04.01.2008
Whilst sailing abeam of the Cape of Good Hope, at the gateway to the Indian
Ocean at 48 degrees South, (NB: the town of Brest, NW tip of France, is situated
at 48 degrees North), Thomas Coville has just been through one of the most
stressful nights of his sailing life.
Imagine Michael Schumacher hurtling along at 300 km/hour in the pitch black, all
his headlights turned off, at the wheel of his Formula 1, and added to that, on
terrain closer to Paris-Dakar than a tarmac circuit. All that to explain that at
the point where we in Europe were tucked up under our duvets, the skipper of
Sodeb’O had got out his dry suit and his survival kit, his stomach in knots, his
throat dry and his eyes stinging through scanning the radar intently. Thomas
spent the night at over 25 knots amidst the icebergs with two obsessions:
keeping his nerve and remaining lucid so as not to end up astride of an iceberg,
whilst making as fast a headway as possible in order to stay ahead of this
depression, which is enabling him to progress on flat seas.
“At 48° 45 South and 10° 19 East, I am an eyewitness to this infamous global
warming. As far as I can remember, I’ve never seen ice so far North during this
season. These cathedrals of ice, these temple keepers which remain on the blue
planet, adrift of the Minquiers, I don’t know how to describe these great forms
sculpted by the wind and the sea. Victor Hugo imagined them, I’ve actually seen
these petrified tempests. I thought I’d got clear of them but the water
temperature dropped off sharply at 5° then 4.9°, a sign of their proximity. Out
on deck and the atmosphere is icy. The apparent wind, created by the boat speed,
increases the chill factor. Dawn turns everything white. I’ve uncovered the
contours of the boat. The white foam from the gusts breaking on the water could
be mistaken for a sheet of ice. I catch myself a little more with each of them.
Far away, a more limpid mass emerges, just to my East. I hold my breath, another
one? This is but the first rays of daylight, which are just coming out from
under the clouds on the horizon. I manage to find the strength to smile. I'm
going to rediscover my eyes for a few hours. Last night was one of the longest
in my existence. I'll have to ensure I sleep a little before the next one...”
At midday Sodeb’O was sailing 140 miles from the Cape of Good Hope, which it is
set to round between 1800 and 1930 hours UTC this evening. Thomas Coville
currently has a lead of over 775 miles on Ellen MacArthur's record on B&Q
Castorama, that is over 2 days and 5 hours, and a 1363 mile deficit on the
Trimaran Idec. At the entrance to the Indian Ocean, Thomas is likely to have
conceded a little over 2 days and 16 hours to Francis Joyon.
In the early morning, the winds had dropped off slightly as the trimaran was
rounding to the South of a zone of high pressure. A new depression is set to
propel them towards the Kerguelen Islands. Some 3,810 miles from the Cape of
Good Hope, this second cape will mark the entry into the Pacific no man’s land.
Follow the positions, the cartography and the latest news from the Trimaran
Sodeb'O on the site www.sodebo-voile.com
VIDEO AND PHOTOS FROM ONBOARD: “Sodeb’O crosses a field of icebergs”
Download the photos and the video sequence in high definition in .mpeg4 or .flv
format in the press area of the site www.sodebo-voile.com
Contents of the images: The temperature of the air has really dropped aboard the
maxi Sodeb’O. It is only 4°C and yet the N’ly winds are normally warm in this
hemisphere. Fleece gloves and hat are out, as is this field of icebergs, which
is rather exceptional in this zone.
POSITION OF THE TRIMARAN SODEB’O – Friday 04 January 2008 at 1045 UTC
Latitude: 48 46.74' South
Longitude: 15 17.25' West
Instantaneous speed: 15 knots
Instantaneous heading: 92
True onboard wind: Force 5 – NNE
Average speed: 16.2 knots
Average speed over 24 hours: 22.04 knots
Distance over 24 hours: 5,28.90 miles
Speed since the start: 16.2 knots
Total distance: 24,089 miles
Distance remaining: 17,208,30 miles
Distance in relation to Ellen Mac Arthur’s record: lead of 775 miles, or 2 d, 5
h, 52 ‘, 22’’
Distance in relation to Francis Joyon’s current attempt: deficit of around 2 and
a half days
Kate Jennings
Expression.
P.O. Box 26,
Dartmouth,
DEVON.
TQ6 0YG
United Kingdom
+44 (0)7795 116699
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