[January 05, 2001 - 12:58:21 PM]
Roland Jourdain: "I have a Ferrari with a 2 hp engine!"
"It’s ok sometimes better sometines not, but better this
morning... In fact I am going to tell you a story...
The 16th December, I had one reef and the solent downwind
near the Kerguelens when my indexsail’s rail broke at the first
reef. I had to drop the sail, pull the traveller with the headsail
stucked...a big mess..the, straight after that, my genoa
unroped from the forestay on 3 meters... that’s it... Since
then, neither my indexsail, nor my genoa have been above
the second reef, which explains a bit my lack of performance.
So, since 3 weeks, I am sailing a Ferrari with a 2hp engine!
and yesterday I had a Vespa engine because the the halyot’s
shackle broke and the sail went into the water, under the
boat... I took me a long time to get the sail back on board
and the halyot up in the mast...
When it’s windy, it’s not too annoying, I didn’t miss the 1st
reef much... but in the ridges and when the wind dies, I miss
a turbo... under 20 knots of wind, a indexsail with 2 reefs, it’s
not enough .
Onboard, it hasn’t been easy, I can tell you! My objective is to
reach Cape Horn as soon as possible, then find calm waters
and repair... I haven’t yet found the flat seas I need. I first
thought to stop in New Zealand, in the Macquaries Islands...
but no, I decided to keep going, I will anchor or drift along
somewhere, ther must be no swell, or chopped sea.
I tried to climb 2-3 times to repair the genoa, butthe problem
is that I need to climb along the forestay, and with the swell
it’s dangerous and I risk to not be able to go down again. I
believe I will need 3 to 4 hours to repair the sail. I was really
annoyed... this gear shouldn’t break at all , it’s hard to
swallow...and the worse thing is that I haven’t pushed the boat
that much. THe indexsail and the genoa in the same hour, it
was...hopefully my shore crew boost my morale. I am happy
that I managed to preserve evrything until now. And if I lost
400 milles I know I can get them back later, well, that’s what I
must tell myself. The best way to go back home is to push!"
[January 05, 2001 - 11:49:05 AM]
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) : "I feel like I am living
my own "longue route"...
"For me, it’s night time now. All is ok, I am doing 4 knots
average. There is not much wind but a bit more than
yesterday when there was nothing at all. I carry on doing my
repairs. I haven’t done any new pieces for the moment. Five
minutes ago, I started heating a mast section with some
bulbs. I am using Dr Chauve’s thermometer to check the
temperature. I would need 4 days at 20°, I would like to have
40°. I am going to heat the inside of the mast with the bulbs.
And outside I am thinking of butane (gaz). To heat as fast as
possible, I needed the smallest volume possible as my repair
is only 30 cm long: I heat in a small oven (dimensions : 60
cm X3 X40)."
When we asked him if has already lived that king of
experience, he answers: "Many experiences remind me of
what I am living now, and have prepared me for today. When
I was 14 year old, I build a boat myself with absolutely no
budget. I installed some wheels to transport it behing my
bike... With this boat I was sailing on the lakes around. I am
used to do things with nothing for a start. When I was reading
Moitessier, he said he wanted to go round the world on a
paper boat, built with old newspapers. If Moitessier thinks that
it means you can really do things from nothing. I feel like I
am living my own "Longue Route" today."
Yves Parlier hopes to reach the Stewart’s island on Sunday or
Monday. He believes he will stay 3 or 4 days if everything
goes to plan:
"I am going at 7 knots average since I dismasted. After my
repairs, I should be at 9 or 10 knots until Cape Horn and 7/8
in the Atlantic. It will hard when the wind dies..."
[January 05, 2001 - 11:34:39 AM]
INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITIONS THIS MORNING!!!!
In this morning’s positions report, the data regarding PRB
(Michel Desjoyeaux) are from yesterday evening 2158hrs UT,
latest information received from his beacon.
The Vendée Globe Team
[January 05, 2001 - 11:28:47 AM]
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) : « Yesterday finally, the engine has
worked during three hours and I didn’t dare to stop it anymore
I woke up on New Year’s day and I couldn’t start the engine.
I thought it was the starter whiwh didn’t want to start, then I
saw everything had melted. I told myself « not good » . I put
I thought it was the starter whiwh didn’t want to start, then I
saw everything had melted. I told myself « not good » . I put
the wind generator out straight away. The day after it was ok
with the solar panels, then I had to minimise my sleeping as
much as possible and to helm as much as possible. If I had
had a day without sun, it wouldn’t have worked. Meanwhile I
had engineers from Yanmar trying to work out a solution. I
tried many solutions but it was never enough. Yesterday
finally it worked 3 hours and I didn’t dare to stop. I knew that
if I’d manage to reach the Horn, ther would be one difficult
week up to the St Hélène. If I can do it again a bit later it will
be a big relief as it will mean that I am still in the race. Each
ampere consummed by the pilot means less minutes of
sleep. The furthest you go South, the more grey weather you
get, so it was limit
At the beginning I was using a sailmaker strope, but it was too
strectchy. Yesterday I used a stronger rope, and when I
trimmed the indexsail in it started. It was a bit complicated as
had to loose the injectors to have less compression.
It’s nearly day light, and I am using lots of amperes (due to
the radio chat) so I need to recharge it all. As soon as I have
stoppeed the engine, I reprepare everything, the injector and
the ropes. In 5 minutes I can restart the engine !
Usually I find it hard to sleep when the engine is on, and now
it’s no problem !. It’s fabulous then, you can use everything. I
still need to be careful as I need the wind to do it.
I have enough diesel, I have about 60 liters in the cockpit,
170 liters in the keel, and 20 liters in a can.As soon as the
computers are shut down I have finished my navigation. I will
not call the race head quarters evryday couple of days. During
the 4 days where I was sailing like a blind, I knew what to do
weather wise but I had to reduce the sails area. I think I have
lost 50 or 80 miles. I think Bilou has big problems with his
indexsail. Ellen is sailing well. Without my problems, the gap
would still be 400 miles. I think I will arrive between the 9th
and the 12th at Cape Horn. »
[January 05, 2001 - 11:02:07 AM]
Didier Munduteguy (DDP-60ème Sud) up the mast, telex
received this morning in our Paris race head quarters...
"Morning to all,
After two difficult days in winds between 35 and 50 knots, I
headed North to climb in my mast. I went up this morning to
reinstall the staysail’s sheave back in his box. It was 1/3 out
and I hope I have resolved the problem. The storm was really
hard, and the sea very impresing. Apart from that all is ok
onboard DDP-60ème Sud and I hope I will soon be able to
catch the Pacific satellite to come to the radio chat. Regards,
Didier"
[January 05, 2001 - 10:38:17 AM]
Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) : "I am second? Great! it’s really
nice!"
"I am second? Great! it’s really nice!
Yesterday I didn’t push too hard the boat as I was really tired.
I slept a lot because during the night I did lots of sails
changes. I took a day off. The sun is there, it’s good! Now the
wind is coming from 270, 17-20 knots. All is fine onboard, I
slept and I ate well. I slept 5 hours max., and the day before
yesterday it was worse because of the icebergs. The routing
said it was better in the South but there is a little ridge coming
from the North, just near where Wavre is. I prefered to take
the front in the North, better earlier than later... It’s great that
Michel has managed to repair as this problem can be really
bad. For me it doesn’t change much as in my mind he was still
in the race."
[January 05, 2001 - 10:31:35 AM]
Thomas Covile (Sodebo): Steaming along in the Southern
Ocean !
Who said calm seas? That was a long time ago! Yesterday
Sodebo has been surfing down waves on her way down a
corridor of active wind.
Contacted by Mini-M yesterday morning, Thomas Coville’s
described the scene as Sodebo was steaming along…
"Standing up on the stern by the runners, I have a fantastic
vantage point. I like standing there. I can feel what the boat’s
doing. When Sodebo rises to the top of a wave, you get one
hell of a view! I’ve got 46 knots right now and I am surfing
down a wave at 23 knots! " In the background, an incredible
noise akin to that of a high speed train could be heard. "She
doesn’t slam quite so much as when sailing upwind. But I still
can’t stand up inside. I have to hold on. It’s amazing. I taken
a third reef and have the staysail up. When I take in a reef,
things go really fast. I get into the swing of things and always
manoeuvre a little ahead of time so it all runs smoothly. You
can see the clouds behind you, you get everything ready and
you do the manoeuvre. After that you go back down and you
see that your speed has increased. When I am at the chart
table, I have a good view of the sea above the antenna. Truly
amazing".
Right now, Thomas Coville has got just one thing on his mind.
Making sure he stays on the right train to avoid getting closed
by the next line of occlusion. "When you’re one weather
system out of synch, the two wagons get separated by a
trough (a valley of low pressure) or a ridge (an elongated area
of high pressure). The occlusion of the low which dies off there
makes the bubble get bigger and the second wagon stops …
dead".
Still in fifth position on the scoreboard and one of yesterday’s
fastest boats to the front of the fleet, Sodebo and her skipper
are fighting hard to catch up on the four leaders. Positioned in
relation to the low which he is negotiating on its edge to avoid
finding himself on a square run, Thomas is 118 miles ahead
of his closest competitor, Dominique Wavre and is nibbling
away at the distance separating him from Marc Thiercelin, now
350 miles ahead. The gap with the first three continues to
decrease : "The low is moving just a little faster than we are, 4
to 5 knots faster, which represents 4 to 5 miles an hour. I’ve
run the whole gamut of routing possibilities. Staying with the
wind is going to be tough. I’ll be gibing soon ". Once that’s
been ticked off, Thomas is hoping to sleep for an hour or two,
but not before having read a few pages of "Rounding Cape
Horn" written by Bernard Moitessier. That was last century …
positively prehistoric.
Source: Corine Renié-Péretié - Carré mer
Translated by Nikki Scott-Depsaigne
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