Vendée Globe

December 24. 2008 at 07:1350-knot squall for Jonny

"Conditions are foul. I have just had a squall with 50 knots in it pass over, leaving me with 19 knots. Really difficult to find a sail set that works for this range!  I have 4 reefs and the staysail at the moment. The sea state is enormous, and the only good thing about the situation is that the sun is out its going to be like this for Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well – I am really going to miss my big Christmas lunch and then a sleep on the sofa by the fire!! It couldn’t be more different being on board that’s for sure. Its really difficult to get any sleep – as soon as I set an alarm, it goes off which leads to a very very stressful environment. Big winds forecast for the next 48 hours and an even bigger confused sea state"

Jonny Malbon (Artemis) in his daily message

December 24. 2008 at 06:50A roller-coaster ride

"We are reaching with 25knots of wind and a bumpy sea! That makes doing anything pretty much impossible, as if you were living on a roller-coaster! Changing or trimming a sail requires me to be in full drysuit, which is easier said than done - try putting a dry suit on on dry land? Then tilt the land to 30 degrees, make the floor wet (so if you put that foot down before it is in the drysuit your sock gets wet). Put a blindfold on. Then start the roller-coaster!"

"Just earlier, I noticed a big bulge in the reef of my mainsail. There was a fold of sail that had been collecting water and it was fully loaded up, which is not at all good for the sail. I tried everything, luffing up, bearing away, its too windy to shake the reef.... nothing would get rid of the bulge. I then bore away, got a bucket, and got in there and bailed it out! 10 buckets - so at least 100kg of water in my sail! I re-adjusted the lazyjacks and got going again..... only to see that the bulge is back! So in the end I got a knife and pierced some holes in it so it would drain. I'm hoping my drain-holes will keep it at bay...."

"I opened my Christmas dinner package today! Romain has prepared a super meal for me - a delicious fish soup, with rouille and croutons! I can't wait! The only thing is that I think it is almost impossible to eat soup in these conditions!! I might have to postpone my Christmas dinner to when its calmed down a bit, otherwise I will be wearing more of it than eating it!"
Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message
 

December 23. 2008 at 20:05Greatest distance over 24 hours

Over the past 24 hours, Armel Le Cléac'h (Brit Air) currently in fifth place, 373.6 miles from the leader, sailed the greatest distance towards the finish.  Between 19h yesterday and this evening, he covered 431.5 miles.
 

December 23. 2008 at 19:16Brian back in the race

"It's been a very tough few days and I'm pretty tired, but I've been careful to eat and drink as much as possible, to keep my energy levels up. I feel really pleased with how the repairs have gone and a big thanks to the shore team who were a massive support. The next few days will be crucial to see how it holds."
Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) getting back on track today after completing his long repairs 

December 23. 2008 at 18:27A second Christmas at sea

"I can't believe it's already Christmas!!! I'm thinking more about the pace in the lows. The notion of time has changed. I pick up the weather for ten days ahead to see what is coming. I'm not really aware of the time slipping by. My goal is to get through each low. The charts are so big that it makes me dizzy looking towards the future. This is the second time I shall be spending Christams at sea. The first time was in 1998 aboard Aquitaine Innovations on her delivery trip back from Tghomas Coville's Route du Rhum. It was with a crew and if I remember rightly, we reached La Rochelle on 28th December."
Arnaud Boissières (Akéna Vérandas) in his daily message
 

December 23. 2008 at 17:14Fear of ice

"The next in the series of low pressure systems is upon me as we get ready to honor the West Australia gate. Ice has been reported near this gate so we are especially vigilant in making sure we get through safely. Right now it's raining/foggy outside with about 25 knots of wind from the west. I have the radar running to spot ice if possible. Ice makes me very nervous as it is the one unknown that can damage the boat very quickly and it won't take a very big piece to break a rudder. Breaking a rudder is a race ending scenario for us as we cannot replace one at sea. I must climb a little higher to gain some latitude on the gate and I will lose some ground on the two boats in front of me. But once past the longitude of this end of the gate I can start south again."
Derek Hatfield (Algimouss-Spirit of Canada)
 

December 23. 2008 at 15:51Second beacon dropped

"Dominique Wavre on Temenos II dropped a beacon called «Atlantic Girl» on his route towards Australia. We are very grateful for his continued involvement in this project, considering his situation. the beacon was dropped at 1h30 (GMT) this morning at 37° 34 south and 96° 56 east. «Joséphine» dropped on 9th December by Jean Pierre Dick on Virbac Paprec 2, is continuing to drift around the polar flow very quickly; yesterday it covered more than 50 km in one day. The third beacon will be dropped by Arnaud Boissières off the Falklands, as he begins his climb back up the Atlantic."
E-mail from the Argonautica project, aimed at studying maritime currents using Argos beacons dropped on the Vendée Globe race course. 
 

December 23. 2008 at 13:49Yann Eliès out of theatre

24 hours after arriving in Fremantle, Yann Eliès was operated on by Dr Scheryil at the Royal Perth Hospital. He left the operating theatre early this morning (French time). He came around from the anaesthetic and seems to be feeling fine. The Vendée Globe race doctor, Jean-Yves Chauve confirmed: "Yann was operated on to have a pin fitted to his femur, as planned. Examinations found that his ribs were not fractured, as the doctor aboard the frigate had thought. No other medical problems that have been mentioned could be confirmed." Some reassuring news for Yann's family , who will be paying him a visit, as they were due to arrive in Australia this morning. As Jean-Yves Chauve explained, Yann is going to have to remain patient for a few days, until an assessment can be made concerning his condition.
 

December 23. 2008 at 12:21The luckiest unlucky person

"I had somehow managed to continue to work the boat, convincing myself that “my" keel would somehow be OK. Whilst the engineers studied the problem and gave me some rather unconvincing assurances, I ran the boat with the keel at 80/90% cant, reducing the risk but making staying with the lead pack ever more difficult. With the shore team we decided that we would monitor the keel head cracks and make a final decision, “in or out of the race” at the W Australian ice gate. We either turned right and continued back down into the Southeast and the next gate or we keep going northeast retiring from the race, like Dominique and head for Perth.
Each and every skipper in the Vendee has a huge investment with their participation in this event, including myself. This is not simply a 90-day race but encompasses years of hard work and preparation. It is not an event so much as a way of life, to do it you have to live it for years prior to the starting gun. In this spirit, I was not about to quit easily and certainly not from such a competitive position in the race .But continuing was easily going to rank as the most stressful situation I have ever put myself in. Despite the wranglings I had basically made my mind up even before I put down the phone to Dominique – this is the Vendee, I am a serious contender – I want to continue!
So it’s a cruel irony that it is entirely possible that the mast breaking has inadvertently actually saved my life! Perhaps someone “up there” really is watching out for me? And quite possibly I am as I have always thought – the absolute luckiest – unlucky person on the planet."
Mike Golding (Ecover 3) talking in his blog about his feelings after Dominique Wavre's keel head problem
 

December 23. 2008 at 11:57Christmas comes early for Sam

"Day 43 is finished, and that means that Roxy is halfway through her record time of 87 days!!! I think we are pretty much halfway distance-wise too.... so it might be still be possible to break Roxy's record time from the last race! After a long night of "wallowing" and a lot of hard work by me to squeeze the maximum boat speed out of just a few knots of wind, we were rewarded by a lovely sunrise, and the first zephyrs of the "new" Northerly wind! This extra bit of wind, meant that I could leave the pilot to do the job and I managed to get a bit of sleep. Now, there is 16 knots of wind and finally the speedo is reading 15-16knots - AT LAST!!!  We are tight reaching, so the daggerboard is down and I can hear it "singing"! It is a sweet sound that I haven't heard for a while and as we accelerate, the pitch gets higher and higher! The objective now is to try and stay in front of the low pressure that is behind us! And finally, I have a confession to make (to my Mum.) She's made me a lovely Christmas cake, and today I gave in to the temptation and I have eaten a piece - a day early..."
Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily blog