22.11.2008
Due south in the southern Atlantic
It’s been a weekend atmosphere at the head of the fleet in this 6th Vendée
Globe. As such the first solo sailors have been sailing in the southern as
opposed to the northern hemisphere since last night, after finally crossing
the equator. Now in the grasp of a SE’ly tradewind, Loïck Peyron and his
rivals are southbound on a long close-hauled tack following the western edge
of the Saint Helena High. The skippers must now concentrate on benefiting
from a spell of recuperation as the meteorological aspect of the southern
Atlantic is set to rapidly give way to strategy.
It was at 2100 UT last night that the monohull equipped by Baron Benjamin de
Rothschild crossed the equator and led the fleet into the southern Atlantic.
Loïck Peyron accompanied this passage with a nocturnal video as well as
partly respecting a customary ritual: “We’re beginning to make headway
upside down! It’s not the first time that I’ve passed the imaginary line but
I’ve tried to respect the tradition of offering something to Neptune
nonetheless.” A fizzy drink served as a liquid substitute, given the lack of
wine or champagne flowing across Gitana Eighty’s decks.
The group of ten at the front, led by Loïck Peyron, are now sailing in the
southern hemisphere and the solo sailors are prepared for a few days wedged
onto port tack in the SE’ly tradewinds: “There is currently 15 knots of wind
and Gitana Eighty is fully stacked, ready for the long stretch of
close-hauled sailing coming up. It’s slamming a bit but there’s not a lot
you can do so it’s doubtless going to be a relaxing weekend…” admitted the
sailor La Baule. However, in order that we aren’t misled by this notion,
though the coming days are forecast to favour recuperation, attention will
still be a top priority… Indeed, the complexity of the latest generation 60
foot Imocas and the shifting strength of the wind along the course will
require the presence of the skipper on deck.
It’s a round number… it’s been ten days that Loïck Peyron and Gitana Eighty
have been skipping along in the lead of the Vendée Globe 2008-2009. Still
credited with a lead of 24.4 and 38.7 miles over Sébastien Josse and
Jean-Pierre Dick, in second and third place respectively, the frontrunners
are managing to fend off their closest attackers. Questioned about his
‘outrageous supremacy’ during the daily link-up with the Race HQ, the sailor
contested the expression used: “It’s not outrageous and sorry if some of you
are tired of it… But without something you have nothing, and it doesn’t feel
like I’ve eased off the pace since the start! The Vendée Globe is a race
where things will be won or lost in the detail. That’s why you have to
constantly keep your eye on all the detail. Today, all’s going well, I’m
controlling. What comes as a satisfaction to me, is that when I want to go a
bit faster than my friends, I’m managing to do that.” After 13 days at sea,
the duo Loïck Peyron / Gitana Eighty, who had already proven their worth by
winning the two solo transatlantic races contested over the past year, is
working amazingly well, in perfect osmosis.
As regards the weather, an observation of the satellite images supplied by
Météo France confirms a slightly confused situation across the southern
Atlantic. This begins with the Saint Helena High, which is usually more
stable than its equivalent in the northern hemisphere – the Azores High -,
but seemingly wants to complicate the solo sailors’ entry into the Deep
South. The reason for this is a stormy low coming off Brazilian soil and
dying in the system of high pressure, disrupting the latter in the process.
Then, a second anticyclone, positioned off Uruguay, is pushing the disturbed
air flow far off to the south, which may well complicate things a bit more
for the leading group.
Finally, if we glance behind the monohull in the colours of the LCF
Rothschild Group, we can see that the chasing pack, led by the Swiss sailor
Dominique Wavre, were luckier than the frontrunners as they weren’t slowed
by the Doldrums at all. Behind them though, the weather barrier is proving
to be slightly more stubborn, which confirms that in the Inter-Tropical
Convergence Zone, it’s the weather alone which decides how its guests are
treated.
Ranking on Saturday 22nd November – 1600 hours (French time)
1. Gitana Eighty (Loïck Peyron) 20,562 miles from the finish
2. BT (Sébastien Josse) 24.4 miles behind the leader
3. Paprec Virbac (Jean-Pierre Dick) 36.7 miles
4. PRB (Vincent Riou) 48.5 miles
5. Brit Air (Armel Le Cléac’h) 52.5 miles
...
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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