[February 08, 2001 - 12:43:28 PM]
Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) : "I would be happy for the race to
finish today"
"Well certainly not as much sleep as the night before, so a bit
tired, lighter winds have meant its been quite hard to keep
Kingfisher going - especially as the sea is really sloppy which
means the boat slaps around and is stopped by each wave.
It must be nearly time to get home - I’ve run out of
chocolate, no more cheese or crackers, no more sweets other
than the ones that after 90 days I can’t cope with any more -
but plenty of freeze dried food for anyone that wants it! A nice
pizza is what I could do with right now...
I saw my first plane since the start during the night, the
flashing light a real reminder that civilisation was not so far
away - for good or for bad. I would be happy for the race to
finish today, but I’m also not sure what will have changed
since I left. The most important thing to me is to see my
friends and family, its been a long time out here."
source: Kingfisher Challenges
[February 08, 2001 - 11:34:15 AM]
Didier Munduteguy (DDP/6eme Sud): "I’m 48 hours from
Cape Horn"
"I’m getting nearer to Cape Horn, I so want to pass round this
rock! Navigating here is pretty stressful, no sunshine, the
scenery is a little somber.Now it’s night time, there are no
stars and I feel like I’m lost in the middle of nowhere!
Physically, everything’s going well, but it’s a struggle to keep
motivated in this desert of water around me.
"Happily, I think I should pass Cape Horn in 36 - 48 hours!"
Source: DDP/60ème Sud
[February 08, 2001 - 11:11:11 AM]
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) : "I have a small idea of what is
awaiting me in Les Sables d’Olonne"
"It’s all going well. I start to have a more comfortable lead on
our british Kingfisher! Last night we’ve had a few squall but the
boat wasn’t slamming as much as before. Our average speed
was quite high around 15 knots. Spirits are up onboard PRB
this morning. The sea is still quite big but nothing like last
night. The northerly swell has disappeared. We have some
West-Nort-West which hasn’t turned yet and I manage to catch
the low pressure. The sun has risen, it’s quite nice for our last
mornings of this Vendée Globe.
I still have a bit more than 700 miles to sail. It’s all getting
organized well and we’ll have to be careful with the cargos
road near Cap Finisterre. I am trying to make the most of my
last days at sea and of my last quiet moments. I am trying to
rest as much as possible for the last straight line back home.
I’ve heard of Bilou being stuck at 2 knots in the high pressure
and that Parlier has passed Cape Horn. I wish him to come
back as soon as possible in our French waters.
I can imagine what’s going to happen in Les Sables d’Olonne.
I asked my PR team to explain me what’s going to happen so
that I can get ready for that. It’s going to be very impressing
but it’s part of the race. I have lots of friends coming down,
and it’s a good thing that I am arriving on a week end.
We’ve spent 100 days alone on our boat and coming to a
massive crowd… But as we now have telephones onboard it’s a
big change to the offshore sailor and I don’t feel like I’ve
been cut off the world during all those days. I will just need
We’ve spent 100 days alone on our boat and coming to a
massive crowd… But as we now have telephones onboard it’s a
big change to the offshore sailor and I don’t feel like I’ve
been cut off the world during all those days. I will just need
people to leave me some time off with my family.
We knew before the start that the computers were telling us
that we could go round the world in 93 days. Now we are going
to do it in 95. The boats have the potential to do it in 90.
We’ve had good conditions for a good timing. Four years ago,
Christophe (Auguin) didn’t have such good conditions. The
boats are high performance machines but you’ve got to arrive
and when you see PRB’s state: it would have been hard to go
faster. If I had pushed a bit more in the South I would have
arrived before the Ste Helena’s high in the South Atlantic and
I could have done it in 92 days. But in the Vendée Globe it’s
not just the record that is important.
I find it harder to wait the 3/4 last days than looking behind
me. Yesterday as I was watching the waves I was wondering if
I already had such big seas but my memory is already empty!
It all went very quickly. In the South, you always fear breaking
something. Going up the Atlantic is the part of the course I
preferred looking at what happened to me positions wise. It
was always upwind and I have finished all the boat’s library. I
am really looking forward to arrive. My ETA is for Saturday
afternoon."
[February 08, 2001 - 8:25:20 AM]
On the 24th of November, Catherine Chabaud aboard
WHIRLPOOL, crossed into the Southern Hemisphere. After 75
days at sea, she’s back again in the Northern Hemisphere, on
her way to Les Sables d’Olonne. In each case, reaching the
Doldrums has had its hard points. Catherine has been very
determined in her meteorological choices as she approached
this difficult zone, and each passage has gone quite well. She
is now well on her way to the fight for 6th place with Dominique
Wavre (UBP)and Thomas Coville (Sodebo).
The days approaching the doldrums have been difficult for
Catherine and she has had to choose her point of passage
with much care. Thanks to
anti-cyclonic influences, Catherine was "carried" through the
doldrums on her way into the south. On her return passage,
Whirlpool sailed along the Brazilian coast so as to approach
the Doldrums in the West.
She caught the north east trades almost immediately and is
now on a direct, close-hauled route back to France. Catherine
covered 336 miles on approaching the Equator and the
Doldrums with an average speed of 7 knots in 48 "Catherine’s
through (the doldrums) without the slightest problem"
commented Dominique Wavre during his radio chat with the
race organisation.
Whirlpool advances on a close hauled tack, keeping as close
to the wind as possible: the carbon fibre hull rings with each
crashing wave. It’s not a pleasant option and the noise is
deafening. To Catherine, it seems like the hull is ready to
split in two after each thundering wave. It sounds like the
battering of a blacksmith’s anvil down below! Welcome to the
north Atlantic Sea ! Catherine has chosen a route which is one
degree west of both the 5th and 6th ranked boats, Thomas
Coville and Dominique Wavre: the wind should veer in her
favour at one point, bringing her even closer to the two
opponents ahead.
The next exciting moment in the race should happen this
weekend. Catherine Chabaud should reach the Azores
high-pressure ridge. Her ETA in Sables d’Olonne should be the
20th or 21st of February. If this is the case, Catherine will
have circumnavigated in 104 days and will have beaten the
former Vendee Globe winner’s time of 105 days.
WHIRLPOOL is now sailing with staysail and one reef in the
index. This sail combination is the most efficient for
WHIRLPOOL when she is close hauled. Her speed should vary
between 9 and 10 knots.
Catherine’s rainwater supply is an interesting problem for our
skipper.
After discussing this point with Hélène Attié, Catherine’s
provisioning assistant and Jean-Yves Chauve, the race doctor,
its been decided that the water should not develop any
bacteria even though it has a strange flavour. Keeping on
caution’s side however, Catherine has added a few drops of
bleach to the water supply…, which really should have a very
peculiar taste after this!
Source: Hickory Sports
[February 07, 2001 - 4:41:20 PM]
Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) called into her team to give the
latest report
"I had the first night of good sleep for a very long time last
night. Yesterday was once of my worst days, I was so tired,
and I couldn’t pull myself out of it. Every small thing became
a big problem in my head. But last night I reduced sail a bit,
the sea state forced us to do that anyway, and sailed all night
with 2 reefs and the small staysail. And managed to sleep a
number of hours in total, although I woke every 30 minutes or
so to check everything was ok.
"The really good news is that I am on to a new chart - and it
shows the finish and even the Shetland Islands! Even better,
I’m nearly a third of the way up the chart towards Les Sables
now. In my mind, we are on the last stretch now, but is still a
1000 miles. I don’t think they are going to be
easy ones either.
"I’ve had from 17 to 33 knots during the night, which makes
for some pretty exciting and nerve-wracking moments as the
wind picks up and the boat just goes in to turbo mode surfing
almost out of control at up to 25 knots. There is water
crashing everywhere, and the noise is deafening.
"Got to go - looks like my lashing on the radar, broken during
the daggerboard removal exercise has come loose..the radar
is hanging down..got to try to save it...
ex
Source: Kingfisher Challenges
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