[December 08, 2000 - 4:16:25 PM]
This morning, the Vendée Globe fleet have been reacting to
the close shave experienced by their youngest skipper, Ellen
MacArthur (Kingfisher), currently holding an impressive fifth
position in the race. The night before, Ellen’s boat was at 49
degrees South and 12 degrees West, the water temperature
at 2 degrees – very low for where she was – alerting her to put
on her radar. This morning however, she woke to find to her
horror that she was staring right at an iceberg just 20 metres
from the boat, which was about 20 metres long in a triangle
shape. She added : "The radar was on and alarmed, but as is
sometimes is the case, this berg was invisible to it, even when
I was right next to it."
It’s surprising to see an iceberg at such high latitude. Second
placed Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) noted that the fleet has shot
down very far South and quickly on account of the anticyclone,
compared to the last edition where Auguin was at 40 degrees
South. One just hopes that it’s not a bad season, and that
this isn’t a sign that an armada of bergs are drifting out of
their normal range. The unusually low temperature is not a
reassuring factor.
In all the previous editions, the first icebergs were spotted at
the same level as the Kerguelen Islands. In fact it was at that
level where Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) hit a growler,
which knocked his rudder and led to his abandon. The other
iceberg zone is in the Pacific Ocean off the Ross Sea, and it’s
for this reason that we have put in place certain imaginary way
points at 57 degrees South, which must be left to starboard.
In this Southern battlefield, a new low pressure system is
approaching the fleet. In the Westerly winds, Yves Parlier and
Roland Jourdain (Sill Matines La Potagere) have stuck to their
Southerly route on port tack. On the other hand, Michel
Desjoyeaux (PRB), Thomas Coville (Sodebo) and Dominique
Wavre (UBP) have gybed onto starboard and are heading
North. Coville believes that Thiercelin, already in the North with
Hall (EBP/Gartmore) trailing just behind, is best placed for this
incoming depression, and yet Thiercelin has declared to have
fouled up his weather strategy.
Further back, Spaniard Javier Sanso and Italian Simone
Bianchetti will gradually come into play with each other as they
head consistently South East in good winds towards the roaring
forties, riding over the top of the low pressure, with the Italian
lightly to the North East. Mike Golding (Team Group 4) has
gybed and is heading directly South at 15 knots, but reported
that he ripped his spinnaker through last night. As he took a
spare on board and won’t need it until Cape Horn, the
situation isn’t serious.
The signs are becoming all the more frequent that the bulk of
the fleet are submerged into their Southern Ocean leg, which
will last for another 32 days or so. Be prepared for more
passionate and heart-stopping action.
[December 08, 2000 - 2:35:00 PM]
Javier Sanso (Old Spice) : "The action’s happening all around
me"
"I’m going South East at a good speed, it’s quiet. I’m
impressed by Yves’ speed, and I got a telex about Ellen’s
iceberg. What with the whales for Dinelli and Coville, the
action’s happening all around me but not on my boat!
"I’m going over the top with this low and not going to head
South yet. I won’t go further South than 45 degrees. I’ll use
the next low which will bring 30 knots of NW wind to go round
with it. I’m being very cautious, my goal is to finish, I’d love to
go faster but I’m sticking to my plan, although it’s hard
mentally as I could go faster.
"With Simone in the NE we’ll play along together. Everytime
I’ve seen Cape Horn it’s been because I’ve been going home!
It’ll give me a good feeling to pass the Cape this time as it
will mean one stage finished. Mentally & physically I’m in good
shape and the boat is fine, we’re a good team."
[December 08, 2000 - 1:11:22 PM]
See the photo of Ellen’s iceberg just metres from the back of
the boat which she has just sent from ’Kingfisher’...click on
’infomag’ button.
[December 08, 2000 - 12:16:27 PM]
Thomas Coville (Sodébo) "I don’t want to play with any
icebergs!"
Thomas Coville is repositioning himself to the North ahead of
the oncoming low pressure ssytem. "I don’t want to play with
any icebergs!" he admitted this morning. "When I saw the
temperature of the water this morning - 4 degrees - that
made me decide to gybe! I did gybe yesterday evening but
the wind change just after I finished the manoeuvre so I
gybed back. The oncoming depression could take us very
South and I really don’t want to mingle with any bergs down
there. I saw something, maybe a crest of a wave, maybe a
berg, who knows. Between 13 - 20 degrees longitude there’s a
convergence point where the icebergs roam. Can’t forget that
we’re only 400 miles from the hard stuff! We’ve gone very
South this year, very early too thanks to the anticyclone.
Playing with fire, yep, it’s quite a game! The person to go
South wins a lot but risks a great deal. I don’t want to enter
that viscious circle. I think Marc is best placed right now."
Source : Corine Renié-Péretié / Carré mer
[December 08, 2000 - 11:52:11 AM]
Dominique Wavre (Union Bancaire Privée) : "I look bad in the
rankings as I’m waiting for a ridge with more wind to come in.
It’s rather early to see an iceberg but the water temperature is
quite chilly. I’ve got 8 degrees, so it’s safe here. The centre of
the low is passing at 46 degrees and I should catch it this
afternoon. There’ll be 18 knots of wind with this dorsal which is
coming ahead of the depression - pretty soft. Not exactly a
real storm, although I will probably say something different
tomorrow morning. I thought that Voila.fr and the others
behind would have begun to feel it.
"It’s simple to negociate these low pressure systems. The low
cathes us up coming in from the East. As it passes to our
South the wind strength rises and then really blows hard. Then
you have to gybe and stay with it for as long as possible.
"The boat is trucking along, the vibrations can get pretty
ear-piercing, and the keel makes a hell of a lot of noise too.
I’ve reached 25 knots on the GPS. I shall manage the boat
with an eye on the fact that I mustn’t break anything. I’m in a
different weather system than the first boats."
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