[December 31, 2000 - 3:42:46 PM]
Celebrating the new Millenium - twice! - Analysis by Philippe Jeantot.
Three competitors in the Vendée Globe 2000, of them
Thomas Coville (Sodebo) the first, will have the unique
privilege of not only celebrating the New Year twice, but of
actually being the first people in the world, perhaps, to see
the sunrise of the next millenium. Coville was struck by the
thought this morning: "It’s something else other than sport or
worrying about rankings, and for that it’s a privilege to do the
Vendée Globe. Perhaps I’ll be the first man on this planet to
see the new sunrise." On the other hand, Coville also stated
that he couldn’t have been more unlucky in this race so far, as
he has lost 600 miles on his rivals in the last six days after
his succession of disasters.
Next will be Dominique Wavre (Union Bancaire Privée) and 9
hours later Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool), who will live
through this historical change in time twice in the same life.
Chabaud was amused: "We’ll be the first and the last to
celebrate it actually, as we’ll go back to the 31st again!"
Far from occupying their lives with this monumental occasion,
the fleet has been concentrating rather on navigating in a very
complex weather system, which has dealt them a tricky, softer
breeze. None of the competitors can head directly east on the
optimum route. So the following options have been unfolding
on the water: Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) in the centre, ahead,
and further behind, Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear) in the North.
The latter is reaching the best average boat speed, 14.8
knots, and as he predicted yesterday, is counting on this
depression for his jackpot to come back into the top three
rankings.
Further South, Roland Jourdain (Sill Matines – La Potagère)
has not succeeded in closing the gap on Michel Desjoyeaux.
Third place Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher), is gradually biting off
the miles between her and these two ahead and yet is having
to sail at an uncomfortable 90 degrees from the route, much
further South, thanks to the wind turning earlier than hoped.
The leader himself admitted: "I wouldn’t want to be in my
friends’ places! Sill & Kingfisher are pretty low! I’m going to
gain more where I am – fantastic!" We shall soon see whether
Ellen’s brave tactical decision is going to win or lose in this
case.
Whereas Catherine noted that she has strangely never had
more than 45 knots of wind, Josh Hall (EBP-Gartmore) has
had quite the opposite, or really more normal, Southern
Ocean experience: never less than 35 knots and up to 50 at
times. Unable to shoot directly east in the SSW flux, he has
ended up quite far North, just 140 miles off the coast of New
Zealand. Despite an earlier anxiety, he is certain that this was
a smart move in the end in view of the weather to come: "The
wind will turn to the South West and West. I should find a
good, comfortable wind angle to get South East." He may not
be dreaming of winning the race anymore, but he has caught
up considerably on the pack ahead and is intent on getting
into the top six.
Mike Golding (Team Group 4) continues to keep on the pace,
but has suffered too much gear failure for his liking. Not only
does the ongoing problem with his water-maker often leave
him quite dehydrated, despite a rain water catch of 50 litres
yesterday, but now his battery is not giving enough voltage.
So he needs to run the generator when using the systems on
board – ie: most of the time. Thus his fuel consumption is the
next issue. "It’s clear that my chances of a record are very
small and what with these technical problems I’ll be content to
finish. It’s a shame, but it was always difficult coming from
behind, as you had no gauge on how hard to push and so I’ve
pushed hard and that leads to gear failure."
Thierry Dubois (Solidaires) arrived in Bluff at 1600hrs local
time (0300 UT), where the electrician was already waiting,
tools in hand. Now officially racing outside the rules, Dubois is
still confident that he made the right decision : "I was
probably near to total breakdown and I couldn’t have
envisaged myself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in that
state."
Along with the skippers, the Vendée Globe Race HQ wish you
all a Happy New Year – until the next Millenium!
[December 31, 2000 - 2:27:31 PM]
To be seen in INFO MAG
[December 31, 2000 - 1:03:23 PM]
Josh Hall (EBP-Gartmore) : "I don’t dream of winning but to
finish after a seamanlike race, and hopefully in the top six!"
"For 5 or 6 days I’ve had a 35 – 50 knot SSW wind, it’s been
exhausting for me and stressful for the boat, but we’ve gone
very quickly too and made a lot of miles to the East. The
problem with this wind is that you can’t head straight East and
it’s pushed me more North.
"Today the wind eased off to 25 – 30 knots from the SSW,
and I can head South East, which is better now. I stayed with
the wind and caught up a lot of miles on UBP & Whirlpool.
There’s now a big difference in mileage between me and
Voila.fr too, so I’m pretty happy with that.
"I passed 140 miles to the South of New Zealand, so sad as I
love the country & wouldn’t mind having a holiday there right
now! I’ll celebrate New Year by calling my girlfriend Freddie at
midnight French time, but that’s all. In a couple of days the
wind will turn to the South West an West. I should find a good,
comfortable wind angle to get South East. I was a little worried
before about being North but with the weather forecast it’s
looking much better now!
"It’s a bit optimistic to say now that I could win the Vendée
Globe, we’re in different weather patterns to the leaders, and
even if they get held up for 2 days, I’ll only halve the 1000
mile gap. I’m doing my best, they’re exceptionally good up
front, and I can still achieve my aim of ending up in the top 6.
I can hold my own when we get into the Atlantic and the boat
is in good shape thanks to the perfect preparation by my
shore crew.
"You have to sail in a way you know how, and my ethos is to
push but conservatively, to take care of myself and the boat. I
don’t dream of winning but to finish after a seamanlike race,
and hopefully in the top six!"
[December 31, 2000 - 12:49:58 PM]
Simone Bianchetti (Aquarelle.com) : "I’ve managed to repair
my genoa! So I’m going quicker now and I have a NNW stable
wind for now. I must start economising on the fuel to the max
in the South. The genoa fell in the water the other days so
I’ve been sailing without it since. I climbed the mast yesterday
as the wind was weak and sea state not so bad. So I got the
halyard up and repaired stuff on the index sail. I got the
champagne bottle out ten minutes ago – what do you expect
me to do with it? Of course I’ve opened it! Mario (autopilot)
and I are having a party! He’s working well still, I tell him
jokes and he laughs like a madman!"
[December 31, 2000 - 12:43:02 PM]
Mike Golding (Team Group 4) : "It’s clear that any chance of
breaking the record is very small now."
"I’ve had a couple of problems, firstly with the power – the
generator. It seems to be that I have suspect batteries, as
they are taking lots of amps but no volts. So the power hungry
systems, like the Sat B and even C, go down very quickly even
though the battery indicates that it’s very healthy. I’m
managing the best I can and am charging at the same time
as communicating, as you can hear the generator in the
background.
"Secondly, I have had an ongoing problem with the
water-maker, and a week ago I had a final stab at fixing it, as
it was producing salty water, which was borderline palatable. I
was becoming dehydrated by drinking it. So for the last 3 days
I managed to make 6 litres of good water, but now it’s back to
its old tricks. It had been a continuous struggle until yesterday
when I managed to collect 50 litres of rainwater. So I’m
enjoying a good drink and feel better for it. It’s not enough
for the whole way round so I have to be very careful and I’ll
need to have another go at fixing it next week, but I’m taking
a couple of days off from it. I’ve resigned myself to the fact
that the battery isn’t good, and there’s not so much I can do,
so I just have to get on with it and enjoy the race.
"I’ve had time over the last few days to rest and reflect on
what’s been used up, what I have to go. My index problem is
with the fuel now because of the power problem, I can only
communicate when the generator is on. I can save enough
fuel for the rest of the course.
"As far as the competitive side is concerned, I’ve backed off.
After the genoa problem it’s clear that my chances of a record
are very small. I’m 300 – 400 miles behind the lead boat in
terms of time, and what with these technical problems I’ll be
content to finish. It’s a shame and I’m disappointed, but I’ve
come to terms with trying to catch up, it was always difficult
coming from behind as you had no gauge on how hard to
push and so I’ve pushed hard and that leads to gear failure.
In order to finish I’m going to be conservative, not slow but
measured in my decisions.
"For New Year, well, I haven’t kept to the regime of opening
champagne at the required times so I have rather a lot of
bottles on board, so I’ll tuck into them! Actually, I’d planned
to drink the champagne stock if I’d ran out of water! The
conditions now, a steady North West breeze rising and falling,
so a few sail changes, grey sea and cold air, it’s a bit boring
so I’ll definitely enjoy New Year."
[December 31, 2000 - 12:41:30 PM]
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) : "I’m going to water my
mast every morning!"
"It’s just starting to get dark, I’m in Westerly winds, it’s rather
grey, and I’m broad reaching. I’ve started to take the mast
track apart and came across my first problem. The screws are
eaten and I’m wearing out the allen keys. I’m going to try and
cut them with the hacksaw to find a usable portion! I’m losing
5mm each time!
"When there’s a real blow I go just as fast as the others,
although I’ve lost a bit. After the Stewart Island stop-over I’ll
have a boat tailored for the wind! I’m going to water my mast
each day and if it grows by 10 cm each day then I’ll have a
giant pole for the Atlantic – and get to Les Sables with a 32 m
mast! Wow – imagine the power then! My New Year’s Eve is in
3 hours. I’ll have a break then. But I’ve made a slip – I’ve
pulled out freeze-dried meals from the storage!"
[December 31, 2000 - 12:12:29 PM]
Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher): "The hardest part"
"I feel quite low right now - thanks to the weather system
which has moved on top of us. I am very tired, and can’t
sleep. the motion of Kingfisher is horrible - nothing I seem to
be able to do makes her feel more comfortable. We are
between two wind ranges - where she’d be better off with the
Solent - but I dare not risk breaking the sail - so we bounce
and pound along with 2 reefs and staysail.
"There are clearly two weather options.. this morning I was
hoping to stay with that of the north - to pick up the westerlies
and fire east - but the wind has turned earlier, and now we are
heading to the south of SE - in a wind which is basically east. I
am not sure if my choice is the right one. The wind is
fluctuating, and my emotions run from laughter to crying as
the wind swings, and the rain pours...
"We stand to lose a great deal if I am wrong. We could get
trapped in the south, not make the waypoint, and have to sail
some stupid course 90 degrees to the route to get there.. I
am very worried, nothing I can do makes me feel better
inside, nothing relaxes me, - I haven’t even managed a
proper meal today.
"This is the hardest part for me - it’s harder than the
breakages, and the problems.. It’s putting us in the right
place. We worked hard to get back up the fleet, and now we
stand to lose what we have gained, and that is eating away at
me right now like it wants to engulf me. I find it impossible to
put into words the anguish inside. The worry, the constant
fretting - the hours and hours staring at a computer screen
analysing and reanalysing till you are blue in the face, and
after all your work could easily convince yourself that either
opinion is the one to go for.
"I guess this is what I lack - the experience. The experience
of standing by a decision, and understanding it in a way
different to I do now.
This for me is the hardest part."
Source: Kingfisher Challenges
[December 31, 2000 - 11:43:06 AM]
Thierry Dubois (Solidaires) arrived in New Zealand, in the
fishing port of Bluff, at 1600 hrs local time – 0300 hrs UT. He
slipped into port quietly, and in the radio chat he seemed
totally exhausted: "Everyone was waiting for me, plus the
photographer Thierry Martinez. As soon as I docked, the
electrician was already there, ready for action. Together, we
chose an alternator. When tomorrow morning comes, we’ll
check it and I’ll give a general check over the whole boat while
I can. It’s 2300 hrs local time. Thierry and I are going to have
a drink to celebrate the New Year, but not too much as I have
to work tomorrow. I have got all the parts now, but I’m worried
about the solar panels.
"I was probably near to total breakdown and I couldn’t have
envisaged myself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in that
state. Now it’s going to be a rapid circumnavigation. At the
least I have seen New Zealand, which I’ve never visited.
Happy New Year to everyone in advance!"
[December 31, 2000 - 11:30:08 AM]
Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) : "I’m going to have a 1st,
31st and again the 1st – it’s going to be funny!"
"I’ve not stopped completely, and I have exceptional sailing
conditions, blue skies, charged with soft clouds, a beautiful
sea. So today is calm, a time for me to check over the boat
and take a shower!
"I’m going to have two 1st of January’s. Firstly in two hours
time! So then I’ll cross the International Date line and go back
a whole 24 hours! So two chances to celebrate with a glass of
champagne! There’s probably only two or three of us in this
position, I think. But we’ll be the first to se the sunrise! It’s
quite amazing to know that we’ll be the first people to enter
the new millenium. We’ll be the first and the last to celebrate
it actually, as we’ll go back to the 31st again – it’s going to be
funny! What is becoming a worrying habit, is that I’ve never
had more than 45 knots here, I seem to have passed
between all the storms, where Michel and the others have
been facing up to 60 knots! It’s colder than four years ago.
The water temperature is at 9 degrees, a little warmer today.
The weather is certainly not behaving as one would expect for
the area."
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