Vendée Globe

November 12. 2008 at 08:50Race HQ opens tomorrow in Paris

Vendée Globe Race HQ has now moved to Paris and the facilities are currently being installed. It will be open to the public from 10h to 19h (local time). An opportunity to attend the radio sessions from 11h to 13h, look at the latest developments in the use of satellite data and watch the latest videos from the race.
Please note: Race HQ will be open to the public from Thursday 13th November.

November 12. 2008 at 07:23Jean Baptiste Dejeanty back in Les Sables d'Olonne

On his arrival back in Les Sables d'Olonne at around 4h this morning, Jean Baptiste Dejeanty (Maisonneuve) said a few words about the damage that had forced him to turn back:

«It was as the front was going over in the middle of a squall. I had just changed tack and was taking advantage of the wind dropping off to stack inside the boat. A wave that was more violent than the others lifted up the boat. It felt a bit like floating in space. The boat came crashing down. I think she came down on two big waves, one at the bow and one astern. The keel between the two made a loud cracking sound. It was like a gun going off inside the boat. My ears were ringing. On the way back, the water was halfway up to my knees inside, but fortunately the pumps worked perfectly. Structurally inside, nothing has changed.
I don't really understand. I have sailed 25,000 miles with the boat and have never seen that. It was just bad luck and that's what I find hard to take. I had already experienced heavy seas like that before on several occasions. Maybe the only difference was the boat was loaded in Vendée Globe mode, meaning the strains were that much higher. I think the boat has done well given the violence of the impact. Personally I took a while to recover. We'll see what we can do. An engineer is on his way and an expert should be here later today to look at the damage more closely. With the team we'll discuss whether to set out again or not. »

November 12. 2008 at 06:08Hugo Boss due in later this morning

At 5h00 this morning (Wednesday), Alex Thomson was 25 miles from Les Sables d’Olonne. However, Hugo Boss will probably have to wait for a few hours off the South Nouch Buoy until the tide late this morning.

November 12. 2008 at 04:37Last night's messages

4h16 : «Gliding along nicely. The cleaner has tidied up the "Veranda" and hung up the washing. The sails are shining in the moonlight and it's a pleasant night to be at sea; a few cargo vessels, a few dolphins, a bit of music... In short, everything is great! Like my fellow racers, I'm getting in position to pass Madeira.» Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas)

4h57 : «A rough night with very variable winds and sudden squalls, although the moon was up early on. Moonlit nights are just wonderful. The seas are still rough, not exactly head-on, but almost. We're still getting a pounding on occasions. So, I haven't had much sleep tonight. 70 miles NNW of Gijon. » Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia)

5h02 : «Stopped during the night to clear the keel. The good thing was that it was easy to do in the beautiful moonlight, which lights us up as if we were indoors. See you soon. » Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement)

November 12. 2008 at 02:45Stamm due to set out again on Wednesday afternoon

After removing the mast on Tuesday morning to replace a part where the spreaders are attached, Bernard Stamm's support team (Cheminées Poujoulat) finished repairs on the bowsprit and the various collateral damage due to the collision with the Maltese cargo vessel. The mast is due to be stepped this morning (Wednesday) enabling Bernard Stamm to be able to set sail on Wednesday afternoon's tide.

November 11. 2008 at 21:52Dee's Tea For Two

Dee Caffari commented on the changed conditions today:" The difference today is unbelievable. The sky is clear apart from cumulus cloud, the sun is shining and you have great visibility. The wind has now moved and is coming from the north and I am sailing in much better conditions, smoother water and with a full main and code 3 up. I can now try catching up with sleeping, eating and generally living now."

She also sent this message: "I spoke to Sam on Roxy today on the VHF and we decided to both have an afternoon cup of tea. The Spanish Coastguard plane was out and doing fly pasts so I waved and he wished me luck for the rest of the voyage on the VHF, which was cool."
 

November 11. 2008 at 19:41Yannick Bestaven officially retires

Yannick Bestaven informed the race directors this evening he has officially retired from the race.

This is the mesage he sent earlier expressing his disappointment:

Hi,

My boat was dismasted late on Monday evening. After passing a violent front with headwinds up to 50 knots, I was sailing with three reefs in the main and the ORC jib. I thought I had made it and was quite well placed in the middle of the fleet. Everything was going well. My batteries were still fully charged thanks to the wind turbine and my hydro-generator, which in spite of the conditions supplied me with all the energy I required. The wind veered NW'ly and eased off to 20 knots. I was able to change tack with the wind on the beam to head for Cape Finisterre.
The seas were still very rough and I was letting out a reef at the foot of the mast after ploughing through two huge waves, which had swept over the deck. The boat suddenly crashed down onto the third one and the impact was violent leading to the mast to come out of its step and fall down in 3 pieces. Fortunately, I was wearing my harness , which saved me and the mast came down beside of me without touching me

In the dark of night, the mast was pushed along by the waves and kept banging into the boat. I had to cut off the shrouds and stays. I couldn't recover anything, and threw a year's work overboard. This is the worst thing that could have happened. I feel exhausted, disheartened to see our round the world voyage finish in this way.

Today, I'm under jury rig heading for Les Sables d'Olonne...

Yannick
Aquarelle.com

November 11. 2008 at 19:17The Life of Brian: Day 2

Brian Thompson from Bahrain Team Pindar: 

"All well on Bahrain Team Pindar, after a long 36 hours in the Biscay storm that saw so much carnage through the fleet.

I seem to have come through unscathed with no damage at all, but it was rough, especially yesterday afternoon just before the front came through, and then again after the front and the big windshift from SW to NW.  The first part of last night was very hard as I had to reach straight into a head sea caused by the 40 knot SW winds that I had before the front. I reined in the boatspeed to protect her from herself and sailed a course to try to keep the waves at an angle to the bows but it was still like jumping off 4m ramps in your car.      

The day before I did 3 accidental tacks, the first in 35 knots of wind, which makes an almighty mess to sort out, as when the wind goes on the wrong side, the sails are aback and all the keel, water ballast and stack is suddenly on the low side. It felt like we were heeled over 80 degrees, and I had to climb up the cockpit to the new runner to wind it on, before easing the main and other runner. Not sure why the tack happened but I just got to the helm a second too late, and once the wind gets on the wrong side, its an unstoppable force and the boat just keeps heeling and heeling till it finds it new horizontal equilibrium, going sideways at 3 knots.  At the time I was right alongside either Brit Air or Delta Dore.We had been running alongside each other for several hours in the dark, just a hundred metres apart..

That probably cost at least an hour to get the boat flat again, then bear away, and get prepared to tack and sailing properly again. It’s something fairly unique to sailing canting keel boats singlehhanded, so there is no need to try it at home. The next two accidental tacks did not take so long to retrieve as they were in daytime, and I had some recent practice.    

I feel really bad  for those who are having to go back especially for Alex who has moved heaven and earth to start the race at all, and  he was going really well before he had the hull damage. Hope he can restart.     

Out here not delighted with my position in the fleet, but very pleased to see how Bahrain Team Pindar handled the storm and got us through what will be some of the roughest weather of the entire trip. She is a great boat and there is a very long way to go in this VG, and lots of racing to come, so better go on deck now and put up some more sail, now that the wind is coming astern.  "

November 11. 2008 at 16:32Beyou looks ahead

«The wind is unstable going from 13 to 21 knots. I'm sailing downwind and am going to take advantage of that to grab something to eat for the first time since the start. I haven't slept much, as I had my mind on the boat making sure nothing got broken. I really took off gliding through the air. Something, maybe an animal hit the daggerboard and the rudder popped up. The boat went flying with the sails over on the wrong side. I recovered from the incident, but it's like the Bronx inside! It's time I got some rest. I need to look after myself… Now things are calming down a bit and the seas are gradually easing. So now we're sailing downwind to the Doldrums, but are still under the influence of the low. Tomorrow when the wind veers, I'll be able to gybe and get into the right place to pass the islands like Madeira. Must go. I've work to do. The boat is hard work, because the wind has come around, but at least I still have my mast ... »

November 11. 2008 at 16:18DCNS in La Coruña tomorrow morning

Marc Thiercelin indicated during today's radio link-up with Race HQ that he was heading for La Coruña in north-west Spain. His press office has confirmed that DCNS is motoring at around three knots and is due to reach the Spanish port tomorrow morning (Wednesday).