Vendée Globe

March 05. 2009 at 08:38Derek forced to make a pit stop in New Zealand

Determined to sail his monohull back to port alone, Derek Hatfield set out from Hobart aboard Algimouss-Spirit of Canada 6 days ago. He has been suffering upwind conditions with a lot of slamming, but it is a problem with the autopilots that is his major concern today. "The first night proved challenging when the autopilots would not drive the boat under true wind setting so it was difficult to get any rest or to work on the other systems on the boat. The autopilots have still not been resolved after 6 days at sea and we are now without wind instruments so the decision has been made to make a stop, this time in New Zealand to try once and for all to sort the electronics out before setting off again. Alone in the southern ocean is not a place to be when the boat is not completely sorted, the conditions here are unforgiving and these boats are so finely tuned that if you leave yourself exposed for any length of time something will break."

March 04. 2009 at 18:52PRB in her home port

As planned, Vincent Riou's PRB returned to her home port earlier this week. The boat was unloaded from the cargo vessel on Saturday evening and thanks to the help of the crew the operation went smoothly. At 21h30, PRB was lowered into the water in the commercial harbour in Lorient, then taken to the submarine base, where she spent the night. The following morning the team delivered PRB to Port La Forêt. The keel of the boat, which was also transported by the Russian cargo ship, was due to arrive in Port la Forêt later.

March 04. 2009 at 09:38Latest ETAs

Based on this morning's weather charts and positions, Météo France has come up with the following ETAs for the next three boats.
- Great American III: Saturday 7th March or Sunday 8th March
- Fondation Océan Vital: Thursday 12th or Friday 13th March
- Nauticsport-Kapsch: Saturday 14th or Sunday 15th March
 

March 03. 2009 at 16:10Raphaël - a suspected cracked rib

Late in the night, Raphaël Dinelli was working out on deck, when his Activ' Echo system alerted him to the presence of another boat in the vicinity. As the visibility was poor and the sea rough, Raphaël Dinelli gripped a running backstay, while looking around trying to spot the ship. At that moment, a rogue wave threw him backwards. Raphaël managed to get up, but was experiencing a severe pain in his side. He went back to his bunk to try to catch his breath and get some rest. He awoke a few hours later, but the pain remained just as acute. He therefore contacted the Race Doctor this morning, who has diagnosed a suspected cracked or broken rib.

March 03. 2009 at 12:20Latest ETAs

Based on this morning's weather charts and positions, Météo France has come up with the following ETAs for the next three boats.
- Great American III: Saturday 7th March or Sunday 8th March
- Fondation Océan Vital: between 11th and 13th March
- Nauticsport-Kapsch: between 13th and 15th March
 

March 01. 2009 at 20:27"What can we do?"

"We came across the equator into the northeast trades, which are the southeastern quadrant of a high pressure system sitting in the mid-atlantic. All the boats ahead followed generally the same route to the NNW until getting to the high, wherever it was variously situated when they got there, to wrap around the clockwise rotating high and get favorable winds toward France. The problem was that the high was dissipating and when we got to the north side, where there should be wind to push us from behind toward France, there was none, because the high dissolved. An alternative is that sometimes a low pressure system rotating counterclockwise, will come out of the US and track east and northeast across the Atlantic, and drag its fronts, most powerfully its cold front, across the atlantic, and you can jump onto this and get pulled across becuase the winds behind the front will be NW which you can use to get to the NE. And there was a front, from a low sitting up by Iceland, but the front wasn't moving, and had no real potency in it. So when we wrapped around, we sailed at one point, point to point 350 miles in 4 days. This is horrible and we lost 650 miles toward France because of this no wind in a dissipating high. So what to do? Ah, here comes another high, but the problem is, its coming out of Canada and moving east across the northern north Atlantic, so again, its generating northeast winds in its southeast quadrant. So basically, we turn north again, but we will have to sail an extra 600 miles north to get to its path. So we dutifully head north, into essentially another set of northeast trade winds in the southeast quadrant of this new high. So we clobber ourselves yet again sailing into our own private norhteast trades, storm jib and 3 reefs in the main, heading mostly NNW, perpendicular to the course to France, to try to intercept this new high.  So today what does the weather file say? Basically that the high will come across, center itself on our longitude, and stop for 24 hours, and expand. Now yesterday the high was forecast to be a 1035 millibar high. That is a high high! But today what is going to happen? It will stop in front of us, and expand into a 1042 millibar high. Who ever even heard of a 1042 mb high? I didn't know they could go that high. I've heard of 1023, or 1027, maybe even a 1032 mb high, but 1042mb? There might be no wind for hundreds of miles in every direction. So what can we do? We have to turn left by 45 degrees to try to go around it to the west, so that is why we're heading for Newfoundland, again. We can't get across in front of it, because we won't be far enough north when it arrives, and then when it eventually does start to move a bit, we would be smothered. So here we go again, stymied again. Who ever heard of a 1042mb high? It's laughable if it wasn't so painful. It will be likely 1 1/2 days to get across to get to the favorable winds, so another couple of days lost. Hopefully after that, we can ride the westerlies to France."

Rich Wilson (Great American III) in his daily message

March 01. 2009 at 13:59Aviva in London tomorrow

Dee Caffari, who completed her Vendée Globe on 16th February finishing in sixth place, will be taking her 60 foot racing yacht Aviva up the River Thames tomorrow. A 14h30 GMT, Dee and Aviva will leave Greenwich and head up the River Thames, passing under Tower Bridge in mid-afternoon before docking alongside HMS President. Aviva will stay alongside HMS President until Wednesday 4th March before returning to her home port of Gosport.

March 01. 2009 at 09:40Latest ETAs

Based on this morning's weather charts and positions, Météo France has come up with the following ETAs for the next three boats.

- Great American III: Friday 6th March or Saturday 7th March
- Fondation Océan Vital: between 9th and 11th March
- Nauticsport-Kapsch: between 13th and 15th March
 

March 01. 2009 at 08:50Rich continuing northwards

"Heading north by a little west, trying to get to the high, to then get to other side for favorable westerlies. sailing with staysail and 3 reefs in main. supposed to get lifted during the day.  Only now, late, are we getting that. angle was so bad that I headed in the other direction east by doing a
gybe, to see if i would be close to the course, and given the sea state.  I wasn't , so had to gybe back to this course and continue north."

Rich Wilson (Great American III) in his daily log

February 28. 2009 at 08:29Frustrating times for Rich

"Solent to staysail to storm jib, one reef to two reefs to three reefs, 35 knots of wind, ne, heading 335T, 8 knots, need I say more? Boat pounding itself badly. This all to get north into the high to wrap around and go to France. France right now is perpendicular to our course. Upwind with 3
reefs and the storm jib, so what else is new?"
Rich Wilson (Great American III) in his daily message