Vendée Globe

November 19. 2008 at 06:24Stamm off the Canaries

Message received last night from Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat), 24th, 1173 miles from the leader.
«Hi,
News from Cheminées Poujoulat. Things are going rather well.  I'm taking advantage of a decent NE'ly flow to make good progress. I'm starting to see some squalls. The air is much more unstable and there are a lot of sail changes and trimming to do.  Each time I can, depending on the wind oscillations, I gybe to head a little further west, as I move southwards. The sea is a bit choppy with some short waves. But I think the wind is likely to ease off. The high speed sailing is over and it will be much quieter.  I haven't yet seen any flying fish and the moon is just disappearing.  I think we're lucky, as it will be back with us as we enter the Indian, when we really need it.  Having some problems with the video system, which isn't working now.  Think it comes from when we removing the mast and restepping it back in Les Sables. I hope to be able to see what's wrong. There's also something with the camera,as the battery charger has a bug. I'll sort it later on and hope to be taking pictures and filming as soon s possible.
Enjoy the rest of the night.»

 

November 19. 2008 at 05:40Desjoyeaux passing through

Message received from Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia, 18th) at 1h00 this morning:
«Going through the islands in about an hour from now. Lots of waves up to fifteen miles upwind of the islands. It's strange, as I hadn't noticed it, but it's warm.  You imagine that it's going to be sunny  all day long and ideal for sunbathing, but in fact, it's not at all like that.  It's cloudy throughout the day, but for two days now the skies have cleared at night, which has allowed me to appreciate my mentor, Orion the hunter, who's looking down on me. He may be a hunter, but he doesn't have a gun or sword.  The close combat stuff with a sword is for later, I hope..."

 

November 18. 2008 at 19:35A game of poker

Almost tying for fifth place with Yann Eliès (Générali) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air), also 61 miles from the leader, Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty), Vincent Riou (PRB) talked to his shore team today. «The good news is the bunching up of the leaders in the fleet. As far as the Doldrums are concerned, it's too early to draw any conclusions.  As always, it's going to be a game of poker.  The only rational analysis you can make about this zone is to say that by being out to the west, you run fewer risks. But for everything else, it's largely down to luck.» Vincent Riou (PRB)

 

November 18. 2008 at 19:12The importance of enjoying yourself

Dominique Wavre is currently in 13th place, 223 miles from the leader and like all those around him is trying to figure out how best to approach the Doldrums.

"I hope things will go well for me and that the deficit on the leaders will be minimal when I get into the South Atlantic, but I can only guess what’s going to happen. For the time being I’m also telling myself that I should make the most of the present moment, the enjoyment of being at sea on a fine boat which makes good headway. If I get obsessed about the deficit I have on the frontrunner then that's likely to dampen my enjoyment a bit. And the better you feel at sea, the better your performance."   Dominique Wavre (Temenos)

 

November 18. 2008 at 18:51Steve the mop top

"I might have a go at cutting my hair later, I look like a mop. I didn't get chance to have it done properly before I left. I'm not too worried about the outcome.  It's got three months to grow back if I make a mess of it, which I'm sure I will. If you see me wearing a hat in any video footage you'll know why!"   Steve White (Toe in the Water)

November 18. 2008 at 18:39Today's top performers

 - Over 24 hours, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) covered the greatest distance towards the finish, 256.7 miles (averaging 10.7 knots)

- Yann Eliès (Generali) and Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas) both climbed two places in 24h, moving from eighth to sixth in the case of Eliès, and from thirtenth to eleventh in the case of Boissières.

 

November 18. 2008 at 17:27Armel Le Cléac'h's view on the Doldrums

"We have more to lose than to win in the Doldrums.  Everyone will be fighting to try to reduce the risk of getting left behind. The fact that we're all bunched up could limit the danger of seeing huge gaps develop on the way out. But at the same time, we all know that there is something completely random about the Doldrums.  It takes just one calm to find yourself stuck for hours on end, while the others make their getaway. We'll be able to see the first set of results 24 hours from now..."  Armel Le Cléac'h (BritAir)

 

November 18. 2008 at 17:12Caffari judges her performance

Back in 16th place, 345 miles from Peyron after a great start to the race, Dee Caffari has been reflecting on he performance since the start:
"I started so well and within a week I have lost it so quickly so it’s very frustrating. I started at the top and I suppose there was only one way to go. I really believed at the start that I could do it but as soon as these islands got in the way and they required a long-term strategy. That is where I don’t really have the experience and it shows. I’ve made some silly mistakes in going for short term gain over a long term strategy. Now it’s going to take a long time to catch up but I have the South Atlantic to catch them up. If you lose touch with everyone in the south, it is really hard. I will make some gains while the others are entering into the Doldrums and hopefully I will have a good Doldrums but who knows. It’s all a bit of a lottery."
Dee Caffari (Aviva)

 

November 18. 2008 at 16:45Into the great unknown

"We're in a small group of ten boats, battling it out.  Yesterday I was sailing within sight of Roland Jourdain on Veolia. It's fascinating looking at the rankings and trying to analyse them.  It is clear we could see the race starting all over again in the Doldrums, with everything being put back to zero. I could find myself in the lead or relegated 100 miles back.  I hope I'm well placed to the west, even if it's difficult to plan for what we are about to face…" Yann Eliès (Générali)

 

November 18. 2008 at 15:30Moving on up

"I'm sailing permanently between 15 and 17 knots having found some wind that wasn't really forecast. I was just about to hoist the spinnaker and in the end I had to sheet in the sails.  Ahead it looks a real mess, and meanwhile, I've moved up a  few places. It was about time for the trend to be reversed."  Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) speaking on today's radio session.