[December 06, 2000 - 5:37:18 PM]
Mike Golding was racing along at 19 knots this afternoon when
he made
contact. He is making the most of the depression coming off
the east coast of South America bringing the stronger winds.
The hope is that this depression will track east across the
Atlantic and that Golding will be able to ride on it’s easterly
side for a couple of days - indextaining the high speeds that
he has been experiencing. If all goes to plan he will be able
to cut a large corner and gain a fair amount of ground on the
rest of the fleet.
He reports that life on board Team Group 4 is good at the
moment. He still has warm weather and all is well - the usual
ongoing indextenance programme largely taken up just now
with replacing and repairing the chaffed sheets as expected at
this stage of the race. He has a small problem with his auto
pilot but is confident that it will fully functioning soon.
Source: MPR
[December 06, 2000 - 5:18:10 PM]
Richard Tolkien (This TIme - Argos Soditic) : no one else has
crossed the Doldrums twice in a month!
Richard sent a short message on his progress to Las Palmas
where he is intending to put into port this Friday:
"After being caught in a high South West of Canaries for 2
days, having before beaten into NE trades for 5 days to reach
and pass Cape Verde, I now have a 12 to 15 knot Southerly
breeze and am speeding towards Las Palmas under index and
gennaker. Hope to arrive on Friday.
"My voyage of almost 6000 miles in 29 days, assuming arrival
on Friday, is in its final stages: while I am very sad not to be
able to go South with the others, I have had some good
days(as well as some tough ones) and learnt a lot, which
hopefully will be of use in the future. Also I have completed in
the voyage to the equator and back a double crossing of the
doldrums in a month, which must be some sort of record
(nobody else would be daft enough!) - Richard."
[December 06, 2000 - 3:54:05 PM]
Chasing Anticyclone Threatens To Split Fleet - analysis by
Philippe Jeantot
Just a week ago, the Vendée Globe fleet was enjoying fair
weather sailing bending round the high pressure system in the
trade winds of the Southern Atlantic. A few days later and 30
degrees of latitude further South, and the skippers have
changed seasons – from summer straight to winter. Although
it is in fact summer down there right now, the sea has shot
down to 8 degrees from 28 degrees celsius, and the air
temperature has followed the same pattern. The skippers are
finally getting out their thermal gear, sailing boots and foul
weather clothing.
Spells on deck at night are now much tougher. There has
been no time to acclimatise at all, as the transition has been
abrupt, and each skipper has had to adapt their routine. Their
enemies in the next 5 days will be the cold and humidity, the
latter being the worst of the two, as a dry cold is bearable, but
humidity is a sneakier enemy, much more difficult to combat.
When the humidity levels borders on 90%, it’s unthinkable to
hope that the cabin will stay dry. Inside a hull made of carbon
sandwich, it is more comfortable as the structure is much
better at isolating the outside temperatures. Inside a hull
made of aluminium, where the thickness of the deck is around
3 mm, the temperature difference between outside and inside
causes condensation to form on the ceiling. All clothing worn
ends up soaking up this humidity as well.
Some skippers have worked out their own heating systems,
bearing in mind the constant war against weight gain and
energy loss. The heat from the generator when it charges the
batteries is an efficient source – in fact Ellen MacArthur
(Kingfisher) admitted: "I’m using the generator to dry my
socks." In a few days the skippers will have adapted to this
cold and humidity and will not feel it so much. Dominique
Wavre (UBP) recounted that: "last night after working on deck,
I got back inside the cabin and my fingers were totally numb
from the cold."
As far as the weather forecast goes, a high pressure system
has come across from the South and is heading Northeast,
threatening to cut in two the umbilical cord attaching the
second group of boats together: Dominique Wavre, Marc
Thiercelin (Active Wear), Josh Hall (EBP/Gartmore), Thomas
Coville (Sodebo), Ellen MacArthur, Thierry Dubois (Solidaires).
They are all stepping on the gas in a strong South to
Southwest breeze to escape from the lighter winds coming in
from behind. Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) himself commented
that: "the real war is being waged behind me" and noted that
Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool), still far East but lacking in
longitude, could well get held up by this anticyclone. Any
losers here will find themselves in a different weather system
and unable to keep in touch with the leaders, a fact which was
uppermost in the minds of those skippers today.
Further back, Spaniard Javier Sanso (Old Spice) and Italian
Simone Bianchetti (Aquarelle.com) are duelling, but on
different tracks, to try and stay above this incoming high
pressure system and get a ride on the depression following to
accelerate their trip Eastwards. Bianchetti is further East but
not as South as Sanso and we shall see who wins this little war
in the near future.
[December 06, 2000 - 2:28:47 PM]
Aquarelle.com
Last checks, Bianchetti climbs up in the mast
Simone is preparing Aquarelle.com to arrive in the southern
ocean: « I am finishing my check up before arrving in the
south. It’s becoming difficult again, the wind is shifting now
and again. I am always manœuvering but it’s ok, I am in
good form and I took the opportunity of quieter conditions to
go up the mast.
To help him fight the upcoming difficulties, Simone Bianchetti
is cooking some italian delicatessen « I have some interesting
stuff: italian ham, parmesan... it’s good for to keep a high
spirit! bien Italian gastronomy: Viva Italia !
Source:Marie Bucaille/Columbia River
[December 06, 2000 - 1:47:19 PM]
It was a difficult night - we had a 90 degree shift in the wind
and the strength rose from 17 to 28 knots almost
immediately, so there was some pretty rapid sail changing
going on. At the time the shift hit I was helming which I think
was lucky because I have thought since that we would have
broached in a big way and I might have lost the gennaker -
for sure I would have spilled the porridge which was on the
stove!
So with the wind up and down throughout the night, if feels
like we went through all the sail combinations other than Code
5 and kite. The cockpit was a mass of messy ropes which took
a while to re-coil and neaten up - just in time to go through it
all again!
There is a tricky call for us all to make coming up as a nasty
little depression is on its way in from the north - we either
need to sail up to meet its top side and the downwind blow or
stay put and carry on and let it roll over us quickly but suffer
some upwind slogging for a few hours. I am watching the
situation develop.
In the 40s it is not yet blowing hard but this is a very different
place. It is blooming cold, to think just a couple of days ago I
was in my t-shirt and some shorts, now I have raided my box
of three-layer thermal kit and am using the generator to dry
my socks. The sea right now is horrible; since the wind change
it has become short and we are sailing across it - not very
pleasant for the boat… not that great for me either!
Otherwise I am feeling great within myself - for sure I miss
everyone back home but I am really happy to be here and am
learning so much and anyway I have my picture area on the
chart table that always makes me smile. The boat is in good
shape with no big issues other than a torn Code 5 and a
spinaker jigsaw which I swear at everytime I see it in the
forepeak - if I can dry it a bit more I will see if I can do
something about it… I doubt I will need it for 50 days or so
and it will keep me out of the nightclubs in the evenings!
It is frightening down here, because it is the unknown for me,
but it is frightening in an exciting and awesome way rather
than just fearful. At the moment the weather is difficult
because it is so changeable - I have never been out in
conditions where the wind changes so violently and so quickly
- for sure gusts are one thing but right now the wind is leaping
from 18 – 28 knots; as I type I have been glancing up and
have seen 22; 27; 18; 28; 22… it make it very difficult to set
the right sail area and trim the weight in the boat because it is
not stable at all. Hopefully soon things will at least be a bit
more within a beaufort band than they are at the moment and
I will be able to settle the boat.
I’m getting quite swift at the change from gennaker to Genoa,
so was going through the motions right up by the bowsprit
when I felt the presence of something near me.. I glanced
forward, and no more than 4 metres before me were a pair of
huge dark eyes looking straight back into mine. The look on
his face was one of complete tranquility, a peace that nothing
could ruffle or disturb.
His feathered coat was pure charcoal grey, not a feather out of
place, just a perfectly smooth, lovingly carved fuselage...
Wings outstretched, he must have been 5 feet across, not one
flap of the wings in the 5 minutes he circled. He didn’t stay for
long...but the time we spent together - just the two of us and
the huge expanse of ocean brought tears to my eyes...
One of the most graceful, beautiful and wild encounters of my
life...
Fantastic record for Yves, having sailed with him on his boat I
know that it is very powerful but for sure it means that he has
a very well sorted autopilot programme - I doubt if even Yves
could sit and steer for 24 hours. I think it is quite likely that
his record will be beaten again and a number of boats will
beat Christophe’s 24 hour run from the last Vendée - there is
a very balanced call to have to make though because at the
speeds needed to average 17.5 knots, when things go wrong,
they really do go wrong in a very big way.
Time to warm those socks and send this back - the comms
method has changed now which means we really are out here
in no-man’s-land, it is now not possible to get a Mini M
connection and it will soon be tricky with the SatcomB too…
Ellen x
Source: Kingfisher Challenges
[December 06, 2000 - 1:35:11 PM]
Javier Sanso (Old Spice) gets into his ’long johns’. "The
weather’s not so good, cloudy and grey, with 20 - 25 knots
from the ESE. I wanted to cross the 40th degree parallel in line
with Cape Town but that won’t happen now as I have to go
round the high pressure and jump up behind the low behind it
to go faster towards the East. I’m happy where I am,
compared to Simone out in the East more.
"I woke up this morning cold, so I’ve put on for the first time
in a long while my long johns, socks, shirt, oh and my boots.
It’s very dry inside, I’m impressed at this as I went round
sealing any leaks and they’ve held. I listen to Spanish radio,
the soccer games every Sunday, as I’m a Majorca fan. I can
stay inside the cabin as I have a good view of the deck from
the inside and know exactly what to do when I go outside."i
[December 06, 2000 - 1:28:52 PM]
Big Blue Letter
5 December 2000 1630UTC 39.37S 05.23W
The wind has reduced to 20 knots; the sun has, amazingly,
come out; we are sailing at 15 knots and I have just eaten
the biggest curry in the world, so life is not too bad at all right
now!! This weekend found us passing under the enormous
South Atlantic High (St Helene Anticyclone), and finally being
able to set a course to the southeast - the target The
Kerguelen Islands some
4000 miles away.
The wind built to a steady 27-32 knots through Sunday so we
were blasting along with full indexsail and gennaker into the
night. At around 0300hrs it was gusting up to 35 knots and
squally so I decided to roll the big gennaker. As with all these
manoeuvres solo, I planned everything carefully, but as I
dropped the rolled sail to the deck, a large wave rolled the
boat and it fell over the side into the ocean instead. This was
bad news and ruined my night - 10 seconds for it to drop in
the sea, then unrolling itself!, and 90 minutes with the boat
stopped as I struggled to get it back aboard. Monday was
spent making a small repair to the sail and straightening the
furling gear that had been bent in the process. So we were a
bit underpowered on Monday but with the wind up to a solid 30
knots we still made good progress with the solent.
In fact yesterday I had a reef in the indexsail for 3 hours – the
first time I have reefed the indexsail since Cape Finisterre
which is really quite remarkable!! It took a while - I had nearly
forgotten how to do it!!!
The weather for the next few days is a little complex : a small
high (anticyclone) is passing through us, followed by a weak
depression. So we are heading south, expecting the wind to
shift from west to south on Wednesday, then by Friday the
wind should go to the north! All these wind directions are quite
favourable for us to head southeast, which is where we want to
go. I have to admit to some feelings of apprehension as we
dig deeper deeper into the southern ocean. Its going to be a
very hard month this next month, full of high seas, high winds
and danger, so its normal to be feeling this way. Although I
have been down here before, I have never arrived here with
my boat so well prepared. It is a great testimony to the skill
and hard work of our team that prepared the boat that she is
in perfect condition at the moment and very ready for this, the
toughest section of the race. Thank-you guys!!
We are about to cross the 40th parallel and today my first
albatross joined us, endlessly circling the boat in a graceful
glide, only imperceptable movement of his 2 metre wingspan
- poetry in motion ---he probably thinks the same about our
beautiful boat!!
Josh
Source: Fred Lemmonier
[December 06, 2000 - 12:45:02 PM]
Catherine Chabaud has covered eleven degrees in longitude
towards the east but only two degrees to the south. She has
also crossed the Greenwich line meridian and of her five
closest opponents, is the only one to have done so.
For the moment, she is trying to progress with a low front,
which has been
with the fleet for the past few days.
Her position on the edge of the St Helene high-pressure zone
has meant that Catherine has not had an opportunity to gybe
and head southwards. Carried by very northerlies (330°on
Tuesday evening), she has been trying to use to her
advantage these steady 20 to 25-knot winds.
Behind the front, the wind should rapidly turn southwesterly,
then south, then southeasterly, as the high situated in the
southwest moves to the northeast.
A fax, sent by Catherine this morning, explains the situation
"I’ll be able
to progress in the south-east, almost following the most direct
route. Whirlpool’s position depends on the high-pressure
zone. The fleet should slow up in the south, unless of course
the skippers are in a southern enough position to catch the
strong westerlies. I shall have to continue east, then
southeast. I can see that the conditions encountered so far
are slightly different from those that I receive on the wind
charts, therefore, the
forecasts are very arbitrary when considering a long-term plan.
I hope the high-pressure zone does not swallow me up – if
that’s the case, then I’m going to lose the leading group. I’ve
got an eye on the barometer all day long. I’m ready to gybe
as soon as I see a change in wind direction- I need a 310° ot an eye
on the barometer all day long. I’m ready to gybe
as soon as I see a change in wind direction- I need a 310°
steady wind at least, to do this."
The same situation as the one she went through in the
Doldrums, is repeating itself, when 13 days ago, Catherine’s
position did not allow her to gybe when necessary. She
realises that this "choice" which has been forced upon her
carries a large risk element but "there’s a chance that I will
get away with it, even if I cover more miles than the rest of
the fleet in the long run".
As for life on board :" I’ve slept a lot more these past two
days and I’ve read some magazines. I need to disconnect
from the stress levels that I go through when on those long
surfs. I’m a long way from the type of conditions that the two
leading "rockets" are going through at the head of the fleet
but I reach speeds of 20 to 22knots regularly and its quite
formidable. I’m glad that the weather conditions are still
reasonable enough for me to get used to the boat’s
movements, especially when it just takes off on a long
surf…The sky is grey, but its not too cold yet. Probably a lot
warmer than conditions for the fleet in the south. Water
temperature is 17°C. I was still wearing shorts and a tee-shirt
yesterday and today I’ve put a sweater on with my leggings,
which are not as warm as my polar fleece.
"Food-wise, I’ve started to really work up an appetite. Up until
now I’ve only been eating half of the daily rations provided,
I’ve only managed to eat half of the packet of biscuits from
my first week’s sailing and I’ve not been eating any snacks at
all.
"However, I have just finished my second pot of chocolate
spread and my first packet of dried fruits plus I cooked my first pancakes
yesterday. I’ve started on my second packet of emmental
cheese and I’ve set my lentils to germinate – they appear to
take longer than the alfalfa and sunflower seeds. It’s really
pleasant to eat fresh greens after being at sea for one month.
"Morale is high on board.. I’m psychologically ready for the
deep southern ocean (even if my easterly route gives the impression that I’m
avoiding going south)."
Source: Kaori.fr
December 06, 2000 - 12:19:48 PM]
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB): Shaking all over...
"It’s calmed down a little but it was pretty strong at 0400hrs
this morning. A South Easterly wind came in behind. It’s hard
to type on the keyboard without loads of mistakes as the boat
is shaking all over."
Last night was unsettled for Michel: "I couldn’t sleep until this
morning. I’ll rest tonight I hope. I’m going between 14 - 18
knots on average. The guys behind will get it worse, as here
we’ve got away from the effects of the anticyclone without a
hitch. I am worried for Catherine in the North. She could get
seriously held up there. I think the real war is being waged
behind us though. As for Yves’ record, I hope there are more
opportunities in the Southern Ocean for smashing it again. But
our trajectory isn’t really the best for this. I hope I can get up
to 35 knots of speed at points - that would take ideal
conditions though.
When asked about how efficient his noise-proof helmet is:
"It’s great to have this cocoon around you and listen to music
while watching the instruments. (Ed: See the Chronicle by Dr.
Jean-Yves Chauve on Noise coming to the ’Info Mag section
soon).
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