November 28, 2000 - 4:45:36 PM]
"Funny morning, this morning. My sleep patterns seem to be
changing a little, and I’m finding that I’m sleeping in longer
bursts now. My body must know that the conditions are more
settled, and as a result I’m becoming more rested.
"I have found that half the time, when I wake and I check the
computer to see what the wind’s been doing, that I’ve woken
as a result of a small alteration in the direction or speed of
the wind. This is reassuring. When the wind increases - the
boat heels over more, and when the wind changes direction -
she rides the waves at a different angle and frequency - all
signs which, even when asleep, I am obviously sensitive to.
Apart from a 2 hour battle with a big grey cloud - its been a
peaceful night. In the early part I slept well - then I have had
a few naps this morning..
We’re approaching yet another set of islands - don’t they
always seem to be in the way! This time the Island of
Trinidad, which is just under 800 miles to the east of Rio.
The sea has changed colour to a deep deep blue, and there
are many sea birds around. As the sun rose this morning - the
clouds seem to melt away.... Typical of the trade wind
squalls..
After 20 days at sea, I notice we have covered over 1/5 th of
the course. Incredible to think that in distance, and virtually
time, we have just four times what we have done to go. Yes -
the route is long, but the fleet is progressing along it at a very
fast pace. I believe that this race will be won by the most
reliable boat... the one that can push enough, just for long
enough - but still keep things together...
A fine balance in the South...
Till later
ex
Source: Kingfisher Challenges
[November 28, 2000 - 4:31:15 PM]
Things continue to go well for Mike Golding on board Team
Group 4. Yesterday’s communication problem with his Sat B
has been solved – largely by trial and error. The system was
checked from the shore and found to be fully in order
therefore pointing to a problem with the on board computer -
so he pulled out all the plugs, then put them in again and hey
presto - back on line. Golding’s other concern yesterday was
his water maker – he is into his emergency rations, as he
explained .
"Each time I’ve tried to make water the boat’s been going
slightly too fast and therefore it tries to pull the water out
quicker than the pump can pull the water in. The answer would
be a scoop on the outside of the hull – but we’ve chosen not
to in the interests of speed. I know it’s (the water maker)
working - it’s just a matter of getting water to it. I do know of
a system where I can use a water canister as a reservoir for
the salt water but I’m loath to do it ’cos it’s messy and it
involves a lot of upside down work inside the engine
compartment I’m really trying to get the system working
properly and then I’ll make a lot of water rather than messing
about with it all the time. I’ll make as much as I left with and
just deal with it on a week-by-week basis".
After completing various chores around the boat he spent a
"lazy" evening enjoying a lamb stew. He said, laughing, "it
was one of the packet meals, very easy to cook, very tasty.
BUT, I was really hoping to save some of those for the
Southern Ocean so I really must exercise more self-discipline
otherwise I’m going to be eating freeze-dried for the last 50
days of this trip!"
During the night Golding reports that he heard a strange noise
up on deck and on going to investigate found a 3-inch cricket
hopping around. He chased it about for a while and finally
succeeded in taking it’s picture .
As of this morning Golding was making the most of the breeze
he had - sailing at 12 knots with the spinnaker up. He reports,
"All the signs are that there will be as good a breeze here as
anywhere else - maybe slightly lighter but not sufficiently
stronger to the west for me to justify the extra distance. Also
coming out the other side I’ll get onto a reach rather than a
beat and that’ll be better for the boat and easier for me to put
my foot down".
All in all it is "business as usual" for Mike Golding - he expects
to be into the Doldrums tomorrow (Wednesday).
Source: MPR
[November 28, 2000 - 3:36:48 PM]
The ideal course: theory & observation - analysis by Philippe
Jeantot.
In the first Vendée Globe back in 1989, no-one had sailed this
course. The skippers started with absolutely no reference
point. In order to trace in theory the ideal route before the
start, we had at our disposal only the pilot charts (upon which
the force & direction of the wind over several years are
mapped at every 1 degree).
The knowledge of these weather systems was minimal then.
For this edition the observation and validation on the race
course of these theories conceived on land could be given with
more precision. Each Vendée Globe, such knowledge is
refined. And so today we have arrived at a theoretical route
based on both logic and observation. In order to establish a
ranking, which takes into account the shape of such a race,
one has to, on this ‘ideal course’, put in ‘milestones’ or way
points, from which we can count the distance to finish. We
calculate the miles to go by counting the distance of the boat
to the next way point, which we then add to the distance from
points, from which we can count the distance to finish. We
calculate the miles to go by counting the distance of the boat
to the next way point, which we then add to the distance from
this way point to the finish line.
Taking into account the shape of this race, we have placed 36
way points, which are either marks of the course, obligatory
points of passage, boundary markers in the Southern Ocean
or simply guiding points for making the best route. The
theoretical route is 23896 miles long. Until this day, all of the
skippers have stayed pretty much faithful to this route.
Alone, Catherine Chabaud (Whirlpool) in passing the
Doldrums, took an extreme option East and was thus
penalised with a greater distance to go than the others in the
calculations to the nearest way point. Today she is on the
inside track and now has an advantage from this system. No
method is perfect, and we have to establish a ranking
somehow. This method is the most representative and fair of
all those we have looked at.
As for negotiating the Saint Helen high pressure system, 16
boats up ahead are racing down a corridor of about 2 degrees
in width, or 120 miles. It is no surprise or danger that
everyone is rushing to get onto this narrow track: it’s the best
route. This Vendée Globe shows yet again that if someone
wanted to take a direct route from the Equator right down to
the Cape of Good Hope, it would certainly be the shortest
route, but they would get there long after the rest of the fleet.
The boats may travel a longer distance but it will be on a
more logical route, as it is faster in the long term.
The ideal course in the Southern Hemisphere is paradoxically
near to identical to the shortest route as well. Thanks to the
Westerly winds which will be behind the boats, the shortest
route shaves past the way points, which mark boundaries to
stop the fleet from descending further South.
The definitive rules for the Southern Ocean part of the race
are as follows:
The skippers must leave:
1) Antartic leave to starboard
2) Heard Islands leave to starboard
3) Following GPS points: leave to starboard
4) A point which is situated at 50°S, between 85°E & 95°E,
5) A point which is situated at 57°S, between 150°E & 140°W
(modification : Appendix n°1 in Race Rules),
6) A point which is situated at 57°S, between 125°E & 115°W,
7) A point which is situated at 57°S, between 72°E & 62°W.
8) Cape Horn leave to port
During the tour of the Southern Oceans, the rule will be to stay
in the North of the centre of the low pressure systems, which
go from West to East, in order to benefit from Westerly winds
and sail in downwind conditions.
Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations), still in the lead, is
making his mark on this race track with an infernal rhythm. He
is beginning to turn around the anticyclone and edge his way
towards the East in winds, which are gradually becoming more
and more downwind. At this rate, his entry into the roaring
40’s will be sooner rather than later.
[November 28, 2000 - 3:28:04 PM]
Roland Jourdain (Sill Matines La Potagère) is in the game:
"The wind angle is actually 110 degrees and the strength is
around 12 - 15 knots. I have to choose between luffing a little
under solent or bearing away a few degrees under gennaker.
It is probably this choice which has led Michel to bear away on
a more Westerly route compared to myself, Yves &
Catherine," he explained in a telephone call with his comms
team in Paris.
"Reading the rankings doesn’t worry the skipper of Sill Matines
la Potagère. "I prefer to just concentrate on getting the
furthest South possible to round the Saint Helen high pressure
system as quickly as possible. Parlier should have no problem
there. After that it gets more difficult. The game is going to
begin again just after that. I just hope I won’t get stopped at
any traffic lights! In any case I shouldn’t have to go too far to
the West as it will take too long to get round the anticyclone."
"Catherine has played well up until now, staying very East
since the Doldrums. It reindexs to be seen how she is going to
cross the ridge. She is 110 miles less South than me in
latitude. You have to get South to cross the threshold of the
roaring 40’s and the Westerly clockwise winds."
Source: Vincent Borde
[November 28, 2000 - 2:24:39 PM]
Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB) calls into his race HQ this morning at
1000hrs.
"All is well, at last I have been able to get up more sail by
going to intermediary reacher (Ed: light fore sail). I slept well
last night as I spent the afternoon helming. I am heading
South as I want to reach a better speed than heading.
Anyway, I’ll have to curve generously round the St. Helen
anticyclone. Things should go well for Yves but I’m sure
Catherine will have to turn into her route. In view of the
weather situation ahead, I don’t think that this difference will
suffice in that Yves should be able to get onto the train of a
low pressure and leave us standing in the queue behind.
Saying that, as we are placed further West we could profit from
the arrival of the next low pressure system ahead of him."
Source: Eric Coquerel, Carré Mer
[November 28, 2000 - 1:30:20 PM]
Fedor Konyoukhov called his race headquarters in Moscow last
night and recounted his latest news from near the Equator in
’Modern University for the Humanities’.
"I am 5 degrees above the Equator the wind is 3-5 knots,
shifting from S to E, the boat is sailing 2-3 knots. I just
finished with my right rudder. I stopped the water leaking,
water is not coming in, but I am not sure whether it is because
the boat is sailing slowly and there is not big pressure on the
rudder, or because I did good job? I will see it after I get to
the Southern trades. Regarding the speed of the boat, I
haven’t got many choices to speed up the boat, since I had to
the Southern trades. Regarding the speed of the boat, I
haven’t got many choices to speed up the boat, since I had to
get rid of light genoa with furling system in Les Sables. Now, I
am sitting and waiting for the stronger wind to cross the
Equator. It’s not a good time to read some books or write
skipper notes, when you are drifting with 2 knots. During such
difficult hours I prefer not to think much, but to work physically
to get rid of unpleasant thoughts. Plus, there is always many
things to do on the single-handed boat to "kill the time".
Hope to see some changes today."
[November 28, 2000 - 12:28:14 PM]
Javier Sanso (Old Spice), another victim of the troublesome
water-maker : "I do have one problem, my watermaker isn’t
working. I can store fresh rain water and boil it on the stove as
a back up. I’ll be able to fix it later on as the boat is all over
the place here. I have water supplies for a month so we’ll see.
"I have a waypoint at 25 degrees West 30 degrees South but
I don’t think I can make it as the wind is more SSE now. If I
go upwind more the boat starts getting a pounding and the rig
really suffers. It’s been like this for three days now. So I have
kept my max speed at 9/10 knots to save the boat.
"I think everyone else is having the same problems as me. I
want to go faster but pounding the boat for several days is too
much stress on the material. The wind should be more
Easterly tomorrow night so I can go faster.
"I’m watching the weather every day, getting faxes from South
Africa already, but I can;t tell if the high pressure will stay
stationary for me or change. In any case I want to be on the
left of the field and not too close to Brazil. We will do 25 % of
the race in the next week. The hardest part is the black beast
of the Southern Ocean and I am just hoping that all the fleet
will be able to pass through with no problems."
[November 28, 2000 - 11:44:16 AM]
Marc Thiercelin (Active Wear) is growing tired of his position
behind the index fleet...
"The wind is starting to fill in, so I can push the boat. Right
now I’m going at 12 - 13 knots. I am forever looking closely
at my gooseneck and saying at it: "If you break I’ll hit you so
hard, d’you understand?". Some days I really pull my hair out
as my options haven’t worked out. It’s crushing for the morale
and I hope that it won’t continue all the way round as I would
hate to finish last!"
|
