Press release Saturday
27th November 2004/3 p.m. GMT
1500 GMT 27 november 2004
1. PRB (Vincent Riou) 18318,6 miles from the finish
2. Bonduelle (Jean Le Cam) 13 miles from the leader
3. Sill et Veolia (Roland Jourdain) 398,1 miles from the leader
The way out for Ecover and Hugo Boss
- Vincent Riou (PRB) et Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle) are in the lead on the 21st day of the race. Vincent is now 398,1 miles ahead of Roland Jourdain(Sill et Véolia) in third place in the 3 p.m. rankings.
- in the 3 p.m. rankings, Mike Golding (Ecover) is fifth, 551,4 miles from the leader Vincent Riou (PRB). Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) is in sixth place and Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto) 11th.
- Mike Golding (Ecover) and Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) have finally made it out of the St. Helena high.
- The fleet can be split in four parts: the two leaders are entering the low-pressure areas in the Deep South, a second group with Ecover and Hugo Boss is located in a transitionary zone between the high and the southern lows, a third group with Hellomoto and Ocean Planet is still in the anticyclone, and finally the last group with Brother is sailing in the easterly trades.
While they are all going on the same route, the sailing conditions they are facing are extremely varied. Vincent Riou (PRB) et Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle), the present leaders, are continuing to increase their lead with each check-in. 3 or 4 knots extra speed per hour is enough to lead to 96 miles extra on the mileage gauge after 24 hours. Vincent Riou (PRB) currently has at 3 p.m. a lead of 13 miles over Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle). A drop in the ocean compared to the gap that they have established over Roland Jourdain (Sill et Veolia) in third place, who is currently 398,1 miles from the leader. In a few hours, they will be entering the series of lows, which turn around the Antarctic, which marks a turning point with cold weather, a large swell, ice and storms.
Behind, the hunt is on. Mike Golding (Ecover) is part of the first group of chasers, including Sill et Veolia and VMI. He is finding it tough to get out of the St. Helena high and today at 3 p.m. was 551,4 miles behind the leader. Like those in front, he is firstly finding a 10-knot west-north-westerly generated on the southern edge of the high. As he makes his way south, the stronger the wind will become, until he also enters the low- pressure systems. While Mike seems to be out of trouble, he is going to struggle to regain the miles he has lost, which have been increasing steadily with each position chart. Alex Thomson is facing the same conditions (Hugo Boss). He is currently gliding along in a 12-knot wind with the spinnaker and full indexsail. Alex finally made it out of hell after a terrible day yesterday. At 3 p.m. he was 751,8 miles behind the race leader. Further to the west than the others, he is sailing in a wind three-quarters aft and was making faster headway than Mike (Ecover) according to the latest positions. 200,4 miles currently separate the two British yachtsmen.
Behind, while the situation is, and will be, less and less difficult, the miles they have lost are nevertheless still increasing. The speed of the boats is crucial and most of the fleet is making very hard work of it. Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) has escaped and soon it will be the turn of Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec), Dominique Wavre (Temenos), and finally Bruce Schwab (Ocean Planet). Moving off gradually to the east, the St. Helena high will let go firstly those, who were furthest west. The situation is likely to be trickier for Marc Thiercelin (Pro-Form), Joé Seeten (Arcelor Dunkerque) and Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto), who was 837,9 miles behind at 3 p.m. today, off to the west of the fleet. For the moment, they are still struggling with the high and its wind holes. Crossing a high is such a risky business that it is impossible to know whether the aforementioned will find the way out.
Finally, the group at the tail end including Norbert Sedlacek on Brother (1701,6 miles from the leader) is continuing to sail in easterly trades along the Brazilian coast. With a 10-15 knot wind on the beam, which should accompany them around the St. Helena high, which is gradually moving off to the east and the African coast as the days go by. Those bringing up the rear will be able to catch up a little with the rest of the fleet, which will have struggled for five days or so in this anticyclone trap.
Quotes :
Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) :
«Throughout a race a sailor always faces problems, but most can be solved. Yesterday, I had really had enough, as there are no solutions to the absence of wind .Yesterday was an awful day. I must have done 30 or 40 tacks. I felt like putting my anchor out. I had a talk with myself. I told myself I hadn’t done much wrong and I needed to concentrate on the future to get away from the pack of wolves coming up behind.»
Vincent Riou (PRB) :
«We are accelerating as the wind is gradually increasing. The sky is still blue with a few clouds, showing us that the low isn’t that far off. It’s going to cloud over during the day. We’ll be sailing along nicely for another 24 hours, before we dive right in. I’m taking advantage of the conditions to take care of a few checks. For example, I gave the engine a once over, and after doing the housework outside, I’m going to do some cleaning inside. I’m not that excited . I’m waiting to see what will happen. For me, the Deep South is a voyage into the unknown. I’m trying to anticipate things, as much as I can. For the next few days, I’m glad I’m here rather than 700 miles behind. With Jean, we’ll be setting off on the first low to find our legs. Behind us, they will be experiencing the second low, which is much more violent than the first. The forecasts are predicting 45 knot winds in this second low.»
Dominique Wavre (Temenos) :
«It’s just so frustrating, as I can’t get back up there. We will need a large high like this one or the Doldrums to hold them up. Unless there is an unexpected evolution to the south of Australia or New Zealand, I don’t know how we can get from one system to another.»
Marc Thiercelin (Pro-Form) :
«In theory, unless there is a miracle, the Vendée Globe won’t be mine. I already know that in my head. In the south, everyone will be going quickly. It’s impossible to get back up there, even in my wildest dreams. Only the areas between the lows could help me catch up or if there is damage to the boats. Which we wouldn’t wish on anyone, of course ! It’s just impossible … ».
Source : Vendée Globe
www.vendeeglobe.org
Pc Presse Vendée Globe tel. +33 1 55 56 66 50 - fax.+33 1 55 56 62 90
email : press@vendeeglobe.fr Pc Paris : ouvert de 9h30 à 20h00 - Gare Montparnasse - Jardin Atlantique - 23 allée de la 2e DB - 75015 Paris - France
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