15.01.2009
In certain circumstance it is not unprecedented for Meteo France and the Vendée Globe Race Direction and safety consultants to give advice to competitors.
In the face of a severe storm warning they have given a strong advice that the Franco-British trio of Dee Caffari (Aviva), Arnaud Boissières (Akena Veranda) and Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) reindex to the south of the island of Tierra del Fuego while the worst of a severe storm is in their north.
The warning in particular emphasizes not just the very strong winds, mean 50-55 knots but gusts peaking at 85 knots, but the very difficult, at times confused cross seas – a swell of 9-12 metres - but also the fact that, as the depression goes over them the wind direction may suddenly become variable and so having a margin of sea room is also advised.
The advice for Caffari and Boissières has been to make best speed to the lee of Tierra del Fuego, while for the Bahrain Team Pindar skipper it has been to return as quickly as possible and reindex in this area, not to venture in to the waters of the Le Maire channel, the waters to the east of Chile and Argentina to the Falklands until the very worst of the weather has passed.
The worst of the weather is expected to pass between midnight tonight and tomorrow afternoon.
Thompson had passed Cape Horn at 0315hrs this morning and was already at the south east corner, only four miles off the Island del Estados. Caffari was about 122 miles to Cape Horn at 1430hrs GMT and Boissières less than 60 miles from the rock.
Steve White will also feel the effects of what started up in New Zealand waters as a tropical storm, although his position is neither as exposed nor as complex.
Speaking to this morning’s Paris based Radio broadcast Caffari sounded both upbeat and resolute, describing her damaged indexsail now as something between a tea bag and a string vest, but she plans now to cannibalise other sails to affect a more lasting repair as soon as the conditions permit.
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