11.11.2005
DAY 7: A NIGHT FULL OF ADRENALIN
AS SILL ET VEOLIA CRASH GYBES IN 38 KNOT SQUALL...
IN BRIEF:
SILL ET VEOLIA CRASH GYBES PUSHING HARD in 38 knot squall losing valuable miles to Open 60 leaders Virbac-Paprec…
JOURDAIN AND MACARTHUR EXHAUSTED AS THEY WORK HARD to stay within reach of Virbac-Praprec, as they pull away from the newest generation boats…
ORMA TRIMARAN GROUPAMA2 CAPsizeS IN SQUALL resulting in the injury of French skipper Franck Profit
“WE’RE BOTH A BIT FULL OF ADRENALIN, MIRACULOUSLY WE DIDN’T BREAK ANYTHING!”
IN DETAIL:
It was an exhausting night on board Sill et Veolia as Jourdain and MacArthur were caught in a 38 knot (44mph) squall west of the Canary Islands. Whilst pushing the boat hard in gale force winds, Jourdain and MacArthur were nervous of the conditions, taking the decision to change from the spinnaker to the gennaker. Moments later Sill et Veolia suddenly crash gybed out of control. MacArthur who was sleeping at the time, was woken abruptly as she was thrown across the cabin. After twenty minutes hard work, Jourdain and MacArthur managed to get Sill et Veolia upright and under control. The boat has been checked over and they believe that they have had a lucky escape, with no damage reported onboard. Spirits between the French and UK pairing reindex high, even in the most dangerous situations, as Ellen reports a good sense of humour onboard…
In fact though we're pretty knackered and always pushing we still manage a giggle, normally about something fairly un-important, or something funny that one or the other of us does. I'm really happy to be out here with Bilou (aka Roland Jourdain), it's great." Commented Ellen this morning.
Jean Pierre Dick & Loik Peyron’s Virbac-Paprec and 2nd place Sill et Veolia passed safely to the west of the Canary Islands (by 200nm) at approximately 0445GMT this morning. They escaped the wind shadow cast by the Islands, which allowed them to keep their excellent position to the west of the fleet. Bonduelle (3rd) and Ecover (4th) passed within 60nm of the Islands, feeling the effects - with both Ecover and Bonduelle having to gybe west. The last twenty-four hours has seen the leading four boats all sail in excess of 400nm, averaging over 18knots for the 24hr period. After losing mileage due to the squall last night, Sill et Veolia is now back on track, sailing south at speed averaging 18knots downwind as they stay west of the following pack heading towards the next landmark of the Cape Verde Islands currently 560 miles to the south. Conditions are forecast to reindex fairly constant over the next 24hours with north-easterly trade winds averaging between 20-25knots.
The Trade Winds, commonly known for their more stable downwind conditions, can still throw a few surprises. Unforecasted squalls, such as the one that caused Ellen and Bilou’s wipeout also caught out 2nd placed ORMA 60 Trimaran Groupama2 skippers Franck Proffit and Franck Cammas . They suffered during a 40knot (46mph) squall north-west of the Canary Island of Santa Cruz de la Palma last night. It resulted in the capsizing of Groupama2 and injury to Franck Profit who was airlifted to safety, and reindexs in hospital this morning suffering from water in his lungs. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Email from Ellen on board Sill et Veolia:
News of the night is that we were pushing pretty hard, though last night things were getting a bit dodgy with the spinnaker so we changed to the gennaker to be a bit safer; though we didn't expect what was to happen next. We crash gybed under pilot in a 38 knot squall. Poor Sill and V was completely on her side, the cabin seemed much wider as I climbed vertically up the floor to get out. We spent 20 mins trying to get her sorted and we did. And although we were both a bit full of adrenalin, miraculously we didn’t break anything. I was a asleep when it happened so it was a bit of a rude awakening. But, we always manage to see the funny side of all this stuff which is great. In fact though we're pretty knackered and always pushing we still manage a giggle, normally about something fairly un-important, or something funny that one or the other of us does. Really happy to be out here with Bilou, it's great. We've been stuck to the helm for a couple of days now, and the helming is touch going, especially in the big waves, when we had the kite and gusts up to 38 knots. It’s physically hard work, but the speed is good. It's great surfing, but very stressful and getting the kites down has been pretty sportif!
E & B
Jargon Buster: Squall
Sudden violent winds; often accompanied by precipitation. The air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.
OPEN 60 RANKINGS 1300 GMT:
1. VIRBAC-PAPREC / DISTANCE TO FINISH 2526.2MILES
2. SILL ET VEOLIA / +32.4 MILES
3. BONDUELLE / +107.7 MILES
4 ECOVER / +116.3 MILES
5. SKANDIA / +148.7 MILES
|
