Vendée Globe

January 12. 2009 at 19:01Jury decisions on PRB and Brit Air

The international jury has made its decision concerning the redress requested by Vincent Riou (PRB) and the redress claim for Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) for the rescue of Jean Le Cam.
Armel Le Cléac’h is awarded 11 hours for taking part in the rescue of Jean Le Cam. These eleven hours will be subtracted from his final finishing time.
 

Vincent Riou, in third place when he was called to the rescue of Jean (taking into account that Jean was already out of the race following his capsize), will be ranked third equal in the Vendée Globe with the competitor, who finishes third.
 

January 12. 2009 at 11:09Another mast climb for Brian

"Now less than 950 miles from the Horn and starting to make some good speeds towards the famous Cape. The wind is starting to build to 30 knots as one low passes. Looking forward to seeing Cape Horn come up over the horizon on Wednesday, the first land I have seen since the Kergeulen islands, way back in the middle of the Indian Ocean. After my repairs I have a little race on again with Aviva and Akenas.  I am looking forward to getting back into warm conditions in the middle of the Atlantic section. The repairs to the bow area seem to have stabilised the area. There are a few creaks under the floorboards I bolted either side of the damaged longitudinal, but outside there is no movement and the damage does not seem to be spreading. Will have to watch this area carefully, especially when sailing upwind in the Atlantic.Had another busy day yesterday with more stacking and tidying of the boat for the rough weather to come, making water from sea water in the ballast tanks, and then an unexpected 4th mast climb in the South. In the 60 knot winds I had near Tasmania I found it very difficult to get the mainsail completely down from 4th reef as there are no ropes to pull it down, and wind pressure and friction seem to hold it up against gravity. So in case I needed to drop it again near the Horn, yesterday I reefed the sail down to the 4th reef and then climbed to almost the head of the main to attach a downhaul rope. Though I don’t relish going up the mast it was satisfying to get this job done and feel prepared as possible. By yourself an operation like this takes several hours, with a crew it would take just a few minutes and it would hardly disrupt the pattern of sailing. Some people would call that a frustration, but its also the challenge of solo sailing, working out how to do things that would normally take numerous people, just by yourself on a very powerful 60 foot boat."
Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) in his daily message
 

January 12. 2009 at 10:28Marc at the Horn

Marc Guillemot (Safran) as he rounded the Cape:

«It's starting to become light. I can see the moon between the clouds to my NW. The wind is easing off and the seas are calmer, but there's still a westerly swell pushing us along nicely. We passed 8.85 miles to the south of the rock (Cape Horn) at 7H31 UTC at 56°08.885 S and 67°12.729 W Pleased to have finished with the Pacific even if it went well for me, but it was very tiring with all the stress and the adventures in the race. I can't see anything. I hope the GPS is working... A dark shadow over there? Could that be it?»
 

January 12. 2009 at 08:05The Bat's home

"My boat is pretty untidy at the moment! After I had finished the repairs here was some mast climbing to do, so there are still a few things out of place. Basically, I live in the bit between the mast bulkhead and the companionway bulkhead, so a space of about four metres long by over
four and a half wide at deck level - the ballast tanks down each side make it quite narrow. In the middle, where I am sitting now is the nav sation which faces forward, on a sort of "vee" bunk  / seat across the boat. It is too short to stretch out on fully and has no sides, so it is difficult to sleep soundly here because you don't feel secure, but it is therefore ideal for catnaps! At the chart table I have a stuck down mouse with a ball in the top - you spin the ball rather than moving the mouse - much easier when the boat is bouncing around. The camera charger and my i-pod sit in an ice cream container glued down with sikaflex. I still have my Christmas CD and a Patty Griffin CD which were both presents, and my elephant pencil case Kim bought me when I did my RYA Day Skipper in1996! Another thing which  has never left the chart table is my stereo manual, every day I learn something else about it, it is so complicated! Next to the stove, right by the door is a deep locker with my camera, nurofen, instant energy things from MX3, nail clippers and a torch, kitchen roll etc all ready for immediate use. Below the stove is a draw of sailory type things - needles and palm, tape, almanac, batteries, mini socket set, passport, binoculars and other stuff like that. Below the sink are my pots and pans and the orange plastic salad servers that I keep taking off the boat and which somehow keep getting back on! There is a bunk on each side of the boat; you sleep with your head by the companionway bulkhead so you can see the instruments, and your feet go forward and stop level with the chart table. I sleep on the low side and stack my spares on the high side, that way the weight distribution is good, and I don't fall out of bed when the boat heels suddenly. That would be a bad thing as the floor is wet all the time - I have many leaks! I have some art too; on the ceiling is a mural by Didier Becet which is fantastic! It shows penguins, gulls and flying fish, big ones in the centre and smaller ones all around the edges in little groups wearing sou'westers and other things, some dancing, some "chilling out", and the flying fish have fantastic expressions - some human and some are definitely pure flying fish - they do have expressions believe it or not! I like it best because you see something different every time you look. Also there are little drawings of bats in strategic places - my nickname is Bat, and Kim draws them here and there so that I remember she loves me - very important!"
Steve White describing his boat in an e-mail
 

January 12. 2009 at 07:15Cape Horner Sam

"I am now a Cape Horner! And in true style, rounding the mythical point in 40-knot winds and mountainous seas. However, also in true Cape Horn style, within a few miles of the point, the wind started to drop and I quickly found myself in less than ten knots of wind. So, after a hard 48 hours in strong wind, I had no rest allowed, as I shook out reef after reef and changed up headsails. The little wind there was also shifted all over the place, so I even ended up tacking Roxy in order to wriggle ourselves through the transition zone. Also, there was work to be done inside, shifting the gear that was stacked aft for the strong downwind conditions back to the middle of the boat to keep the trim perfect! Now, we have found the wind, and I have worked my way back down the reefs and reduced headsail again! We are reaching towards the Falklands in a very bumpy sea. It is night time and there is a full moon that is lighting the deck like a spotlight, it is so bright! I have my sleeping bag in my sights and I am finally going to get some rest!"
Sam Davies (Roxy) in her daily message
 

January 11. 2009 at 18:06PRB moored in Ushuaia

As expected, PRB was towed into Ushuaia yesterday evening (GMT) and was able to moor up. Jean le Cam, met up with his wife and they are due to fly back to France shortly. Vincent Riou will follow later in the week once a few of his team are ready to take over from him. The goal is to bring PRB back on a cargo ship as quickly as possibly. Jean Le Cam was interviewed in Ushuaia: "We managed to bring the boat around to Ushuaia thanks to a really great crew. It's extraordinary to find people everywhere who put helping others above everything else. Over the past few days I've seen a huge amount of human kindness. It's been a time in my life when humans have been more important than the material concerns we normally worry about throughout the year. It gives you a different perspective on things. It's been an amazing experience."

January 11. 2009 at 17:17Bilou finishes his repairs

Two and a half days after a chance encounter with a sea mammal, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) has finished repairing the damage that was done to his boat, in particular to the mast bulkhead. Roland Jourdain contacted by his shore team today:

"I'm pleased about my night and this final piece of work using bunches of battens from the mainsail, which I stuck together to form a solid bar, and then stuck onto the bulkhead at the foot of the mast to consolidate everything. It should be as solid as concrete to ensure we get home, unless there is something I haven't seen of course. Now I'm going to have to get the speed back up. I'm going to try to clean up a bit, as there's dust everywhere. It makes you itch all the time. It's hell!"
 

January 11. 2009 at 14:40Jean-Pierre due in Auckland tomorrow evening

Three members of Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2)'s shore team have arrived in New Zealand to welcome their skipper. He is expected to arrive on Tuesday morning (local time) or Monday evening (GMT)
 

January 11. 2009 at 10:47More sail woes for Dee

"It is the stuff nightmares are made of. I woke from my slumber and saw a slow boat speed and immediately dropped the ballast tank. I couldn't decide if south was better than heading east, but one thing was for sure, I couldn't actually head the direction I wanted to go in. "I went on deck to take a look around. The dawn was just breaking so it was light enough to see everything. I was looking at my mainsail, which has been a concern for the whole of the Southern Ocean, and I noticed some more sail flapping in the breeze. My shoulders slumped and as I continued to look I realised with horror that it wasn't the layer that is blowing away daily but the layer on the good side of the mainsail. In fact the only layer of mainsail left! I cursed, gybed quickly and dropped the mainsail to the third reef. I grabbed my sail repair kit, which is now running extremely low, and spent an hour patching the tear in the cloth. With the forecast set for the winds to increase and knowing that moving the sail up and down cannot be good for the cloth I have elected to remain at three reefs and keep my fingers crossed. If it can just get me to the Atlantic then I can choose a route with no scary wind and nurse my sail home. My biggest fear now is will the sail last the final big blow from the Southern Ocean depression before I turn left? So miles won and miles lost, the important thing for me is to stay in the race."
Dee Caffari (Aviva) in her daily message
 

January 11. 2009 at 07:15A ripping tale

"The wind is fairly turbulent and annoying, as it varies in strength and direction depending on the clouds in the squalls. In one squall as I furled my gennaker, I tore the top of my "day" oilskins. It felt like someone was pulling me back in the cockpit, but no, I was all alone. It was the grinder handle. So I had a bit of a tumble and ripped off the pocket of my lightweight oilskin jacket. You can laugh about it afterwards, but at the time I did wonder who was grabbing hold of me. Between the squalls, I shaved. Salmon and peas for lunch today, as it's Sunday. That will leave a nice smell in the veranda..."
Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas) in his daily message