11.12.2008
Ambition intact
Tenth since yesterday, Safran has favoured a position to the south of the
fleet to round the Kerguelen archipelago within the next 36 hours. Marc
Guillemot is on the attack, determined to quickly get back with those in the
Top Ten.
The first thought this morning from Marc Guillemot was for his friend Loïck
Peyron: “I’m terribly sad for Loïck. He was masterful up to this point, but
he is the first to know that sailing is a mechanical sport. It is harmful to
all of us because the name of the game is for as many of us as possible to
make the finish”. At the same time, Marc signalled a peak speed of 27.5
knots on his GPS display. “This won’t change the way I sail. I’ve never been
foolhardy. On the contrary, I feel increasingly at ease with the boat. As my
pilot is now working very well, it’s changed my life. I’m managing to do
‘things’ which were previously impossible for me to do up till now. It’s now
that I realise the extent of the time I’ve lost”.
On a layline towards the Kerguelen Islands
Ahead of Safran’s bow, Yann Eliès (Generali) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air)
are now within rifle range, even though there was still a considerable
distance between them at the 1100 hour ranking, 22 and 74 miles
respectively. At around 0600 hours this morning, Marc gybed and is now on a
direct course on port tack making for the straight which comprises the
Kerguelen archipelago to the north and Heard island to the south. “I hunted
down a marked wind rotation, which forced me go very far south, right off
course. Right now the haemorrhage in the position report is over. I’m now on
what’s referred to as the layline, which means that I can make the next mark
on a single tack and snatch back some miles in the ranking. I can really see
myself coming back on Yann and then Armel at pace”.
A thorough inspection
Marc Guillemot has only allowed himself 20 minutes of heating since the cold
and dampness began to invade Safran’s interior. “I’m perfectly within my
limits in terms of my diesel consumption, but even if it means I’m cold, I
prefer to have a surplus so that the radar and infrared camera are
constantly turning on the masthead, as has been the case for more than two
days. We could come across ice at any minute…” Eastward bound, Marc will
continue to sail along this same latitude of between 51° and 52° S for the
next couple of days. This morning there was 30 knots of NW’ly wind and Marc
was expecting to suffer gusts of up to 35, or even 40 knots. “There’s
nominal wind strength at these latitudes. The only storm we’ve had to date
was the one right at the start.” Despite the cold, Marc is paying his boat
the utmost attention, performing a thorough inspection of the gear several
times a day.
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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