Vendée Globe

November 16. 2008 at 21:28The Life of Brian: Day 7

" Last night was one of very light winds as I am close to a small high pressure,  and I was sure that I would have lost a lot of miles to all except for Sam (Davies) and Dominic (Wavre)  who are close to the same route, but fortunately it was slow for everyone. This afternoon was even slower for me with 6 knots of wind most of the time, and I used the calm conditions to remount the wind generator on the now truncated stern mounting.
 
I was leaning over the stern lifelines whilst harnessed in as well, and the job involved hacksawing the broken piece off, filing down the remaining piece, sorting out the wiring and then putting the generator on to the pole. The hardest part was to pull through the wiring into the tube whilst fitting the 13kg generator on, as it would have been handy to have someone down below to pull the wiring through from below decks.Not allowed unfortunately, so I had to make do with duct taping the generator to the top of the pole whilst going below to pull through the wires. Great stuff duct tape. The whole job took several hours, and now I need to find some wind to test it. Its not the most elegant looking mount now, but should work.
 
Lots more jobs to get through today as this will be probably one of the calmest days of the entire voyage, so good to catch up on boat maintenance. Sails, rigging, plumbing and electronics, all the usual culprits - even Nick, our boat captain is sending me emails reminding me of jobs now, and coordinating with the other shore team who are consulting on their various areas of expertise.
 
Still on the full main and the A2 spinnaker. Wind is starting to fill in so back up to 11/12 knots of boatspeed now. It is astonishing how fast these IMOCA 60s are in light winds, most boats would be motoring and we are gliding along at more than wind speed all the time. Fast sailing to come down towards the Cape Verdes tomorrow, and lets see if we can make some miles on the frontrunners .For sure we will gain when they hit the doldrums but that can be only a temporary, illusory gain, depending on how the doldrums go for each boat -  at the moment they look challenging.
 
Just south of the latitude of Bahrain now, providing the ideal sailing conditions, and heading southwards towards the Cape Verdes. Weather is perfect, warm but not stifling.
 
Have not seen any wildlife the last couple of days, would love to write of schools of kamikaze flying fish, turtles, but sadly nothing to report.
 
Yesterday had a wash and a shave, perhaps a little premature after only 6 days, but good to get rid of all that salt from the Bay of Biscay storm.
 
Spoke to Jeremie Beyou as he was calling Seb Josse but had the wrong number, we had a good little accidental chat, and also had an email conversation with Sam Davies, my current neighbour, and past crewmate on minis and maxicats."

November 16. 2008 at 21:13Dee: Clean boat, clean skipper, faster AVIVA

" Light winds resulted in housework and shower time onboard Aviva. The boat
has been checked from bow to stern and tidied up and also I have taken a
shower and washed my hair which made me feel better despite losing so many
miles. The hard work of gybing and sail changes may have paid off now as we have
come into more breeze allowing us a fast sail south."

 

November 16. 2008 at 21:09Mike Golding, going to the top.

Mike Golding told his support team about his mast climb yesterday: 

"The conditions were enough to keep the boat going and I had been  waiting for the chance to be able to climb the rig without stopping the boat.  The wand itself was fine, it was just everything that it sits in that had broken off the rig.  It was not an easy task as the problem with self climbing is that it is difficult to get high enough, so I was having to work over my head."

 "I finally managed to remove the carbon piece, which was quite big about 200x200mm, as I didn't want it to stay there and potentially   fall into the rig and start chafing halyards etc, so I brought the  whole thing down."

"The other two forward facing wands are OK and I still have my  windgear, so I can count my blessings," .

 "I am annoyed that I have lost a bit of ground on the boats around  me, but I hope that I have now found the right balance and am back on it now.  I am struggling between the gennaker and the spinnaker   and am trying to work out why everyone seems to be going into the Cape Verde Islands.  I want to try and get to the right hand side of everyone as I'm having to deviate from my routing to get round the islands."

November 16. 2008 at 18:18No miracle solution

"For the moment I'm just pleased to be making quick headway towards the south. It's not easy to identify the best way to pass the Cape Verde Islands, which lie straight ahead. I don't yet know what I'll do. The timing is also significant as conditions vary considerably between day and night. I'll be doing it by day, while the three leaders will tackle it earlier during the night. One thing is certain. We're going to have to head off westwards to get through the Doldrums. There is no miracle solution."
Vincent Riou (PRB)
 

November 16. 2008 at 18:01Losing track of time

"It's all gone so quickly...I've completely lost track of time...So we're Sunday today, are we? For me there are no more days or weeks.. The days simply tick by with the arrival of each new weather chart and the scheds."  Yann Eliès (Générali)

November 16. 2008 at 16:50Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty has restarted the race

Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Maisonneuve) left the Vendée Globe pontoon at 16h47. Maisonneuve crossed the start line at 17h17'33". Light 6-knot NNE'ly wind and flat calm sea. Jean-Baptiste is sailing off to Cape Finisterre under gennaker and full mainsail. 

November 16. 2008 at 16:36Looking out over the veranda

"A Sunday out on the veranda (Akena for those, who don't understand).  During the gales, I broke my windvane, so I've just replaced it and it works.  I'm pleased my student friend (Fred ) came and explained to me with a (climbing) demonstration and gave me the equipment.  So I carried out  a check-up while I was up there.  Guillaume (one of the support team) had me down to go up twice during the round the world voyage: so that's one down!  Once I was up there, I had a great view, but I couldn't wait to get back down." Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas)

 

November 16. 2008 at 16:11Getting in and out

"The important thing is to be in the right pack, the actual positioning is less an issue. It's very satisfying to have sailed well, to have taken the right options. Then again, it's not like we have been the first ones to enter the Southern Ocean.  The Doldrums still have to be crossed and that could wipe out our lead.  The passage through the Cape Verde Islands is another story.  There are several ways in and out, so  it's an interesting tactical moment."  Sébastien Josse (BT).

November 16. 2008 at 16:05News of Raphael Dinelli (Fondation Ocean Vital).

It was noticed that Fondation Ocean Vital had been making slow headway since yesterday evening and her course was rather erratic.  Contacted by telephone, Raphael Dinelli confirmed that as he was becalmed, he preferred to lower his sails, which were flapping around. In such circumstances the wear and tear on the sails and equipment can be significant, and  he has only just begun his round the world voyage, which is likely to last at least 80 days.  Taking advantage of the sunshine, Raphaël was able to check his batteries were charging correctly (using chiefly his solar panels) and that the results match the expectations of the designers.

 

November 16. 2008 at 14:02Words don't come easy

"Talking on the link-up for the radio session is a complicated task. I wouldn't go as far as Loïck and say that it was downright rude to disturb me on my boat, but it's just that sometimes it's rather difficult to find the words to explain what is going on aboard the boat, what is happening in the race and how I feel. Anyway, just now, I was asked what I thought about the pace of the race after one week at sea.  I was incapable of uttering the slightest sensible answer.  I just repeated the same thing over and over: a miserable performance.  It's not going to stop me from getting any sleep, but it's just that I feel that I didn't quite manage to convey my thoughts to you, which really annoys me."

Some thoughts about Kito de Pavant:
"I can remember hugging him on the day of the start and telling him to take care...
I still haven't called him, because I don't have the courage and I'm afraid that it will bring the bad memories flooding back.  It's a good example of the commitment you find in this race.  For a moment your reason returns and you ease off.  I feel so sad for the friends, who are back on dry land and there's my natural reserve too.  So, maybe Kito will read these words ...and Yannick, who has given his all to this crazy chase.  I know they will bounce back, as they've got the inner strength it takes.  Then, there's Marco! Usain Bolt can win the 100m Olympic sprint with his laces undone, but Thiercelin cannot win the Vendée Globe without a mast... Marc is a great bloke."

Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore)