Vendée Globe

March 10. 2009 at 13:32Rich Wilson two and a half miles to the finish

One big spectator boat out.  Probably because of the weather and time, few spectators for the finish.    Friends and family approaching in a big RIB with stars and stripes lining up to be in the photo shots.  

March 10. 2009 at 13:24Rich Wilson approaching the finish

Rich is smiling from his cockpit and able to see the first boat come alongside.  Currently under staysail with double reefed main.  He is currently sailing at about ten knots towards the finish.  3.5 miles from the line.  Approaching directly from the west he can see the whole of Les Sables ahead of him.  The first 3 or 4 boats are approaching him and the first stars and stripes are being raised. 

March 10. 2009 at 13:067 miles to go

Conditions are pretty grim out on the water.  The media boats are just heading out to meet Rich Wilson.  The conditions are in fact similar to those experienced at the start, although the temperature is a few degrees higher. 

March 10. 2009 at 12:56Rich approaching Les Sables

The weather is dull and overcast with light rain.  The wind is 18-20 knots and the seas are short and rather unpleasant this morning off Les Sables. Rich is currently 8 or 9 miles from the finish

March 10. 2009 at 07:54Norbert feeling upbeat

"I just passed a container ship just 300 metres away. The AIS showed it was there and the alarm was triggered, but the distances are not being calculated. All of the plugs are rusty, so I think there's a loose contact. But the main thing is the alarm is working. At 7h30 this morning I was just 5 nautical miles from Corvo, the northwestern island in the Azores. I was able to see the sun rise over this final waypoint in the Vendée Globe. A great feeling because of the decent weather. I'm gliding along at high speed towards the finish and the only problem I have is the low-charge alarm which keeps ringing as my batteries don't seem to be able to charge properly. Apart from that I'm in finishing mode."

Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport-Kapsch) in his daily message yesterday evening

March 10. 2009 at 07:30Technical problem with the rankings

We have now fixed the computer problem about rankings. There is still a problem about the map that our technicians are trying to fix. Rich Wilson was at 65 milles of finish at 4h GMT this morning.

March 09. 2009 at 11:07Latest ETAs

- Raphaël Dinelli / Fondation Océan Vital: the 14th of March
- Nauticsport-Kapsch: the 15th or 16th of March
 

March 07. 2009 at 15:55Latest 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: Between 06h00 GMT on Monday 9th March and 06h00 GMT on Tuesday 10th
- Fondation Océan Vital: Between 18h00 on 11th and 00h00 on 13th March
- Nauticsport-Kapsch: Between 18h00 on 13th and 06h00 on 15th March
 

March 07. 2009 at 11:48Aviva back in Gosport

Since her celebratory voyage up the Thames last week, Dee Caffari's Aviva has returned to her home port of Gosport, where she will be taken out of the water and stripped down next week. The yellow monohull will then be prepared for the Calais Round Britain Race, which is the next major date on the calendar for Dee Caffari.

March 07. 2009 at 10:55Tacking towards les Sables

This morning, Rich Wilson (Great American III) is still being pushed along by a westerly flow forcing him to gybe towards Les Sables d'Olonne that he is likely to reach on Tuesday. In spite of sailing at more than ten knots, his speed towards the finish is only around 7.7 knots. He is still followed by Raphael Dinelli (Fondation Ocean Vital) who has accelerated since repairing his boom and is now some 600 miles behind the American. Finally, the Austrian, Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport-Kapsch) is1700 miles from the finish and was sailing at 7 knots this morning at the latitude of Madeira.