[January 22, 2001 - 12:22:24 PM]
Joe Seeten (Nord Pas de Calais/Chocs du Monde):
"I’m just sailing along nicely in my own way. I think I’ll pass
Cape Horn over night on Tuesday. It’ll be the fifth time the
boat’s been round but the first for me! We’re 400 miles away.
Land means telephone communication again.
"The straight path through the Pacific wasn’t easy when I
contemplated how many gybes and manoeuvres that entailed.
It would be great to do another circumnavigation in hindsight
of the things I know now. I had the chance to see Mike
Golding cross me. I spotted him from behind me like a tiny
shape in the afternoon and evening. And when night
disappeared he was a lot closer. Otherwise, I have no problem
aboard. It’s great to see Yves carry on in his race, and watch
the others racing so close to each other up front!"
[January 22, 2001 - 12:15:36 PM]
Ellen MacArthur (KIngfisher) : "This morning feels like a new
start"
It’s incredible... I had a great sleep last night, and at about
0100 set about checking kingfisher all over from head to toe.
We’ve had little wind - and now, thank goodness - the wind
has turned - and it looks like in 24 hours we might be able to
tack. [this would signify the entry in to the SE trade winds, to
the north of the St.Helena high pressure system - the ’hole’
that has been blocking the route of PRB for days now]
The wind is unsteady - but erring on the side of
northerly...during the night I busied around below emptying
water out of all her compartments (only a few buckets worth)
right up before her water tight bulkheads, 1 and 2!
The motion of Kingfisher is more silent than ever before..the
sky was as open as ever shrouded by a delicate veil of
glittering stars.. Despite light winds we never stopped once,
and she gently trod across the smooth ocean
surface..
This morning as the sun rose the sky went pink in the west,
and in the east
the striking orange glow looked like it hid a million treasures
as it peeked
out from behind the scattered clouds. The clouds themselves
suspended almost as if pre-arranged in the sky. There were
layers and layers of them, and I could not help but feel that
there were towns and villages hidden among them...It really is
so very beautiful..
As I stood in the cockpit I watched in wonder. My eyes began
to fill with tears as I marvelled at this intense beauty - an
intense beauty which at that second in time had only I along
with the rising sun as onlookers.
ellen
xx
Source: Kingfisher Challenges
[January 22, 2001 - 11:47:21 AM]
Thomas Coville (Sodebo) : "I’m coming! Tell the others to
check their wing mirrors!"
"I’m bashing into the wind at the moment really hard. I
stopped the boat quickly at the end of the day to sort out two
or three problems on the board. I got going again as night
was drawing in, and stuck the bow into the chop, head on in
20 - 25 knots upwind. The others should have been reaching
as they are able to bear more Eastwards, but not us. Ahead
the boats seem to be slowing up thanks to the high, it’s
hopeful for me, but I think they’ll get going again before I
arrive.
"I had a problem with the boom and with the ballast pump. I
can’t just rely on gravity to fill the ballast when I’m sailing
upwind, so I have to use the pump but it was being
temperamental last night. This pump also helps to get rid of
the water, which has been leaking in through the right hand
rudder since the start of December. When I’m going really fast
on port I have to pump every two or three hours. It’s the part
where the pump joins the engine, which is welded. The belt is
slack and has started to wear down the soldered joints.
"I’ve rigged up a system using the tackle to re-align the pump
with the engine, and for now things are okay but it’s a little
precarious. It should hold.
"The waves aren’t big but they’re quite abrupt. The boat is
taking knocks one after the other, and Sodebo isn’t a war
horse going upwind. Ellen is 70 miles from Michel? She’s been
going 3 knots faster? Well, things will start to get pretty hot
then!
"My aim after Cape Horn was not to defend my 5th place, but
I wanted to do something radical. I wanted to go wide round
and then come back up reaching but I never wanted to be so
far in the West. I have to wait for the system which
Dominique’s in. Like him, I’ve not been able to get some
Easting in like the others. There will be more windows before
the finish and I have some cards left to play still.
"Sill is the boat which has got through all of this the best.
When I look at his direct Northerly route, I get the impression
that he wants to pass less to the East than the others, which
isn’t a bad idea.
"But the lifestyle is incredible. When I set off I was going to
discover a new kind of race, long and solitary. I never thought
I’d set off for a regatta fought mile by mile. This edition of
the Vendée Globe has changed the nature of the race itself.
It’s a real turning point. From now on it will be a real planetary
regatta and I get the impression that it wasn’t like that at all
before. It’s a fantastic adventure, this aspect of the race can’t
be forgotten. I’ve relaxed a bit and told myself not to fight if
it means I’ll lose the simple pleasure of being where I am.
"Happily, I’ve remembered this and I’m enjoying sailing
Sodebo enormously. But I’m still competitive and in this race,
that is very much still in my head.
"The 5000 miles to go will be exciting, there are still some
tricky parts to negotiate. I’m coming! Tell the others to check
their wing mirrors!"
[January 22, 2001 - 11:33:06 AM]
Didier Munduteguy: "I am in the West now"
«Since Sunday morning ( 06h30 ), I crossed the longitude
West. I am now West from all lands, off the New Zealand
coasts, very far in the South of the Chatham Islands. I am
roughly 3000 miles from Cape Horn I think I will reach in 15 to
20 days».
« It starts to be very cold, and the scenery is very austere. I
always have 4 or 5 albatros near me »!
« I have no wind at all! I am only going at 2 knots! However
ther is a big swell left. It’s not nice for me and for the boat ».
Source Erwan Soudry
[January 22, 2001 - 11:28:35 AM]
Pasquale de Gregorio (Wind) sailing through a succession of
strong fronts.
22/01/01 - 04:00 G
" Since Sunday I am sailing with strong winds and the situation
seems like it is going to last for a few days. This morning I
received the first New Zealand weather forecast, which places
me at the centre of a procession of tough fronts. At least, all
night will be necessary before the first one goes away also
because the barometer is still very low. Whatever is arriving
next is not yet too clear."
23/01/01 - 04:00 G
"The first front has already passed; another one is glued
together right in his back arriving now on me. This explains
the barometer’s slowness to rise back. The wind is very
unstable with continuous reinforcements and drops
constraining me to manoeuvre non-stop. Just the sun showed
up for a while rendering the day very pleasant. I have passed
Campbell Island, which means that I am on the way for the
final jump: 4000 thousand miles (no land in between) toward
Cape Horn. Tomorrow night, I will be changing again hour, the
last one in longitude East toward longitude West. All these can
be summarized as significant passages for approaching
home."
Cape Horn. Tomorrow night, I will be changing again hour, the
last one in longitude East toward longitude West. All these can
be summarized as significant passages for approaching
home."
Source: Oriana Ubaldi (Wind)
[January 22, 2001 - 11:25:14 AM]
Patrice Carpentier (VM Matériaux): "I was ready for the strong
stuff, bracing myself for the wind to whip up, but…it died off
instead. So I’ve kept myself alert and awake for nothing!"
"My ETA for Cape Horn…after nightfall local time. My thoughts
on the Southern Ocean? It won’t really be a deliverance as I
have sailed through pretty moderate conditions. I must have
reefed to the third line only twice, and I never had more than
45 knots of wind. I think I used my spinnaker more down here
than in the Trades!
"Eleven years ago, due to the pilot damage, it was the Cape
of deliverance, but this time I’ll pass it without suffering
damage or bad luck. The equipment aboard is all in working
order, ready to race up the Atlantic. I’m happy to get into
warmer temperatures when I can leave the cabin door open as
inside it’s like the home of a dead soul.
"The Vendée Globe is a race and I’ve been racing since the
start. To keep up with Bernard (Gallay – Voila.fr) I’ve been
working the boat to her full potential. It’s funny as Bernard
and I have not been to far apart on our routes but we’ve
never seen each other! Even when we were 8 miles apart.
Hurrah! It’s going to be great to see the sun again!"
[January 22, 2001 - 10:40:58 AM]
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) : " Bilou told me that there’s no red
light flashing to stop him from passing me at the traffic lights!
"Well, it’s hotting up ! Each mile is nearer to Les Sables
d’Olonne! Bilou told me that there’s no red light flashing to
stop him from passing me at the traffic lights! I’m waiting to
receive all the recent weather models to come through.
Looking at the ones yesterday it looks like there’s a way
through. If there’s a remote chance I can get through I’ll go
for it!
I’m motivated but I’m perspiring a bit, it’s not a party out
here. I’m watching the others like a hawk. Apparently Active
Wear has stopped, and I must work out why as he’s in an
area where there’s more wind. His path will verify the weather
models.
The next difficulty will be to know where to cross the Doldrums.
Then we’ll have to attack the Azores anticyclone and see if
there’ll be perturbations to the West or nothing really
stabilised. When we’re in the St Helen trades, we’ll have the
leisure of seeing what the next 4000 miles will be like. There
might well be more important distances between the boats
later because there, we’ll always have wind. So much the
better for the sport of this race as sport must rule."
[January 22, 2001 - 9:30:33 AM]
NB: Rankings this morning...The data for Dominique Wavre
(Union Bancaire Privée) is from 21st January at 1204hrs UT.
The situation will be rectified as soon as possible.
The Vendée Globe Team
|
