Vendée Globe

November 16. 2008 at 07:14Message from Derek Hatfield

As I write this note, Cape Finisterre is visiable out the port side and I am just about to jibe to the south and continue chasing Bernard. I've been able to make some headway on him as I brought in the new wind from the north. I suspect though he will have slipped away after turning the corner as it is a much better wind angle as we head south. Next goal for me is to pass west of Madeira and to make some more time on the tail end of the fleet. More soon.
Take Care
Derek (Algimouss-Spirit of Canada)
 

November 16. 2008 at 07:05Message from Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia)

"The night time is the time to get some sleep too.  In spite of being tossed around. The sea is all over the place, so the boat is finding it difficult to keep a steady speed. As soon as she takes off, a wave comes at us diagonally to counteract the power of the wind; so she tries again and the same thing happens. A bit annoying.  So, as a a consequence, it's difficult to now which sail is the most suitable in the circumstances, which is why I'm sleeping. Can't remember any of my dreams or my nightmares. I must be sleeping well.  Time for another one.  That will mean I'll be in great shape when it's time to go to church."
Mich

November 16. 2008 at 06:58Message from Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas)

"Hi there, Fine weather and beautiful seas. Great night out heaving on the ropes on one side and the other, playing with the air currents; the veranda has been opened up to let some air in. The heat will be stifling later today (better make the most of it!).  Today is Sunday, so time for a shave and then the sun cream goes on."
Arnaud

 

November 15. 2008 at 21:28Loïck Peyron's Saturday routine

For Loïck Peyron (Gitana 80) at the front of the fleet, today is clearly a Saturday, just like back on dry land...

"Everything is great out here.  I'm taking advantage of the fine weather to get a good wash.  As it's Saturday, I have my little list of things to do.  I'm going to wait a bit for the sea to calm before climbing to the top of the mast.  When you're thirty metres up, it tends to move around quite quickly..."

 

November 15. 2008 at 18:54Letting some air in

"In general, I'm pleased about my trajectory to the west.  I willingly gave up a little ground to head off  in that direction and I don't have any regrets about that, as it has allowed me to move away from the wind shadow of the islands.  If I'm managing to catch up those in front, it means things are going well.  Temenos II is sailing well and it's great for the morale, when I see the miles being won back.  The night started off nicely, with a steady 20 knots with 25-knot gusts and a few squalls. (...)  Then, after 3 in the morning, the wind dropped and I only have around ten knots.  The trade winds seem to have been interrupted and we're going to face two days of light conditions.  The boat doesn't sail by herself and the sea and waves tend to move her to the left and right, as the wind is so irregular. So it's better to stay at the helm and trim to ensure she keeps going well.  That requires concentration, and quite  lot of coffee, but it's not unpleasant. It's really nice weather and the conditions are quite pleasant.  I opened up the boat to let some air in and dry outside the inside, which is a good thing.» Dominique Wavre (Temenos II)

November 15. 2008 at 16:12Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty to restart the race

Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Maisonneuve) has called the measurers in Les Sables d’Olonne to ask them to seal his engine: he intends to start the race again at around 17h (local time) on Sunday 16th November. 

"Having spent a long time reflecting on this decision and in spite of how far behind the fleet I shall be, I have decided nevertheless to set out again. My sponsor, Jean-Paul Hembise, CEO of Groupe Maisonneuve, joined me yesterday in Les Sables d'Olonne and we talked things through. Whether it was with him, the whole team or the race directors whom I have just informed, everyone agrees that it is out of the question for me to take any risks. Once in the South Atlantic, if I have the slightest doubt about going any further, because I am still so far behind the rest of the fleet or I feel like fate is against me, I shall take the necessary decision.  We will thus be able to avoid having any regrets and have a sense of fulfilment, whatever happens. For the moment, it does not look unreasonable to set out again. On Maisonneuve, the glue work is over. We have the painting left today and then we have to tidy her up.  As far as the weather is concerned, I'll be setting out in light conditions in the Bay of Biscay, which will allow me to find my feet.  It should take two days to reach Cape Finisterre and pick up a favourable northerly flow of around 20-25 knots off the coast of Portugal. From the race point of view, my goals are firstly to attempt to catch up a  few competitors before the Cape of Good Hope and, secondly,  to race to improve on Vincent Riou's 2005 reference time of 87 days."
 

November 15. 2008 at 15:28Speed is Bernard's priority for now

"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)

 

November 15. 2008 at 14:50The Life of Brian: Day 6

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! "
 

November 15. 2008 at 12:41Armel missing his croissants

"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

November 15. 2008 at 11:44Time to tidy up

"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)