Positionstabelle
04.03.2005
Press release
Friday 4 March 2005
1500 GMT 3 March 2005
11. Anne Liardet (Roxy) 455,3 miles from the finish.
12. Raphael Dinelli (Akena Verandas) 742,5 miles from 11th.
13. Karen Leibovici (Benefic) 1 111,2 miles from 11th.
Anne’s Moment of Glory is Approaching…
Anne Liardet (Roxy) is awaiting her moment of glory. A moment when she will become the third woman, after Catherine Chabaud and Ellen Macarthur, to officially complete a Vendée Globe. Whether the Bay of Biscay will release her from its clutches for an arrival on Mothering Sunday (in the UK) or on Monday reindexs to be seen, but as she passes Cape Finisterre an unfavourable swell is blocking her progress, forcing her to go way off course. Aching to see her kids again, she will clearly be doing her utmost to make the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne as soon as possible after what is today her 117th day alone at sea.
Caught up in a merciless Bay of Biscay where a lounging anticyclone is providing N’ly winds, Anne Liardet is on a NW’ly heading giving her an appalling VMG. Her short term goal is to find a NNW’ly wind shift so as she can finally head eastbound. As Roxy slams through the seas her mast wands were lost to winds last night, her two Brooks automatic pilots have given up the ghost, and so too has her desalinator. Feeling that the finish is now just around the corner, Anne has determinedly decided to helm, bail and dry out the boat until she gets where she is going, tired or otherwise.
Raphaël Dinelli (Akena Verandas) has struck it rich. The SE’ly air flow generated by the big depression coming from the North Atlantic is providing him with some fine, long hours of downwind towards the Azores and maybe even Brittany. The seas are calming and after resting this morning he is rediscovering the pleasures of sailing again after an arduous night of upwind with the seas running against him.
“I have to make headway” declared Karen Leibovici (Benefic) earlier after hitting some S’ly winds and hoisting her sails back up. Apart from the messy seas and the chop, nothing can quell her desires to make good speed to the Azores. Around 1500 miles from the finish, Karen is continuing to pamper her Benefic. “I have 300 to 400 litres of water in the front sail locker and without any power for using the pump, I am bailing out big bucketfuls of sea water from the boat...”
Quotes from the Boats :
Karen Leibovici (Benefic):
“Things calmed down last night. I was able to go onto the opposite tack. I’m trying not to drop down under 8/10 knots of boat speed. I go round the boat every 30 minutes. I almost lost my liferaft yesterday as the slamming broke the straps. I hurt my back getting it back in position and I then had to bail out 15 buckets of water from the sail locker. I’m waiting for things to calm down even more to get it all out. I’ve managed to get some good rest and I’m heading the right way. I’m going to do my utmost to make headway.”
Raphaël Dinelli (Akena Verandas):
“I’m making headway in a SE’ly air flow. Like Vincent Riou last month, I too am weaving my way along with a ridge of high pressure. I’m going in search of a backing wind quite far up N so as I can tack back onto port towards the finish. The wind is coming back in slowly. I’m making a lot of sail changes and I’m keeping an eye out for shipping. I’ve only slept for two hours in the past 24 hours but I want to make the most of the downwind conditions while they last. The wind is coming from the S and is toning down the cold which is nice.”
Anne Liardet (Roxy):
“I’m still being shaken around and I managed to lose my mast wand and break two of my pilots. Other than that I’m now so keen to see my kids and give them all hugs and I’d really like a good, real coffee. Bergamot tea is alright for a while but I’m a coffee drinker at heart and I ran out of it a few weeks back.”
Source : Vendée Globe
www.vendeeglobe.org
Vendée Globe Press Office
Tel: +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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