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Syndikate Vendee Globe 2008/09 - BT OPEN 60//SEB JOSSE
www.btsebjosse.com - www.vendeeglobe.org - Übersicht
9 November 2008
24 Hours in, 3 boats back to base already, and things are about to get tougher
In brief:
- 24hrs into the Vendée Globe and Seb Josse onboard BT is in the leading pack in 5th place (1500GMT)
- The leaders are all pushing west as fast as they can to reach the low pressure system, with its more favourable wind direction, first.
- This weather front will bring tough conditions - survival mode for the sailors, expect further damage amongst the fleet
- Three boats have already been forced to return to Les Sables d'Olonne to make repairs including race favourite Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia
- Partner of the day: OMEGA
www.btsebjosse.com http://www.btsebjosse.com/
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Fotos: Thierry Martinez/ SeaCo/ BT Seb Josse
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In detail:
Following the start of the sixth edition of the solo, non-stop Vendée Globe yesterday at 13h02 local time, Sébastien Josse kept BT up with the leading pack and at the first official rankings jointly held the lead with Marc Guillemot on Safran. In the last 24 hours, the leading pack of Loick Peyron (Gitana Eighty), Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environment), Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel) and Seb - only separated by 6 miles - have been pushing west (forced away from the direct south-westerly route by the wind being right on the nose) to get to the low pressure system first. Its associated cold front will cross the racecourse tonight, with winds of 40 knots, gusting 55 knots (46-63mph / 74-101km/hr) and very rough sea conditions with swells up to 7m (23ft). After this major storm passes, the wind should decrease and shift to the NW which is precisely what Seb is anticipating by charging west. The change in wind direction will allow BT to tack and enjoy some faster straight line conditions towards Cape Finisterre.
From Seb today (10.11.08).
"Pretty tough conditions here and it's only the beginning. The boat, and especially the mast and rigging are really exposed, with big shocks and vibrations. It's really important to not break something now. I'm really happy with my BT IMOCA 60. I didn't manage to get a proper meal until now, only two crepes and an energy bar. The weather forecast seems to be tougher at the end of the afternoon so I will try to get some sleep and food before then."
Race favourite returns to start port.
Race favourite, Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia, is the third boat to return to Les Sables d'Olonne. Foncia is experiencing electrical problems and a leak in the water ballast system. Dominique Wavre (Temenos) unable to recharge his batteries returned to the start port but left a few hours later with the problem solved. Unfortunately for Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) his problems will take longer to repair following a collision with a fishing boat that left him with a broken bowsprit.
Partner of the day: OMEGA ambassadress Ellen MacArthur is no stranger to sailing challenges that push her to personal mental and physical limits: at only 31, she has amassed an outstanding range of sailing achievements. Her remarkable feats include becoming the fastest woman and the youngest person to circumnavigate the earth in a solo yacht race in 2005. One of her other great triumphs was the spectacular second place she won in the 2000 Vendée Globe, the "Everest" of sailing, when she raced solo non-stop around the world. She is one of the youngest people ever to be awarded the DBE (Dame Commander of the British Empire). Her ambition, professionalism and determination to succeed, as well as her innovative thinking and the challenges she tries to reach, are the personal attributes that inspired OMEGA to choose her to join its family of ambassadors in 2002.
High-resolution images of the BT Open 60 are now available for download via the media website http://www.btsebjosse.com.
Don't forget to sign up for press updates, with images, video and audio files available to download.
Follow all the action and find out more about the team at the new website http://www.btsebjosse.com
For further information on the BT Team Ellen contact:
Julie Royer
BT Team Ellen Communications Manager
Email: julie.royer@ocgroup.com
Tel: +44 7500 787 812
Facing Challenges Together... on and off the water
BT Team Ellen comprises a group of dedicated sailors who are passionate about winning. They race across oceans, take on round the world epics and engage in close inshore combat. But they are also a team who care about the state of the planet they race around, and are striving to live and work in more sustainable ways, and motivate others to do the same.
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