"Things haven't gone as we planned. That's the way it is. I'm going to continue to make the best headway I can, grabbing any opportunities that may present themselves. Of course, it's not the race I was looking forward to.  I don't have the same conditions as the others.  It's a different race. All I can do for now is to try to get going as quickly as possible, without even thinking of catching up the others.  There's a long way to go.  We shall have to wait and see what happens. I'm just concentrating on Cheminées Poujoulat's speed."   Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat)

 

I’m not just a dot on the screen!
  
" A very busy couple of days on Bahrain Team Pindar, as I head southwards towards the equator. I am just passing the Canary Islands which are 140 miles to the east now. It really feels like hardly any time has passed since the start, it has been  so full on since then, concentrating on getting the most out of the boat, navigating and dealing with the inevitable problems along the way. I realized that it was high time to write a report and tell you my latest news. "

 

"Literally as I was writing this, the autopilot just decided to turn itself off!!!!!!  This was a minor disaster..We had a full main and fractional code0 (reacher) up in 20 knots of wind, and the boat went into a gybe, ending up 60 degrees on her ear, with keel and stack on the wrong side.I had to sort all the gear out (runners, keel, main, mast rotator, jib sheets, etc), and unfortunately in the melee, one of the reef lines got around the wind generator and broke it off its mount at the 45 degree bend in its support tube. Otherwise boat unscathed, but  a loss of the wind generator is a really big problem for our fuel consumption but I think I can find a way to fix it on to the remaining tube. I think I can do it. The bigger issue, is this going to keep happening to the pilots? This is my 4th time so far over on my ear, which is unheard of in such a short period. I am not keen to do one of these with a spinnaker up, it is very likely to damage the spinnaker."

 

" Nobody said the Vendee was easy, that’s the challenge, and its normal to be dealing with a myriad of issues as well as sailing around the planet, and I was about to write about those issues when this new one just came along! "
 

"Hi everyone,
The sun came up and everything is fine on BritAir. Lost some ground to Vincent during the night.  I dozed off at the wrong moment..but now, we're off again and we're already west of Mauritania with the Cape Verde Islands ahead.  It's the weekend, so I'm treating myself to a couscous and chocolate cake for lunch.  Couldn't find any baker's out here selling croissants for my breakfast. If anyone knows a good address around here, let me know!
See you soon"
Armel le Cléac'h on BritAir

"I'm up with the first group and hope it will last, as this morning I got into a bit of a mess with the sails.  The light wind backed northerly, as I was changing the sail. Because the wind was blowing across the route, I did two gybes and for a while had the solent, gennaker, and spinnaker up. That requires lots of manoeuvres and a lot of energy for nothing in the end. I'm waiting for the next rankings.  I hope I don't get caught by the calms that are behind and that the leaders avoided... Now we're going to have to get ready to attack the Cape Verde Islands.  Just the west of the islands, it looks dreadful.  This is going to be the first tricky zone, with the second being the Doldrums.  Te sun is out now, but that's only just happened. I'm still in a fleece and am wearing the foul weather gear simply for manoeuvres, because it's a bit wet.  Aboard the boat, it's still a bit of a mess. I need to air her out and tidy up, get out the wet clothes and dry them... " Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore)

 

"The wind eased off during the night. When the sun came up, it was a beautiful day.  I'm finally going to be able to dry my foul weather gear and boots after a busy week. Today is a transitional day with very little wind. That means checking the adjustments to make sure the boat is at her best speed. Over the past 24 hours, I've managed to get a good rest. I slept for 5 or 6 hours and spent three at the chart table, while the rest of the time I was out making fine adjustments. I took some time out to listen to some music too. "  Jean-Pierre Dick on Paprec-Virbac 2.

 

"I have been really struggling with finding the right rhythm and pace for Aviva over the last couple of days. Too much sail I kept wiping out on my ear or only able to hand steer or I reduce sail and wallow in the huge waves that have been surfing us along. It has been strange, a huge sea state that blasts you forward at 20 knots or allows you to sink the depths of the craters the waves create. Trying different combinations has been tricky also as the wind speed is gusting as high as 27 knots or settling at just 15 knots.
I am not complaining just looking at awe of the speed the others are getting with their boats. I have promised Aviva that we will get there and she can go and play with everyone again, until then we shall concentrate on getting past the Canaries and at least staying in touch with the leading pack. I am still pleased to even be on the same chart area as them without having to pan out too much still."
Dee Caffari on Aviva