9th - 15th January 2001
Return to the Atlantic Ocean
Tuesday 9th January
Bad luck comes in threes
The Vendée Globe has been showing many different faces over this week.
Up ahead, Michel Desjoyeaux was still setting a record pace. Behind,
boats were being picked off one by one with some sort of damage or
another, their skippers relentlessly pushing on until they reach Les
Sables d’Olonne in the true spirit of the Vendée Globe.
Jourdain was at walking pace compared to the fleet leaders, stuck with
two reefs in his index in light airs, and still set on finding sheltered
waters, knowing that he must spend most of one day climbing up the mast
at least three times to fix on his mast track piece and re-hoist the
genoa. "Not easy moments in life to live through but we have to endure
them."
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) detailed his painstaking efforts to
the Race HQ of his attempts to anchor in the bay of Stewart Island. He
rudely constructed a raft out of jerricans to go in search of rocks
within the high tide line to weigh down his mooring, but then the wind
changed overnight and the anchor dragged. Aquitaine Innovations ended up
aground on a sandy bed, which resulted in a precarious operation to pull
the boat into deeper water from this raft using the anchors, in which he
was eventually successful. In true Robinson Crusoe style, Parlier
reindexs ingenious and optimistic: "The one plus point is that I’ve
caught 10 mango-sized mussels for dinner tonight!"
Ellen, fierce in her efforts to indextain Desjoyeaux’s pace, has
unfortunately made an unexpected gift to the seas. Her gennaker halyard
chafed through and fell, bringing the sail down lock, stock and barrel.
She blew the index halyard to stop the boat, and fought for an hour and a
half to recover the sail out of the water. "My worst fears were realised
as I saw the leech was damaged, and on further hauling huge rips were
present. My heart sank, I hope to God we can fix it. Again up the mast…"
Wednesday 10th January
Michel Dejoyeaux passes Cape Horn
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) passed in view of Cape Horn at 1807 hours UT on
the 63rd day of racing at sea. At this stage he lay 600 miles ahead of
second placed Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher), translating to approximately
two days sailing. Michel Desjoyeaux also can count 3 days and 18 hours
lead over the current record established by Christophe Auguin on
’Geodis’ in the last edition of the Vendée Globe in 1997. Desjoyeaux
crossed the Cape of Good Hope on December 7th at 2300hrs UT and so he
has spent approximately 34 days in the Southern Ocean. ’PRB’ now has
7100 miles to climb until reaching the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne.
Didier Munduteguy (DDP - 60ème Sud) entered the Pacific on the day that
Desjoyeaux passed Cape Horn. One ocean apart. These two skippers
perfectly symbolise the two dimensions of the Vendée Globe: adventure
and competition.
Coming up gradually from behind the triumvirate ahead was a caustic and
yet rejuvenated Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear), determined to strike
while the iron’s hot, or rather when two of the leaders are suffering
from damage. Beating into 40 knot headwinds, uncomfortable stuff, but
munching the miles all the same he remarked: "I’ve asked myself quite
often if God is English these days. I’m getting sick of staying behind
for two months. So it’s time to catch the ’invincible’ Ellen!"
Nerves are fraying further back, as some skippers, who hoped, after 63
days of racing, to be better positioned, confessed that the lighter
Pacific conditions have played more havoc with their mind rather than
body. Dominique Wavre (UBP), hanging back in 6th place and 1405 miles
behind Desjoyeaux, is one such victim: "I think it will take me 6 - 8
days to arrive at Cape Horn. It will be the end of a nerve-wracking
period. This South has been more tiring psychologically than
physically."
Thursday 11th January
ETA’s given for Cape Horn
Life in the Pacific Ocean for the rest of the fleet has livened up a
bit, with the wind decidedly more cooperative again. Josh Hall
(EBP-Gartmore) was back in the good times, surfing along at up to 24
knots, and if the weather holds he expects to reach Cape Horn by the
17th January. Within a day’s sailing behind Catherine Chabaud
(Whirlpool), he was slowly but surely attacking the miles lying in
between them.
News of the adventurers: Simone Bianchetti (Aquarelle.com) succeeded in
finding shelter off Stewart Island and without actually anchoring he let
his boat drift with bare poles, as he climbed up to fix the second
spreader on his mast. "It doesn’t look pretty, but then it’s sturdy and
it has put me at my ease again."
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) spent another successful day in his
temporary floating workshop in the bay of Stewart Island. He has
dismasted the boat and started cutting carbon. "When I saw the boom
vertical and the mast horizontal the whole thing seemed somewhat
paradoxical!" Amused by circling helicopters carrying curious
photographers, Yves was certainly vying with Michel for attention, if
just for his incredible ingenuity and determination.
Joé Seeten( Nord Pas de Calais/ Chocolats du Monde) expects to arrive at
Cape Horn on January 22nd or 23rd. "The weather for the last 48 hours
has been terrible. Hard to push the boat through it, I keep in 1 reef in
the index sail. Four or five days ago both my wind generators broke down.
I think it was due to the magnetic South Pole as they have graphite
particles inside them. It seemed so bizarre for both to fail a few days
after each other."
Friday 12th January
Ellen & Kingfisher complete a circumnavigation
At 1853 hrs UT, second placed Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) rounded Cape
Horn with more than 30 knots of wind propelling ’Kingfisher’ under two
reefs and staysail in exceptional surfing conditions past the legendary
rock. She passed 2 days and 46 minutes after leader Michel Desjoyeaux
(PRB), and her time is 2 days, 17 hours and 24 minutes ahead of
Christophe Auguin’s record. Ellen said that it was "a pretty good
feeling to have completed a round the world voyage". Cape Horn was where
she set off alone for the first time on board Kingfisher during the
delivery voyage from New Zealand to home
Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear) managed to sneak ahead of Roland Jourdain
(Sill Matines La Potagere) into third place. The skipper was remarkably
surprised at this, and then revealed briefly his own horror story. "My
autopilot went crazy, I did a double ’S’. All the battens I had changed
broke, I heard a big cracking noise and saw that the index sail was torn.
I spent 4 hours in total trying to repair it all."
Dominique Wavre (UBP) expressed his utter joy at the return to top
speeds and exceptional downwind surfing - the stuff Southern Ocean
memories are made of. "The wind has really picked up again and the sky
was thunderous yesterday. (A deafening crack sounds) Ah ha! I’ve just
been knocked side-on by a wave there! Awesome, a good 40 degree heel in
one hit! The kettle’s still in one place though!"
Mike Golding (Team Group 4) may be someone who strikes one as an ’all
work and no play’ kind of sailor, but on the contrary! He admitted today
to be a closet DV film addict on board when he wants to switch off. "I’m
afraid I run them to death. When I eat my evening meal I watch a bit of
a movie and then pick it up the next day." He also cut his own hair -
perhaps the most dangerous thing he has attempted in the race, according
to his own judgement!
Javier Sanso (Old Spice) reached Perth, Australia, and therefore the
Vendée Globe fleet is now down to 17 boats in the rankings. Sanso
intends to set off and finish the circumnavigation in the adventurous
spirit of the race and in good company with Dinelli and Dubois.
Saturday 13th January
Cape Horn’s visitors
Ellen hit light and flukey airs right on the nose soon after rounding
Cape Horn. The surmounting levels of stress were evident on the radio,
sounding shattered physically, and strung out mentally, knowing that
Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear) was just 222 miles behind her. A while
later she managed to re-thread the gennaker halyard.
Thiercelin, however, was also suffering in the same conditions: "I have
had no wind in the last 10 hours!" he raged. He eventually passed the
famous rock at 1608hrs UT for the third time in his life. Active Wear
was looking great with his full index sail, staysail and gennaker up in a
westerly 12 knot wind and rather easy sea : " For my previous
passages(Vendée Globe 1996 and BOC 1998) I didn’t have such good
conditions. This turn to the left represents a new step in the race "
A few hours later, it was Roland Jourdain’s turn (Sill Matines La
Potagère) to pass Cape Horn’s longitude. Due to his technical problems,
the Breton skipper was only sailing with his indexsail, two reefs, and
his solent. " I was just gybing in front of the rock when 300 meters on
leeward I saw a cruiser liner with plenty of tourists on deck with their
cameras and videos. The lighthouse keeper told me on the VHF that he had
to stamp a visa to all of the 1500 passengers to certify that they had
passed the legendary cape. When I think how hard it was to arrive here
and my passport will not even get a stamp ! " He managed to approach the
coast line, find shelter behind the Horn island, and moor at Caleta
Martial.
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) left the 50th degree parallel. The large
anticyclonic system known as the Saint Helen high, had dispersed and
instead there were plenty of little high pressure bubbles scattered over
the Southern Atlantic, creating a veritable mine field full of hazards
and surprises for the leading boats ahead.
Pasquale de Gregorio (Wind) recounted his acitivties of late in a telex:
"I did my first heroic act of the Southern Ocean: I took a shower all
nude on deck. A shock at the beginning, but very restoring at the end. A
south west low pressure is moving along from starboard and the barometer
is dropping very fast. Right now the wind intensity is moderate although
changes direction quite often. This translates in lots of work on deck.
Health and mood are just good."
Sunday 14th January
Mike Golding climbing the ranks
Two boats in sight of each other below 50 degrees South in the great
Pacific Ocean - could this be imaginable? Mike Golding (Team Group 4)
actually filmed himself passing the ’red cigar’ yacht of Joé Seeten (Nd
Pas de Calais/Chocs du Monde) just 3 miles apart! Golding moved into
11th place and lay within 200 miles of the next two boats, Bernard
Gallay (Voila.fr) and Patrice Carpentier (VM Materiaux), clocking
slightly faster speeds in the hope of passing them soon as well.
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB), making the most of his comfortable lead,
dropped his index sail to replace his broken battens. The weather
conditions are difficult as there is a small low pressure passing
through. PRB struggled in a rough sea, the boat slamming badly.
At 2000hrs French time, Thomas Coville (Sodebo) rounded Cape Horn. It is
the third time that Thomas has rounded the legendary rock but the first
time solo. He leaves the Pacific Ocean behind him to enter into the
Atlantic after 66 days and 4 hours, which makes 1588 hours at sea or
more that two months and six days alone, or nine and a half weeks with
just the sea for company !
Russian skipper Fedor Konyoukhov (MUH) reported in with a litany of
problems, which beset him over the weekend. His electric pilot burned
out, and while he was switching to the hydraulic pilot, the boat went
into an accidental gybe. This has resulted in his backstays and lazy
jacks twisting, and his halyard also caught at the top spreader. Then
his generator broke down and he has complained of kidney pains. He
confirmed later that if his pain worsens without relief, then he may
head towards Tasmania.
Monday 15th January
Anticipating Atlantic waters
The return to Atlantic waters has been quite a shock for those Vendée
Globe skippers who have already rounded Cape Horn. The sea has changed
dramatically from the sweeping Southern swell to choppy, roughed up
waves, thanks to the opposing winds dominant in that part of the world.
For third placed Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear), this isn’t good news as
his port side rigging reindexs slightly loose, and yet it is the tack on
which he is forced to sail upwind right now. He is still within a
threatening 200 mile range of his index target, Ellen MacArthur
(Kingfisher), and yet admitted that "her boat is a little more adapted
to upwind sailing than mine". One advantage he pointed out was his
experience of managing himself and the boat during this final third
stage of the race. "I’ll still push the boat hard but not like four
years ago where it stressed me out. I think I’m less fatigued than
Ellen, whereas it’s her first Globe."
Fourth placed Roland Jourdain (Sill Matines La Potagère) has finally set
off again after a stop-over totaling 17 - 19 hours to fix his track back
on the mast. A bit of a harsh time penalty for a job that took just 3 -
4 hours to complete. His humour hadn’t failed him though, as he joked
about how "surreal" it was to realise that he was "stuck up the mast at
the end of the world, with only seals and birds looking curiously on".
Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) has come through "the hardest 48 hours
since the start", namely a strong depression with winds of up to 45
knots, nearly throwing her off the boat when she was trying to move
along the deck. Two degrees North of Chabaud in pursuit was Josh Hall
(EBP/Gartmore), who also found the last few days his worst in the race
so far, but for very opposite reasons. "An unexpected trough formed
behind the strong depression that passed us on Friday and left me with
big seas and absolutely no wind...it has been worse than the Doldrums."
Hall hopes to arrive at Cape Horn on Friday.
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) successfully completed his
operation to build an 18 metre mast. However, the announced force 8 - 9
storm force winds are now his index worry, if he is to safely cast off
from his anchorage. "I’m in my survival suit inside the boat. It’s night
time. I’ve plunged in up to my waist to tie a second line around a huge
rock. There’s a way I can get the boat out of the inlet under bare
poles. I’ll set off tomorrow night and I can set the storm jib and
staysail immediately."
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