Newsletter : 09/01/09
A long weekend?
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/8181/a-long-weekend.html
Friday 9th January 2009
A URUGUAYAN UMPIRE DISGUISED AS AN ANTICYCLONE?
- A calculated switch to the east
- “I don’t want to be had twice…”
With the passage around Cape Horn, you breathe… With Le Maire Strait, you
see… With the E’ly separation, you keep an eye on things… with the Uruguayan
anticyclone, you count the points… It’s been an important week in FONCIA’s
logbook since Michel Desjoyeaux has closed the door on the Southern Ocean at
the head of this incredible Vendée Globe. The two-step with Roland Jourdain
(Veolia Environnement), which has been in full swing since 17th December, as
Michel led the way around Cape Leeuwin, is still very much in evidence. His
26 mile lead off Australia had transformed into a 178 mile lead at the 1600
hour ranking this Friday 9th January, but the red monohull is still as
dangerous as ever. In fact, solely the playing field has changed: the
Pacific Ocean has become the Atlantic and the umpire has disguised himself
as a Uruguayan anticyclone. This infamous zone of high pressure could risk
imprisoning the two leading protagonists as it moves along and yet, this
‘hazardous’ anticyclone isn’t really at the forefront of the mind of the
skipper of FONCIA, who has been working hard since Cape Horn to position
himself according to its evolution. We look into Michel’s past for the
explanation…
An ‘ideal’ start to the Southern Atlantic?
“As I was ahead at Cape Horn and the situation wasn’t totally clear, I opted
to pass to the north of the Falkland Islands so I stayed out to the west.
When I saw that the situation was going to pay once I had passed the
Falklands, I shifted across to the east. It was better than continuing
straight on and it was better than heading off to the east before the
Falklands. The reason for this is that if you make easting before the
islands, you’re forced to continue on the same route and then you can never
make the switch back… In contrast, when you are in the west, you still have
the choice…” And Michel has done just this: Le Maire Strait and a ‘little
switch’ to the east to gain separation. “Bilou wasn’t able to make this
little hook across to the east because he was ten hours too late and the
situation had changed. Even though he’s next to me, 100 miles being nothing
on the scale of a climb up the Atlantic, already he’s in a different zone in
weather terms”. In fact it has to be said that the situation was far from
clear at the approach of these roving zones of high pressure off Uruguay. To
cut the corner would have been too dangerous and risky; to round to the east
of it was feasible but too touch and go. As such, positioning the cursor in
the right place remained and remains the priority. This positioning has
taken on a surgical air, the idea being not to extend the route for no
reason, to hold onto the minimum pressure in the sails and not to get
trapped by a hazardous E’ly option. “Since the passage of Le Maire Strait,
we’ve done two days in 35 knots of breeze gusting to 40… It’s been pretty
full on! Things have calmed down since the end of yesterday afternoon. Right
now I have 18 knots of SSW’ly. It’s a bit shifty… I’m making northing now.
The anticyclone has been kind and waited for us. We’re going to round to the
east of it, then the north-east and north. After that the system will join
up with the Saint Helena High and should merge with it…”
Old memories, bad memories…
It has to be said that this area of the planet is branded into Michel’s
mind. His Vendée Globe 2000 will be engraved in his memory for life and
though his finest memory is entering the channel into Les Sables d’Olonne,
the two most horrible images remain definitive: his broken starter motor on
a certain January 1st and the comeback by the little English girl in this
very place on the planet. “I certainly remember it… I lost out big time in
the Saint Helena High 8 years ago! And I have no desire to be had twice…! 8
years ago I climbed up the Southern Atlantic with a zone of high pressure
which was lower down than what we’ve had this year. After that it gradually
climbed as I too made my way up behind it and I was unable to go faster than
it… Ellen (MacArthur), with her 500 mile deficit, didn’t have this problem.
She only came up against it once the anticyclone had adopted its definitive
position… I remember it…” Silence… Michel goes on: “Right now we’re really
lucky to have climbed up this far so quickly. The system should carry me as
far as the tradewinds associated with the Saint Helena High…” Whatever
happens, the sailing continues to be far-reaching and though the
temperatures are becoming progressively pleasant again, you can’t afford to
relax: “Last night proved to be a bit complicated with a fairly shifty,
“annoying” wind. I woke up at one point with the boat beam onto the track…
It wasn’t planned. In fact, for several days now, there have been a fair
number of squalls with gusts of 40 knots associated with some big rotations
in the wind. All of a sudden it’s not so easy to relax… I hope that in the
tradewinds of Saint Helena I’ll begin to be able to read… I don’t know why I
brought along this whole library (laughs)!”
A sigh of happiness…
And though you have to stay on the alert, the gain in latitude can really be
felt in the living conditions aboard FONCIA: “The conditions are becoming
milder and milder with the water temperature now at 16° and an air
temperature which hasn’t yet reached 16°, but will increase during the
course of the day. During yesterday it was possible to stay on deck in a
single fleece, which is a welcome change… I’ve even put on my TBS shoes as I
was fed up with my boots. It was a pure delight. They’re mighty fine with
their non-slip soles and they’re really comfortable! As regards sleep, I’m
still sleeping on my pouffe at the foot of the companionway… It’s great…
When things on the boat go a bit pear-shaped, you head off on a bobsleigh
ride across the ballast tank hatch. Very quickly you understand that you
need to do something about it!”
Here you need just listen to the skipper of FONCIA imitating the sound of a
bobsleigh sliding across an Open 60 footer to imagine the great shape he’s
in and the mindset of the sailor turned surfer! A 60 foot monohull in good
condition and at its full potential, a skipper who knows that this section
of the Southern Atlantic will be decisive for the final stage of this Vendée
Globe: suffice to say that Michel is applying himself ever more to gaining a
few extra hours. Impressive stuff when you realise that in addition to
making up a 40 hour deficit, he has built up a 10 hour lead over the second
placed sailor since setting out from Les Sables d’Olonne a second time…
Ranking on 09/01/2009 at 1430 GMT
1 – Michel Desjoyeaux (FONCIA) 5,690.9 miles from the finish
2 - Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) 178.1 miles from the leader
3 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) 753.6 miles
4 – Sam Davies (Roxy) 1,886.4 miles
5 – Marc Guillemot (Safran) 2,289.9 miles
Team FONCIA Press Service
Agence Blanco Negro +33 (0)1 47 72 81 41
Stéphanie André. Mob: +33 (0)6 34 18 66 54 / Laurence Dacoury. Mob: +33 (0)6
18 41 30 28
presse@teamfoncia.com
www.teamfoncia.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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