February 01. 2009 at 08:48
Michel Desjoyeaux’s first treat for the waiting crowds
in the Vendée Globe finish town of Les Sables d’Olonne has been to offer them the luxury of a Saturday night to let their hair down complete in the knowledge that their champion elect is now unlikely to arrive before the middle of Sunday afternoon.
While the Vendée town enjoyed a lively evening, Desjoyeaux was struggling to make it through a high pressure ridge. The shore-side fans were taking their evening aperitifs when The Professor was slowed back to just two knots at one stage. Since then his speed has picked up on Foncia, making a steady 10-11 knots in SE’ly winds which will back to give him strong headwinds and a likely finish time of between 1500hrs and 1900hrs GMT. At 0630hrs GMT he had 82 miles to the finish line.
For him this morning his final sunrise over the Atlantic. To the east an orange glow appears timidly attempting to warm up the atmosphere. Soon it will be re-entry time. The culture shock from lonely soloist to instant celebrity at the epicentre of the jubilations. Yesterday was the time for washing, shaving and making himself look presentable. Foncia toohas to be tidied up. So the damage cannot be hidden – there are stanchions missing after they were used to repair the rudder. On the bowsprit there are signs of lamination work. But inside at least, the boat can return to her pristine condition with all the bags neatly stowed. The dirty laundry and rubbish bags are hidden away out of view of the visitors. A final breakfast. Time to enjoy a hot coffee this morning, as there is no hurry. Everything will be ready for this evening’s tide
Soon it will be time for the first words to the waiting world, where every word will be listened to as if the gospel truth. To the north a small trawler from the Isle of Yeu or from a Breton port. Just another chance encounter between the sailor and those who earn their livelihood on the sea, but the concentration reindexs right up to the finishing line.
If Desjoyeaux has felt a few pangs of frustration they are a world away from the difficulties of his friend Roland Jourdain who reindexs in second place, some 130-150 miles from the Azores. headwinds are hampering the progress of Veolia Environnment towards the island haven and this morning Bilou is course making a NE’ly when the most suitable islands lie almost due north. Meantime Armel Le Cléac’h has freed Brit Air from the Azores high pressure and this morning is making 11-13 knots to Veolia Environnement’s 4.6 knots. Brit Air is now under 400 miles behind Bilou.
Marc Guillemot’s Safran has been consistently quicker than Roxy in recent hours and Sam Davies has been forced to concede 18 miles of her lead, Safran likely now to be into a more ideal power band for her double reefed configuration as the trade winds strengthen a little. Roxy is still 84 miles ahead and making 11.7 knots to Safran’s 13.
Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) makes steady progress in the trades also and has steadily squeezed up on Safran. Now just 262 miles behind Guillemot, he most now fancy his chances when the duo in front start to hit the Azores high pressure system.
Dee Caffari’s Doldrums have presented her with some of the most frustrating hours of her race. She has lost over 150 miles to Thompson and this morning is now 266 miles behind Bahrain Team Pindar. At 0330hrs GMT this morning her yellow Open 50 was scarcely moving, but since then she has managed to make a few knots speed to the NW.
Since 1500hrs yesterday she had made only 40 miles, including no fewer than seven tacks or gybes plus countless sail changes.
Steve White is now 390 miles off the Brasilian coast still making a steady nine knots, passing the latitude of Rio. Strategically, like others in these realms of the fleet, White is not getting the level of weather information to judge his best options, to plot the arrival of fronts and so he is keeping well offshore. So too, Rich Wilson behind him, is often reduced to working from first principles, but the Great American III is the fastest boat in the fleet this morning, creaming along at 13.4 knots. And Raphael Dinelli, the skipper from Olonne sur Mer, has less than 30 hours to run to Cape Horn with the Austrian skipper Norbert Sedlacek now 133 miles behind him.
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