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5. Vendee Globe 2004/2005
www.vendeeglobe.org - zur Übersicht
Positionstabelle 23.12.2004
23.12.2004
Press release
1500 GMT 23 December 2004
1. Bonduelle (Jean Le Cam) 10658.8 miles from the finish.
2. PRB (Vincent Riou) 31.5 miles from the leader.
3. Ecover (Mike Golding) 258 miles from the leader.
The Adventure that is the Vendée Globe...
After passing into the western hemisphere the situation for the leading duo isn’t looking too bright for the coming days, caution preventing 100% concentration on the race. The curiosity of leader Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle) has taken him to within 100 metres of two further icebergs and Vincent Riou’s (PRB) more northerly course may enable him to slip behind a depression south-east of New Zealand and be the first to get more favourable north-westerly winds as the depression dips south.
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Foto: Sebastian Josse/VMI
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The latter has already made up nearly 20 miles on the leader in the past 4 hours. Behind Mike Golding (Ecover) and Sébastien Josse (VMI) will be able to reap the benefits of both better speed and a better heading. With the complication of the weather systems their ETA at Cape Horn is today forecast for between Monday 3 and Wednesday 2 January and a possible finish at the end of that month.
Making the situation for the Vendée Globe fleet more complicated in the coming days is the descent of a depression from the north which will drop towards the south-east. It is going to be devilishly important to negotiate the system well as the first to escape will hit north-westerlies generated by this latter system and will be able to take to their heels, Vincent’s trajectory looking slightly more favourable. The upwind conditions in a persistent, prevailing easterly have slowed the progress of our two leaders over the past days; the small transition phase between the current situation and that of tomorrow afternoon not having helped things.
The anxiety had gone from Jean Le Cam’s (Bonduelle) voice today, admitting to being almost used to slaloming through the icebergs now. “I have seen 2 other icebergs. I was curious to see them up close somehow so I got to within 100 meters of them. It was a very pretty sight with greeny-blue seas around. One of them was fairly small while the other was around 150 square metres, and 40m high. I also clearly saw one big growler. It’s always impressive to see them. You see nothing 6 or 7 miles away. Between the moment you see the iceberg on the radar and the point that you’re on top of it, there’s just half an hour, and that’s upwind when you’re slower. I slept for about half an hour but it’s not a very restful situation. The biggest problem though is the breaking seas, even in the calm.” Still with a mind on the race, Jean believes that his course will pay.”
Just 31.5 miles behind him, Vincent Riou (PRB) also feels like he’s been through the mill. “I haven’t seen any more icebergs since the ones I saw yesterday. I spotted the first of them at nightfall with the radar and the second I could feel the presence of while I was standing on deck. There was a fine drizzle and I could feel the cold, dense air around it. I spent the night on the deck doing return trips to the radar, but it’s good to be on the helm in those kinds of conditions. I would really like to see a change in the class measurements so that it was necessary to have more powerful radars. We really got shaken up yesterday. It was a dramatic day and it’s rare to get shaken like that in 30/35 knots of air. I’m looking forward to no upwind – no 5/6 metre waves with the wind on the nose. There’s nothing you can do when it’s like that – it’s catastrophic.”
Yet to make the ice field Mike Golding (Ecover) was more hopeful of his passage, though contrastingly less optimistic for PRB. “It’s a huge ocean and there’s plenty of sea that doesn’t have ice in it. The forecast ahead doesn’t look too bad. It looks like a fairly fast run to Cape Horn. We’re close reaching now, and we should be running in two days’ time. We’re in a lift, whereas the leaders are more headed. PRB may be on the edge of a calm, and a tack for her now would be horrible.”
Hanging admirably onto the stern of Ecover, 24.2 miles back, Sébastien Josse’s first remark from VMI was key. “I’ve limited the damage” he said at the morning radio session, pleased to be sailing in much easier conditions now that the wind has veered round to the south. “I’m making 12 knots straight down the road now having eased my sheets. The wind changed in the middle of the night and now we’re on a proper course. The weather situation ahead looks pretty favourable for Mike and I and we should be able to get on the same train as Bonduelle and PRB. My spirits are up again as a result. Tonight I’ll be on watch, I don’t feel like sleeping for some reason. I’ve been sleeping a lot in preparation.” Competitive as ever, Sébastien joked of Mike adjusting to his course rather than the other way round. “I thought I’d lose more 27 miles but I have been working hard changing tack. Right now I’ve got 25 knots of wind and the visibility is good.”
Over the Christmas period there doesn’t appear to be anything too nasty up ahead although the tail of the fleet are likely to get a good blow. Part of the rear of the pack in 14th place Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto) was in good spirits joking about cooking up an Albatross for Christmas dinner, though all was not quite as it should be aboard Hellomoto. "Things aren’t too bad. I’m very dirty as I’m covered in oil thanks to a problem with the generator. It broke around 24 hours ago and I’ve been working on it for hours. I really don’t know if I can fix it, there’s oil everywhere. If I can’t get it going I can still get a charge from the index engine but it is not as efficient and will use up more fuel. For Christmas day I’m expecting the wind to veer from the north-west to the south-west then back round to the north-west. I expect the wind to fill to 40/45 knots fairly quickly, with the possibility of as much as 50 knots. The situation will be quite dangerous with some strange cross seas. It’s going to be important to be on top of the sail changes but I am rested and well fed. I need to watch the weather over the next 24/48 hours. I’m going to try and escape the big blow by getting east as quickly as I can while the depression moves south. For now I’m running blind without the radar on. The conditions are very foggy in a north-westerly wind system. It’s fairly warm and the seas have been fairly flat for the past few days.”
Quotes from the Boats:
Nick Moloney (Skandia):
"I’m feeling good. The weather was very nice today (night time in the southern hemisphere now). The sun is out but the winds have been a bit light. I’ve been having some trouble with the wind shifts but I’m just concentrating on heading east. It’s proving difficult to get past Australia. My objective is to be south of Tasmania at Christmas. It’s a pleasure to be here. I’m focussed on passing Cape Horn and making the finish. The boat is great now, I just need wind from the right direction. I’m worried about being north as we’ll be forced close to Tasmania, but at least we’ll be north of the ice field. Since the big storm I wouldn’t say that I was stronger necessarily, but I am certainly wary. The Pacific has traditionally been a nice seaway and very cold as you have to go very far south to round the horn. It’s also normally faster than the Indian. I’m hoping to enjoy the southern ocean with some great sunsets and the southern lights. For Christmas I’m going to get the best of both worlds, I’ll open my French present on Christmas Eve as the French do and then I’ll open my Australian presents on Christmas Day..."
Bruce Schwab (Ocean Planet):
“Drat! After a lot of agonizing, I have decided to head north to fix the radar. It´s too bad as I am set up in a good position for a long starboard jibe run to the south which is the fastest route. But there is no way I´m going to get up the radar tower in these seas. It looks like the only chance for lighter air in the south would be in the centre of a depression which was a possibility, but I decided not to chance it. heading north also has its perils, as in a few days there may be very strong southerly winds near Tasmania and it would be good to be farther south then, but that is several days off and the weather predictions could change. This move will cost us a LOT of miles which is a bummer since we had just got set up to cash in with the long starboard jibe. But that´s the way it goes, if I want to have the radar working before Tasmania. I spent hours all geared up today hoping for a chance to go up, but every time I thought it was possible the wind and waves convinced me otherwise. Once we get in good conditions the fix should be fairly quick and then it´s back to the races.”
Marc Thiercelin (Pro-Form):
“It will doubtless be a rather sad Christmas for me. I’ve known better but I’m telling myself that there will be others. I’m going to read. I read quite a lot at the moment. In fact I’m afraid that I haven’t got enough to last me.”
Jean Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec):
“I am trying to repair my rudder quadrant inside the boat and for now I’m using an emergency rudder. I may have to stop the boat to make decent repairs when the weather conditions allow.”
Patrice Carpentier (VM Matériaux):
“After a bit of respite and reflection, I have decided to continue my normal race course. I’ve made a work schedule to repair this damn boom which comprises cutting up part of the spinnaker pole and then adjusting it to use as an insert so as to join the two pieces of the boom and then make it rigid from the outside with the help of some spare indexsail battens. This repair will enable me to sail with two reefs in the indexsail which is less painful…”
Source : Vendée Globe 2004
www.vendeeglobe.org
Vendée Globe Press Office Tél. : +33 1 55 56 66 50 - Fax : +33 1 55 56 62 90
@ : press@vendeeglobe.fr
French Media : Caroline Concetti, Anne Millet and Soazig Guého
International Media : Sabina Mollart-Rogerson, Ophélie Théron
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