[February 14, 2001 - 5:42:44 PM]
Mike Golding has just called in and reports that all is well on
Team Group
4 today. He is enjoying consistent sailing and indextaining a 9
- 10 knot average speed in 40-plus knots of breeze and he is
still in the same weather system as Josh Hall. Unlike the
boats ahead, which are still struggling in the light airs from the
anticyclone off the Spanish coastline, both Golding and Hall
are still in good breezes. At 0800 hours Golding was 158 mile
ahead of Hall in 8th place on the water. Golding reports that
thanks to his policy of strict rationing fuel situation is looking
more positive. He still has 21 litres of fuel and estimates that
he needs 1.8 litres per day, giving him enough for 9 - 10
days. He is hoping to have some left over!
Next to finish will be Marc Thiercelin on Active Wear. He is
some 840 miles from Les Sables D’Olonne and Race HQ is
predicting a finish sometime on Saturday. It should be
remembered that if Mike Golding finishes within 8 days and 4
hours of Thiercelin’s finish time he will record the 4th fastest
time in the race. It is a testament to Golding’s strength of
character and unflagging determination and that after
re-starting the race 8 days and 4 hours after the 23-boat fleet
he has been able to climb back up through that fleet to 8th
place. He is still chasing Catherine Chabaud, 865 miles ahead
in 7th place. She is already being effected by the light and
fluky breezes in the Azores high so Golding is well placed to
close the gap considerably.
Source: MPR
[February 14, 2001 - 5:34:42 PM]
THE VENDEE GLOBE PODIUM COMPLETE
By Philippe Jeantot
Roland Jourdain (Sill Matines La Potagère) completed the
Vendée Globe podium yesterday when he arrived at 1713hrs
oland Jourdain (Sill Matines La Potagère) completed the
Vendée Globe podium yesterday when he arrived at 1713hrs
and 33 seconds in the Bay of Les Sables d’Olonne. He sailed
his last few miles powering along on a reach at 14 knots under
a glorious orange sunset and surrounded by a folly of all
kinds of spectator boats out to greet him.
Despite not making the top spot on the podium, Jourdain can
rest content with his own record: "I saw that the conditions
were ideal. I wasn’t keen to take such a risk so close to the
finish, but I felt that my boat was telling me to go for it, so I
told her ‘okay, I’ll give you the index with one reef and the
staysail and you fly with that.’ And then she went and broke
the record all by herself by covering 435.3 miles in 24 hours."
He in fact bettered Dominique Wavre’s (UBP) record by 4.6
miles, averaging 18.14 knots, which is nearly equal to crewed
multihull speeds.
‘Bilou’ was the first skipper to arrive in daylight, allowing the
consistent thousands flocking the port a spectacular sight of
the boat itself, to the sound of Breton bagpipes. The most
capturing moment was when Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) & Ellen
MacArthur (Kingfisher) climbed aboard the red & blue boat and
they both lifted up Bilou in a triumph. What a beautiful
podium! Bilou was heard to say: "Mich Desj and I have been
friends for so long. We’ll never leave each other and today a
woman has come to separate us."
So, with 13 skippers left at sea, the Vendée Globe continues.
Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear) has reached better winds to
propel him closer to home, which he thinks he’ll reach on
Saturday. His sail problems and halyard shortage complicates
his progress. Thiercelin, who experienced a difficult time in the
last stage of thee race four years ago when his boat was
dangerously taking in water, has been plagued by rig
problems this time. "I’m still not convinced by the giant
spreader style of rig. Golding has had his problems. Yves
also! The advantage is in fact the wing mast, but the recent
boats have wing masts without needing the giant spreaders to
hold them in place."
Dominique Wavre & Thomas Coville (Sodebo), brothers in
suffering when it comes to anticyclonic weather, are still just
crawling along at between 3 – 6 knots. Catherine Chabaud
(Whirlpool), still just over a day’s sailing behind, has come up
the Atlantic without any traffic lights blocking her path, and
could still surprise the two ahead. "I’m watching the two ahead
and climbing North to search out a depression for the 16 –
17th February, which will set me on a direct heading to Les
Sables d’Olonne. Wouldn’t it be lovely if I hit a depression in
the North before the others and then rode over the top of
them both!"
Mike Golding (Team Group 4) just has 10 litres of fuel to
finish the race in and is operating draconian measures to
economise on consumption, including helming most of the
time.
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) is still joyfully reaching
good boat speeds, to now hope more realistically of arriving
before the 20th March. "I’ve got into Easterly winds and
crossed a secondary anticyclone under spinnaker in a
freshening breeze. I have hardly stopped – it’s gone by as
quickly as putting a letter in the post-box! I’ll attack the Saint
Helene anticyclone with a good breeze I’m expecting to kick
in. So that would cut a normally elongated passage down to 4
–5 days."
And of his nutritional status, Yves told the Race HQ that he
has had to be imaginative with his stash of dry seaweed: "Lots
of calcium and vitamins but no iodine. Yesterday I prepared a
meal of seaweed with a compote of dehydrated banana’s,
strawberries and apple. Then the classic: beef with cream of
seaweed. It’s a bit crunchy so I try to mash it a bit. I must
start a fashion for eating seaweed, and do the Vendée again
just eating different seaweed recipes!"
Pasquale de Gregorio (Wind), the last skipper in the Pacific,
will pass Cape Horn in 2 days, as he has 300 miles to go. In a
telex he wrote of the impending conditions: "A Chilean
weather forecast arrived at noontime, speaking of a complex
low pressure system extended throughout 1000 miles
Westward. This system encloses three depressions, two cold
fronts, one warm front, and one occluded front. We could say,
a perfect cocktail with all sort of bad weather ingredients."
We must not forget the words spoken by the first three
skippers already on shore, that the last one in deserves more
glory as he will have been out there the longest.
February 14, 2001 - 4:40:42 PM]
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) : "I’m rather optimistic
but I think I’ll be home on the 15th!"
"I’ve got into Easterly winds and crossed a secondary
anticyclone under spinnaker in a freshening breeze. I have
hardly stopped – it’s gone by as quickly as putting a letter in
the post-box! I am more likely to be back before the 20th
rather than afterwards. I am able to make a near to direct
route home. I’ll attack the Saint Helene anticyclone with a
good breeze I’m expecting to kick in. So that would cut a
normally elongated passage down to 4 –5 days. I’m rather
optimistic but I think I’ll be home on the 15th!
"I can throw a fishing line out when the boat speed is slower.
At night I leave it trailing off the back but it’s not hooked
anything yet. I draw the line back in when the speed exceeds
8 knots. (Philippe Jeantot tells him that Patrice Carpentier
sailed through a school of fish and has given the position.)
"Hold on, I’ll just get my pencil & paper! OK, noted, I hope
they’re waiting for me! Has he asked them to wait for
At night I leave it trailing off the back but it’s not hooked
anything yet. I draw the line back in when the speed exceeds
8 knots. (Philippe Jeantot tells him that Patrice Carpentier
sailed through a school of fish and has given the position.)
"Hold on, I’ll just get my pencil & paper! OK, noted, I hope
they’re waiting for me! Has he asked them to wait for
Aquitaine?
"On the other hand I have lots of dry seaweed. Jean Yves
Chauve found the name: Macrocytis. Lots of calcium and
vitamins but no iodine. I stash them away in an area where
the smell drifts from the back of the boat! I’ve even had calls
with advice from Japanese restaurateurs and pharmaceutical
laboratories. Yesterday I prepared a meal of seaweed with a
compote of dehydrated banana’s, strawberries and apple.
Then the classic: beef with cream of seaweed. It’s a bit
crunchy so I try to mash it a bit. I’ve cut the stems and
‘peppers’ in to slices of 3mm.
I have a project starting up a shipyard with Thierry Eluère who
built Aquitaine Innovations. It’ll be in Arcachon and we’ll start
with the construction of my multihull and I’ll go and eat
seaweed in the restaurants nearby. I must start a fashion for
eating seaweed, and do the Vendée again just eating different
seaweed recipes!
"Well done to Bilou! I’m glad he made it to the podium and
I’m so pleased at his performance!"
[February 14, 2001 - 3:30:44 PM]
Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear) : "I don’t have any voice left. It’s
general fatigue really."
I’ve got going again since yesterday afternoon so life’s better
now. After the Azores, I had nearly two days of calms. I’ve
managed to fork off to the East and finally got winds from
behind, although now they have eased off a little. Still unable
to really make a precise ETA. I hope Friday! May be Saturday,
I really want to get in under 100 days, in any case it would be
some consolation for me!
I don’t have any voice left. It’s general fatigue really. I have
done a lifetime’s worth of manoeuvres on deck – a dreadful
number! I didn’t sleep at all last night as I had to catch the
front. This time I got the impression that our boats have been
pushed a lot. I’m still not convinced by the giant spreader
style of rig. Golding has had his problems. Yves also! The
advantage is in fact the wing mast, but the recent boats have
wing masts without needing the giant spreaders to hold them
in place. Also, you can’t pull the gennaker hard in and the
poles weigh a lot as well. They were designed to hold up a
wing mast and those kind of masts now hold on their own."
[February 14, 2001 - 2:56:59 PM]
Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) : "I’m constantly looking at
the weather files. A beautiful anticyclone is arriving with some
good weather!"
"It’s been somewhat peaceful for the last two days crossing
the anticyclone. I’ve just this minute been watching the most
magnificent sunrise. The wind is building to around 5 – 8
knots so some work on deck to do. I can’t stop looking at the
amazing seascape, of course I’d like to be going more
quickly, but I enjoy savouring those moments at sea. My back
pains have resolved themselves. I’m watching the two ahead
and climbing North to search out a depression for the 16 –
17th February which will set me on a direct heading to Les
Sables d’Olonne.
"Bilou called me 35 miles from the line, I was delighted about
his record and congratulate him on his third place. I’m still
battling with my virtual concurrent, Christophe Auguin’s record
time, and I must arrive befor the 20th February to do so! I’m
constantly looking at the weather files. A beautiful anticyclone
is arriving with some good weather! Wouldn’t it be lovely if I
hit a depression in the North before the others and then rode
over the top of them both! Even with 450 miles behind, I still
like to feel I’m competing with them."
[February 14, 2001 - 1:15:57 PM]
Pasquale de Gregorio (WIND) is looking at a "perfect cocktail
with all sorts of bad weather ingredients..."
02/14 04:50 G 55.46S - 076.56W
It’s 23:30 and to lay down tonight is out of question. The
wind has progressively strengthened up to 50-55 knots.
Although at this right moment is 30-40 always from NW, the
barometer is in continuous hopeless fall. A CHILE weather
forecast arrived at noontime, speaking of a complex low
pressure system extended throughout 1.000 miles Westward.
This system, encloses three depressions, two cold fronts, one
warm front, and one occluded front. We could say, a perfect
cocktail with all sort of bad weather ingredients. The only
important thing the forecast doesn’t talk about, is to where is
directing and where is going to end up all this inviting situation
the next coming 24 hours. I am considering to pass large
Cape Horn, right under Diego Ramirez Island, in order to
bypass the
continental clog corresponding the cape, which in bad weather
conditions, gives origin to the Cape’s bad reputation.
Meantime, I am at 323 miles from cape Horn. We’ll see what
is awaiting us next coming hours."
Source: Oriana Ubaldi, Wind
[February 14, 2001 - 1:13:09 PM]
Thomas Coville and Dominique Wavre are in the same mess.
Both are putting on a brave face for the "anticyclonic bubbles"
which are barring the way home.
Sodebo’s skipper has made up his mind : he’ll be heading
north. "At the moment, there’s no point my going east. I don’t
want to beat heat to wind at any price but I am trying to head
north as best I can by skirting round the edge of the high ".
This morning, it paid off. As the first streaks of daylight were
breaking through in Paris, Thomas described with humour and
derision how " overnight, the gusts of wind had reached no
more than knots at best . At last I’m making headway. The
wind began to veer aft this morning. I’m at 7 or 8 knots now.
Mind you, it looks like it’s going to ease and drop altogether
tonight, before picking up again tomorrow afternoon. »
As the weather was fine south of the Azores, although " a little
cold when the sun went down ", Thomas made the most of the
calm night without any swell to talk of " to go and sleep for
four hours, waking up every hour with the alarm. I set the
boat on the best heading for where I want to go and trimmed
her for an average course, fine-tuning the whole lot each time
I woke. Strangely enough, I’m a bit groggy this morning. I
hadn’t slept so much in over a week !".
With unsettled clouds all around, Sodebo is making slow
headway. Her skipper is trying to keep damage to a minimum
: " If you think that a high can be compared to a slow-moving
suction pad. Overhead, the pressure is very high. The English
have a very precise way of describing anti-cyclones, as a
series of suction pads which die out before coming back to life
in a series of highs next to each other. When the pressure
dies, they give way suddenly. As they grow, the anti-cyclone
slopes to create what we refer to as a ridge ". Unfortunately, in
front of Thomas and Dominique, the horizon is dotted with
bubbles of high pressure of the sort which are highly unlikely
to give rise to ridges and any other sort of good news. The
skippers of Sodebo and UBP are going to have to keep going
: today and no doubt as far as the finishing line they will be
sailing under the sign of the suction pad !
Source: Corine Renié-Péretié
Carré mer
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