Vendée Globe

April 06. 2009 at 15:15Toe in the Water going home

Six months after setting out from Weymouth, Toe in the Water is due to return to her home port on Thursday. After his eighth place in the Vendée Globe 2008-2009, her skipper Steve White will be sailing her home in the company of Sir Robin Knox Johnston, who has already expressed his admiration for the young British round the world sailor, who had so many financial worries before lining up at the start of the Vendée Globe. Toe in the Water will now be based in the new marina, which has just opened in Portland, which will be one of the host sites for the 2012 Olympics. Steve is due to receive a rapturous welcome at the Royal Dorset Yacht Club early on Thursday afternoon before celebrating with Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson in the evening.

March 25. 2009 at 09:44Ski-ing holidays for Sam and Dee

March is holiday time for the two women, who took part in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe. Dee Caffari has just returned from a week in Bavaria, while Sam Davies left for La Clusaz this weekend. Some rest and the pleasure of meeting up with friends and colleagues for Sam, but also some good exercise, as Dee Caffari explains: " I spent last week at Carnegie Alpenrose in Germany enjoying all the disciplines of Nordic skiing and the wonders of ski touring. After living on a 60 foot yacht at sea level for three months I was expecting to struggle to use my legs and lungs again in the extreme environment of walking uphill on skis at altitude. I had a fabulous week learning new skills and exploring the area, making my own tracks in untouched snow. It was truly amazing."

March 23. 2009 at 09:19Norbert back in Austria today

After finishing in Les Sables on 15th March after 126 days of sailing, Norbert Sedlacek is due to receive a hero's welcome in Austria today. His plane should arrive in Vienna at 12h50 today and a crowd is expected at the airport in Schwechat to welcome home the sailor, who finished in eleventh place in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe.

March 21. 2009 at 09:22Paprec-Virbac 2 in the operating theatre

Jean-Pierre Dick's Paprec-Virbac 2 is undergoing a spring refit in Lorient and is currently being repainted. A huge tent has been erected around the boat to allow this operation to go ahead. The aim is to limit the amount of dust and to avoid the area getting dirty. An extractor fan system is also in use to control the spread of fumes. All of the mechanical parts, the electronic and computer systems and deck hardware is being taken apart and carefully checked and cleaned. Repairs continue on the rudder system, which was the cause of Jean-Pierre's woes and the top part of the rudder is now practically finished.

March 19. 2009 at 20:02Pit stop in Auckland

Derek Hatfield confirmed by e-mail today that he has been forced to carry out a pit stop in New Zealand. The recurrent problems with the autopilot were not solved during the long stopover in Tasmania. He also lost the use of his wind instruments, making it impossible to use real wind mode on his Algimouss-Spirit of Canada. He explained too that he caught a bad cold just before leaving Tasmania and has been feeling extremely tired. The Canadian has therefore decided to carry out some work on his 60-foot monohull before flying home to Canada to see his friends and family and reflect on the best way to bring his boat back to her home port.

March 15. 2009 at 19:12Norbert in the channel

And Norbert gets a huge welcome in the Channel, tens of thousands of people out waving Austrian flags and cheering him to the heavens, welcoming him safely back to Les Sables d'Olonne as the sun starts to set on this wonderful Sunday, on Sedlacek's race and of course also this epic sixth edition of the Vendee Globe.

Gruss Gott the banners say and Norbert is content with his 11th place, he may be the final skipper to complete this course but he is looking to set a record for the most flares lit in the channel, he is a bundle of pent up energy, waving, cheering and loving every second.

March 15. 2009 at 18:25Near the finish

Norbert is just looking for the outside end of the line, hard on the wind as he sails the last half mile of his race. He will cut the line in two or three minutes

March 15. 2009 at 18:22Under a mile to go

Norbert is now around half a mile from the finish, which he should cross in the next ten minutes.  His speed has been fairly irregular over the past hour.  

March 15. 2009 at 17:28The final miles for the Terminator

It is lovely sight as Norbert the terminator closes down the final few miles of the Vendee Globe course, completing the full circle of life of this remarkable race. His yellow and black Nauticsport Kapsch is picked out brillantly in the evening sunshine, heeling gently at times and picking up speed, but the sea is glassy smooth with just a few wind lines now. He has slowed as he gets to within a few miles of the line, but the breeze is blowing offshore and he will have to tack at least once still to get there. It is not going to be a fast finish for Norbert.

March 15. 2009 at 17:03The final miles for Norbert

Norbert Sedlacek is living the final miles of his Vendee Globe dream in the company of his friends and family and supporters who are now alongside in a fleet of RIBS and powerboats on a perfect sunny, Sunday evening. This may have been one of the toughest races yet, with the highest attrition yet, but this is the perfect way to bring it to an end. Sedlacek looks in great shape, joking about the smell from inside his foul weather gear, but he has posed and posed for the media, the former Hilton Vienna waiter about to finish his race.

Nauticsport Kapsch looks in reasonable fettle. He is sailing with the main fixed by a tie at about half height because of the damaged mast track, the cover is gone from the opening into the keel head, and his main looks like it has done a few miles. Otherwise both the boat and the skipper look great. Breeze is just seven or eight knots and he is gliding along towards the line about three and a half or four miles away at about six to eight knots.