Vendée Globe

January 03. 2009 at 15:41Dee's mainsail worries

"I am so anxious about my mainsail all the time and it is stopping me pushing the boat a bit and affecting how I sail. I am hugely worried about it. I have half way around the world to go to keep it together. It is something in the lamination process and just one of those things. I have to keep on doing what I'm doing until I get back. It won't look pretty but I have to work at keeping it together. My latest plan is to paint it with epoxy resin from the boat building kit which seems to be working but I can only do it in patches because it makes the sail very stiff. And when you bend it, it breaks. I have to do this either until the end of the race or until everything runs out. I am running out of sail repair kit and I will be running out of resin after a while. But I can only do what I can do but it makes me cautious so now I am avoiding the wind and not enjoying the wind. It is annoying because it is beyond my control. If the mainsail blows up it is a very long race just with headsails. It is really annoying as the rest of the boat is great and desperately wants to be on fire and show everyone what she can do, but I am so worried about the mainsail it is hard to enjoy any strong breeze.”

Dee Caffari (Aviva) in an e-mail to her shore team
 

January 03. 2009 at 15:05Land ahoy!

"Last night, on the other gybe, heading ESE, trying to get far enough to gybe and head at a good angle to the New Zealand ice gate, we got to 52/30S, and were going farther. In that situation, one is always hoping for a small wind shift to legitimize a gybe, so we could get out of there. It's too far south, too cold, too risky, etc., The I thought of something else, look at not just the great circle route to the ice gate, but the rhumb line, usually ignored because its longer, but I did the calculation, the angle was 12 degrees in our favor for a gybe, and the distance would be less than 1% more, 8 miles over 1500. So I'd give it a little more before gybing, got  2 naps in, then at 0300 a 44 knot squall came through, that did it, we're out of here, rolled the staysail, gybed the mainsail and headed NE. Yet we had an obstacle in our way, Auckland Islands, the group where Marc Guillemot stopped with Safran for repairs. I didn't want to go north of the islands, because I didn't think we'd get past before the front arrived, and that would give us a lee shore.  Anway, finally, it looks as though we may get enough of an angle change to get around the south of the islands, Adams Island, without gybing. We'll see. The chart shows South Cape, Cape Thomson, Fly Harbour, The Dome (inland at 639 meter altitude), and multiple albatross symbols. Between Adams Island and Auckland Island, the main island, Coleridge Bay. Not sure if we'll see the island or not, will report tomorrow. Belay that, Land Ho! Just sighted Adams Island to port, 10nm off."
Rich Wilson (Great American III) in his daily message
 

January 03. 2009 at 14:29The Doctor explains...

"The skippers' medical problems all have specific causes. For example, for Raphaël Dinelli, his boat is not easy to handle, as all he does is by hand. The winches, the canting keel and I don't think Raphaël really had time to get ready for this race: he had problems with his solar panels and financial problems,… and now he's paying for that. I think it's the result of a combination of factors. An ocean race is won with everything in harmony. You need to listen to your body, respect your diet and take the necessary time to rest. If these elements are not respected, you end up with medical problems. Now he has to slow down and some have already said that clearly. It's the reason too why there are medicine cabinets on board. It's also a question of individual care. If they aren't warmed up, when the muscles are used, it can lead to bursitis. This is an inflammation due to a lack of physical preparation. if you haven't had the time to prepare, you end up with problems! On a physiological level, it is certain that winding a winch with the boat heeled over at 30° in the cold, when you haven't had time to warm up will hurt. It requires a minimum of preparation. On the other hand, we can say that at any age, you can do well in the rankings. You can also do well as a girl. We can even go as far as to say they are more far sighted. They are less virile, which perhaps explains their success in the rankings."

Jean-Yves Chauve, the Race Doctor on today's radio session.
 

January 03. 2009 at 12:59Minor repairs for Norbert

"We're currently surfing along at up to 16 knots. It is always an unpleasant feeling, when the sail has had a few tears. Have sorted out a few more little problems: sealed up the foot of the mast, repaired the latch on the engine cover, stuck the USB socket, temporarily filled the holes in the deck with Epoxy! Obviously after two months of sailing and having covered 14,000 miles not everything is like new aboard Nauticsport-Kapsch!"
Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport-Kapsch) in his daily message
 

January 03. 2009 at 07:18A comfortable place to live

"Finally, Roxy and I have found the wind, and we're off again! But now I can feel that Marco on Safran is snapping at our heels as he had a nice run to catch me up whilst I was parked in the no-wind at the ice gate! We're on to it: mission to give him a hard time to get past! Safran is a beautiful boat, a "missile", and is faster than Roxy, but I'm going to try very hard to stay in front!! And I know Marco will be trying very hard to get past! Now the wind is back, strong and stable, I have less manoeuvring and trimming to do, so I am "chilling out" "at home" at my chart table drinking a cup of tea whilst Roxy sails at a 17kt average. I thought I'd try to describe "home" to you:

On my chart table there is:
My Jean-Yves Bernot "weather bible", a list of phone numbers for everyone (laminated), my (pink) i-pod, my book, my log-book, Lucky and Foxy, my handle-less mug, and the keyboard and mouse. There are a few pockets to the sides. In those are:my camera, video cam + equipment, a bottle of water, Hairbrush, toothbrush + toothpaste, face cream, hand cream, antiseptic cream..., hair elastics, mirror, babywipes, a sports towel, torch, headtorch, nke manual, vitamin tablets, rubix cube (still jumbled), volt-meter, binoculars, wool (for the spi), woolly hat, first aid essentials.. On the "dashboard" (where the instruments are) I've got photos (my family, friends, cheri, cats..), other cards and stickers, and I've written a few things that remind me of stuff or motivate me.... and there is a pair of tweezers (girl-essential), and my sunglasses, and stuck to the left is my Adrena Sailect sail crossover chart. Everything else is stacked to windward, in the toboggans that slide from side to side, and in stacking bags. My oilskins hang up, with the wettest ones "plugged in" to my "hairdryer" (which blows the hot air from the motor) and my boots and ski mask are in a net on the ceiling. So Roxy is pretty neat and tidy! There are a few leaks (nothing major) so the floor is a bit damp here and there. I'm good with a sponge and bucket now! I think that's pretty normal out here! She smells of roses (like any girls boat) and is a pretty comfortable place to live really..."

Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message
 

January 03. 2009 at 06:27Derek reaches Tasmania

"I've just made landfall on Maatsuyker Island, one of the outer islands on the south coast of Tasmania. I have to round South East Cape and Bruny Island before heading up Storm Bay to Hobart. The landfall here has been a bit nerve-wracking as yesterday my GPS started operating sporadically and I have been expecting it to go down. I switched to the back up GPS only find it wasn't working as well. My backup to the backup is a hand-held GPS mounted in the window. It's working fine and gives me a position which I then plot on the chart. Now that I've made landfall I feel much better. It will be a long night of motoring up Storm Bay but I am looking forward to getting ashore."
Derek Hatfield (Algimouss-Spirit of Canada)
 

January 02. 2009 at 23:23Steve's nature lesson

"I had another day which was one of those that will stay with me forever - I can still see it clearly now if I close my eyes. I sailed very close by Campbell Island, which is three hundred and fifty miles from New Zealand. I would think that the island and it's outlying rocks form the last part of the cone of a volcano; the rocks around rise up vertically like tombstones from the sea, I was five miles away but I would say they were a great deal bigger than the Needles, and much more slab sided. Above about one hundred metres everything was completely blanketed by a thick layer of cloud, but it was spectacular and moody non the less, and the first land I had seen since Madeira, but the best part was the albatross. As I bashed upwind past the island in short, shallow seas, there were dozens and dozens of them, in fact just by looking behind (it was too wet to look forward!) I counted nearly forty, and if you consider the number in front and those lost behind waves, there were probably a hundred within my five mile range of visibility, and some of each one of all the species I have seen so far. Do you know, apparently for a long time sailors thought that they had no legs or feet and never landed, and sure enough their feet are difficult to spot, but occasionally they must get stiff or something and so they dangle them down and shake them so they look like they are made of jelly, then they put them away again! It is really quite funny. I have also seen one take off from the water - it requires timing and the help of a few handy waves. It is not the most fitting of manoeuvres for such a graceful bird, but he quickly recovered and tucked his rubber feet away, climbed, banked and turned back over the boat at speed as if to say "See, I can fly in a proper fashion!" 
Steve White (Toe in the Water) in his daily message
 

January 02. 2009 at 08:05Can't slow down

"Here we are again, 30 knots of wind, boat surfing to 18 knots under 2nd reef and staysail, so put in 3rd reef to slow the top end speeds to reduce risk, and it really didn't make any difference, the boat still surfs to 18 knots, perhaps more occasionally. Another front coming through tomorrow, then we'll gybe for the New Zealand ice gate. Hopefully we'll be past Auckland Islands for that so we don't gybe into them. Albatross coming closer to the boat now, but not as close as the one that crash landed on the deck. One circles from leeward, comes up heading aft on the windward side, and just hangs there in one position relative to the boat, amazing. When we finally gybe, it will be emotionally positive, as we'll be heading partially north, and then each successive ice gate is further north, so hopefully the weather will be more steady and perhaps a bit less wind."
Rich Wilson (Great American III) in his daily message
 

January 02. 2009 at 07:17Derek due in Hobart on Sunday

"I am slowly closing in on the coast of Tasmania with just over 300 miles to go to reach Hobart. The winds, albeit very strong, have been very helpful in helping me reach land. I am on starboard jibe with the wind from the south west at about 28 knots. It will clock around later today into the north west and decrease further to 15 knots for the week end. As best I can, I am predicting an arrival for Sunday in Hobart.  The mast seems to be stable enough on starboard but I will take it easier on port as that is the damaged side. The time seems to be long as I an anxious to get ashore, see the family and start working on going forward. I am watching the race from the sidelines and starting to miss the action already."
Derek Hatfield (Algimouss-Spirit of Canada) in his daily message
 

January 02. 2009 at 06:53Not enough wind for Sam

"I've got no wind! Or very little! To be honest, with my solid little Roxyboat, I'd rather have too much wind than not enough. Roxy's been caught up by another little ridge of high pressure and we're temporarily stuck! I'm doing all I can to squeeze every quarter of a knot out of her to keep wriggling along. It doesn't seem fair that the leaders have managed to run all the way with the depression and we're stuck wallowing out here! In fact it seems just about the worst for me here I have my own little bubble of no wind! Anyway, it should only be for a few hours and we will get going again! Just this morning I was in 25-30 knots of wind and surfing some of the South Pacific's finest waves! It was amazing, as I was preparing the big gennaker on the bow, and on each surf it was like I was flying, as only the back of Roxy was touching the water and I was several meters up in the air as we whizzed off at 20+ knots! I used to be a "bow chick" on fully crewed boats, so I'm used to the tough jobs up forward whilst speeding along, but the difference now is that there is no back-up behind me, and I am no longer trusting a skilled helmsman not to "wipeout" "chinese gybe" or "stuff it" on each wave, but Chuck - my famous autopilot. For us solo sailors, our autopilot is our best friend, but can quickly become our worst enemy if it decides to go wrong."
Sam Davies (Roxy) in her her daily message