Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia)'s support team is in place in Les Sables d’Olonne. "We're all on the spot now trying to get hold of all the engine parts, in case they need to be changed. That is never that easy, but is more complicated as it's a long weekend in France for the Armistice bank holiday of 11th November. Michel has explained the situation to us and we're taking advantage of the wait, while the boat returns to Les Sables d’Olonne to carry out a more detailed diagnosis of the boat's problems. We're trying to understand everything that may have gone wrong by asking Michel various questions to confirm or refute our suspicions."

Bernard Stamm (Chéminées Poujoulat) talking about his repairs:
"It's a race against the clock, but there are things you can't hurry. For example, we're going to have to rebuild the bowsprit in its entirety and you can't change the time it takes to dry composites, whether you are racing or not. This repair job needs to be done as seriously as everything else we have done on Cheminées Poujoulat up until now. We're going around the world and it's going to have to last.

"The countdown has begun. while the others are all sailing upwind. It's not a big problem, but if I could get away today, rather than tomorrow, it would be better. However, looking at what needs to be done, I shan't be leaving Les Sables until tomorrow afternoon to try to sail the best race possible."

The 10 skippers taking part in the first of the Vendée Globe live radio sessions are all weathering out the storm: "We're really being banged around!" they all agreed. The south-westerly wind was still blowing at around 30 knots with gusts up to 40. They are currently waiting for the wind to veer, as the cold front moves over the 30-strong fleet at around four this afternoon. When the front arrives, the wind is forecast to exceed 45 knots in the squalls, before easing off and suddenly veering NW'ly.

"There's going to be a difficult moment when we carry out the manoeuvres to change tack, as this will take around an hour and we're going to have to hoist more sail as the wind drops to 25 knots… » explained Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore).

Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia: "I had a small leak in the ballast system and underestimated its importance and the damage. This morning I started up the engine and after 40 minutes of charging, I could smell something burning.  The engine was taking a swimming lesson and didn't appreciate it. I have already done part of a round the world voyage with an engine which was extremely difficult to start, but if it wasn't going to work at all... I therefore took the decision to turn around. I hope to reach Les Sables d'Olonne by 2200h and that the sea, which is already high, will allow me to do that, so we can get to work on the repairs."

Hello!
Finally we are out racing the Vendee Globe. The first night has been full-on, with too many sail changes and tacks! I tried to take advantage of a shift during the night, but tacking is SO hard and takes SO long with all this gear on board! Stacking is a nightmare, especially in 30 knots of wind and big seas! I think I lost more with my tacks than I gained from the shift!
Now it is day one, I am getting into the rhythm. The wind is building, between 30 and 40 knots. Roxy has 3 reefs and the ORC, and we are smashing though the ginormous waves!
All is well on board, I even managed to have a cup of tea this morning. We're expecting up to 55knots in the front this evening, so I am preparing for that.
The only annoying thing is that a little bottle of engine oil has exploded in my aft stacking toboggan, so there is oil everywhere, it's like living on a moving ice-rink (a rather smelly one - lucky I don't get sea sick!) Luckily, I have oil absorbing cloths in my spares, so I can clean that up properly once the front is through and everything calms down!
Otherwise, all is well on board ROXY!
S x
 

Message from Jeremie Beyou this morning at 11h10: "It's a real battle...The wind is up to 40 knots. The seas are becoming high. It's really violent with the boat leaping about. I am under reduced sail... I may not have had enough sail up last night.This morning I've taken in three reefs and am under ORC. No worries on board. I managed to sleep a bit and haven't eaten much. I'm paying attention to the boat and to myself. It's important not to break anything."