28 November 2008
Week 3 Round Up: Saint Helena High Pressure
Week 3 Round Up: Leaders Vie To Be First in the Southern Ocean
Position: 1st (3.5 miles ahead of, Loick Peyron, Gitana Eighty)
Location: approx 1910 miles south of the Equator, 1350 miles east of the coast of Uruguay
Course: South
Speed: 10.3 knots
Distance to Finish: 19,662
Watch this week's VIDEO UPDATE includes onboard footage of the South Atlantic conditions and latest interviews with Sébastien
Image http://www.btsebjosse.com/video.asp
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BT crossed the Equator last Friday night (21.11.08), crossing from the Northern Hemisphere into the South. Sébastien was in 2nd place, a position he held for another week behind the same leader Loick Peyron, until taking the lead yesterday afternoon (Thursday, 26.11.08). Peyron was again in first place at 0400 GMT this morning in terms of distance to the finish; by 1000GMT Seb was ranked in the lead again picking his way through the fickle conditions. These two skippers have dominated the frontrunners for the past 2 weeks now, although only 40 miles now separates the leading 9 boats - incredible when you consider they have covered nearly 5,000 miles. The South Atlantic turned into a drag race south - squally upwind conditions, boat permanently heeled over, slamming into confused and choppy seas. Life on board has been testing and for some race-ending. Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore) broke two spreaders on the starboard side of his mast, he sailed the boat to the coastal protection of Recife (Brazil) to scale the mast and then confirmed what he feared the most, he could not repair the damage. He was the fifth retirement in the Vendée Globe race.
Now, it's a case of 'who dares wins', as BT negotiates the area of high pressure ahead skirting the dangerous St Helena High - too close and the wind will disappear. Seb knows he must edge round the high keeping BT in a lane of acceleration to propel him towards the fast downwind conditions that lay beyond:"I think the first one that arrive the other side of the high pressure is in a very good shape for the rest of the race." This is a key moment in the race and it will certainly be a test of nerves and consummate tactics to come out ahead.
Daily Summary - Week 3:
Image Day 12 - November 20: Doldrums Get Together
Fighting light winds at the front - but could the exit to the Doldrums be near? "I'm alright, I could be more tired. Right now it's hot, I have no wind and with the swell the boat is a bit shaken", says Sébastien. Slow start to the day and fleet compression on the menu.
Day 13 - November 21: Equator Crossing
Free of the Doldrums, BT holds on to 2nd place as they sail into steady South-Easterly Trade Winds. Sandwiched between Vendée Globe race favourites Loick Peyron in the lead and Vincent Riou behind, Seb is more than happy with his position after 3,000 miles of racing. Will cross the the Equator tonight but Seb not planning to make any sacrifice to Neptune: "I give him too much already!"
Day 14 15 - November 22/23: Bumpy Ride South
A bumpy ride in the South Atlantic as BT pushes south in lumpy seas, holding on to 2nd place 28 miles behind Loick Peyron (Gitana Eighty) and 11 miles ahead of Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2). The current conditions are expected to be in place for next 4 days as Seb looks ahead to the next obstacle on the Vendée Globe race course, the St Helena High pressure zone. Jeremie Beyou (Delta Dore), currently lying in 10th place, diverting to coast of Brazil to assess damage to his mast.
Day 16 - November 24: BT Powering South
Sébastien Josse on BT along with the frontrunners of the Vendée Globe 2008 are now sailing in stonger winds with a better angle. "A lot wetter, but a lot faster. This Saint Helena [huge area of high pressure] gives me a lot of problems. Now it's just in front of us but in a few days it will start to move back in the east to it usual position, which is good for us because the gate will be wide open." So the 'door to the south' appears to be opening later this week allowing BT to rounding the western side of the high pressure zone.
ImageDay 17 - November 25: St Helena, the great moving hurdle
How to negotiate the Saint Helena High Pressure system? Straight down or to the south - east? In other words, will the position of the Saint Helena high pressure system allow the frontrunners of the 2008 Vendée Globe fleet to shorten the route and head straight to the entrance of the roaring forties, lying some 1200 miles away, or will the system stand on their path, as it usually does, forcing them to stick to the west of the direct route? Decision to be taken by Thursday evening.
Day 18 - November 26: The shape of things to come
Sébastien hot on the trail of Loïck Peyron and the tactical battle is on as they approach the Saint Helena High. target in sight, strategy determined, silent mode activated! "I like where I am right now, but I won't say more on the matter. 10 miles of lateral gap is really not a lot, so I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but let's just say that this position suits me well."
Day 19 - November 27: BT Takes the Lead!
Question: who is the biggest threat to the lead? Answer from Seb: "It's me! I'm sure you have a good surprise in the next report!" And sure enough, BT took the lead at the 1500 GMT positions report. However, distances between the frontrunners are negligible - what counts now is who can get south of the high pressure zone first and into the fast downwind conditions.
Credit Photos: Thierry Martinez/ SeaCo/ BT Seb Josse
High-resolution images of the BT Open 60 are now available for download via the media website http://www.btsebjosse.com.
Follow all the action and find out more about the team at the new website http://www.btsebjosse.com
Julie Royer
BT Team Ellen Communications Manager
Email: julie.royer@ocgroup.com
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