Vendée Globe

January 04. 2009 at 07:11Sam admits one litle fear

"Yesterday I passed a special mark in my personal voyage around the globe. Eleven years ago, Royal and SunAlliance was dismasted at 52S 129W during our Trophee Jules Verne record attempt.  I was ony 23 and unknowingly on the adventure that would pave out the path for my carreer. I think I was almost too young really - I remember suffering so much from the cold, fatigue, fear and discovering how to go way beyond my limits for the first time.  We all learnt so much on that record attempt. In fact we were sailing our catamaran to record pace when we were dismasted which made the blow even harder to swallow. We had been hit by a huge wave, residual from the 60-knot storm we had recently ridden out.  We had all promised that we'd be back, and this is my part of that promise, eleven years on!  Ever since the start of this Vendee Globe, there has been just one little fear that I have not talked about to anyone because it is stupid - and that is to get beyond the longitude of our dismasting, safe and well. So, now it is done - Roxy has passed over 129W and I have toasted our mast, and given Neptune some chocolate. I feel like a little weight has lifted off me and I can now really aim for Cape Horn!"

Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message

January 04. 2009 at 06:16Weed in the cockpit

"Incredible! I knew Moitessier grew lentils or peas, to get his supply of vitamin C to ward off scurvy, and that others are seaweed to fight against boredom. I've seen weed growing on the transoms of boats where the water can be stagnant. But this is a first, there's weed in the cockpit on the floor. I can't tell you what kind or variety, but it's definitely not paint or dirt. It just shows that we're in the wet all the time and it never dries off. I'm going to call in the surgeon to fit me out with gills considering the circumstances. But meanwhile this is going to have to dry out. If all goes well it will be a question of hours now..."
Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) in his daily message
 

January 03. 2009 at 23:09Tricky conditions for Aviva

"It has been a difficult past 24 hours. The wind has been gusting 47 knots and in the lulls been as low as 22 knots and the sea has been huge having a large impact on the speed of the boat. Poor Aviva has been over powered at times and hugely under powered at times.  It has been difficult progress but we hope the worst is through now as the gusts have not exceeded 37 knots recently but I can tell you the waves are still massive. We can be screeching along at 25 knots or stuck between waves at 9 knots of boat speed. So a little uncomfortable and it has meant a restless night for me so I will be trying to sleep some more when I can and that will be easier when the wind stops whistling through the rigging."

Dee Caffari (Aviva) in her daily message this evening

January 03. 2009 at 17:04News of Unaï and Derek

Derek Hatfield (Algimouss-Spirit of Canada) sailed into the Derwent River Estuary off Hobart, Tasmania this afternoon and was due to step ashore at 16.30 GMT. As for Unai Basurko (Pakea Bizkaia), he signalled his arrival at 14h this afternoon in Cascais, Portugal, where he will be staying for a few days before continuing all the way home to Bilbao.
 

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)