shore.