Vendee Globe 2008/09 www.vendeeglobe.org - Übersicht Vendee Globe Sunday 1st February 15h21 (UT) MICHEL DESJOYEAUX ON THE 60 FOOT MONOHULL FONCIA WINS THE VENDÉE GLOBE 2008-2009 - Michel Desjoyeaux adds a new reference time to the race! - Michel Desjoyeaux wins the “Everest of sailing” for a second time - “It’s not a beautiful story, it’s TOO beautiful”. Michel Desjoyeaux on his 60 foot monohull FONCIA crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe 2008/2009 this Sunday 1st February 2009 at 15h21’08’’ UT. FONCIA’s race time is 84 days, 03 hours, 09 minutes and 08 seconds. He covered the 24,840 theoretical miles (46,003.68 km) of this course, single-handed and without assistance, at the average speed of 12.30 knots. As such he has beaten the previous record set in 2004 (Vincent Riou on PRB of 87d 10h 47m) by 3 days 07 hours and 39 minutes. It is worth remembering that Michel Desjoyeaux: - had a deficit of 41 hours on the head of the fleet when he set out from Les Sables d’Olonne a second time on Tuesday 11th November, - had a total deficit of 670.3 miles on Saturday 15th November behind the leader, - covered 1,160 additional miles along the theoretical course in the Southern Ocean given the N’ly position of the obligatory ice gates along the route. As we await the definitive number of miles actually covered by FONCIA, we can guess that Michel Desjoyeaux covered over 28,000 miles at the average speed across the water of 14 knots (the exact number of actual miles covered will be revealed tomorrow Monday 2nd February). Michel Desjoyeaux thus adds his name to the list of Vendée Globe winners for a second time following on from: Titouan Lamazou (1989-1990), Alain Gautier (1992-1993), Christophe Auguin (1996-1997), Michel Desjoyeaux (2000-2001), Vincent Riou (2004-2005) and Michel Desjoyeaux (2008-2009). Michel Desjoyeaux lead/deficit at the key points along the course: - Equator: 1 day 6 hours 43 minutes deficit on Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) - Cape of Good Hope: 4 hours 56 minutes deficit on Sébastien Josse (BT) - Cape Leeuwin: 50 minutes lead over Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) - International Date Line: 2 hours 55 minutes lead over Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) - Cape Horn: 8 hours 50 minutes lead over Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) - Equator: 3 days 5 hours and 52 minutes lead over Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) Initial reactions from Michel Desjoyeaux after crossing the finish line: Thoughts: “It’s incredible… In addition there was a small ray of sunshine as I crossed the finish line. It’s magical; it’s indescribable… It’s really phenomenal. I can’t really get my head round it… I don’t understand, I’m making the most of it and I’ll get my head round it afterwards…” The second start after the damage: “I didn’t think twice about it. I said to myself: there’s a long way to go. We’ll resolve the problem and head out to sea again and then what’s history is history. It’s not even a beautiful story, it’s TOO beautiful”. The recipe: “The race is won 80% before the start: in the choices made by the team, in the organisation, in the serenity, in the experience, it’s a whole bunch of things… The reindexing 20%: it’s the competition, the race…” Damage: “It’s the hardest race there is, and when you see the difficulties we’ve had, it’s only natural that there aren’t very many of us at the finish.” 80 days: “Jules Verne said it took 80 days to circumnavigate the globe. Even with these boats, in 4 years time, it’ll easily be feasible… If you take away the 40 hour deficit and follow a less N’ly trajectory without ice, it’s feasible…” THE HIGHLIGHTS OF AN HISTORIC VICTORY! Sunday 9th November at 13h02 The start of the Vendée Globe 2008/2009 is all shrouded in grey! Low cloud and boiling seas welcome the thirty solo sailors off Les Sables d’Olonne. The schedule is nevertheless respected with the start given at 13h02, coloured by 10/12 knots of SW’ly wind on zone with a pronounced 2 to 3 metre swell. As regards sail configuration opinion is divided with one reef indexsail for some and full indexsail for others. Michel Desjoyeaux on his 60 foot monohull FONCIA opts for the maximum configuration to make headway with the wind on the nose: full indexsail and solent jib. The tone is set! Monday 10th November at 05h00 Michel Desjoyeaux on FONCIA is in 6th position, 9.6 miles behind Marc Guillemot on Safran in pole position. The SW’ly wind has increased to over 30 knots and there are big seas (4 to 6 metres). Michel is positioned the furthest west of the fleet. Monday 10th November at 09h29 Positioned 200 nautical miles from Les Sables d'Olonne, Michel Desjoyeaux - skipper of the 60 foot monohull FONCIA – informs his shore crew of his decision to turn back and return to port. Michel explains why he is forced to head back: a leaking ballast tank cover has gradually flooded his engine compartment, causing electrical problems. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “I had a small leak around a ballast tank cover and I slightly underestimated the scale of it and the damage it could do. Some water has got into the engine compartment… I thought this was just a small amount but this morning, as I ran the engine, there was a smell of burning after 40 minutes…”. Tuesday 11th November at 00h40: Michel Desjoyeaux aboard his 60 foot monohull FONCIA makes for Les Sables d’Olonne despite conditions hampering his entry into port. He enters the channel under sail (three reef indexsail and ORC) and the shore crew ‘take possession’ of the boat. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “A circumnavigation of the globe is long and hard. Certain skippers have paid an even higher price than me. I’m not surprised there’s been breakage because it was pretty violent. However, the boats are nevertheless built to last. I’m lucky to have a mast, sails and the desire to get back out there”. Tuesday 11th November at 06h00: Michel Desjoyeaux leaves the port of Les Sables d’Olonne. The 60 foot Imoca FONCIA exits the channel in the morning accompanied by three support ribs and four crew aboard in survival suits. The latter are disembarked at the last minute; one of the team members even jumping into the water. FONCIA has a deficit of around 360 miles on the leaders as he approaches Cape Finisterre (Spain) and he heads back out into the race with a 41 hour deficit. Email from Michel: “FONCIA heads back out to sea at around 05h40 after a pit-stop worthy of a Ferrari, good as new. A huge bravo to the shore crew and the two guys from Nanni Diesel (the brand of engine equipping FONCIA). The seas are still big and the wind has dropped right off as it’s shifted round to the W/NW. There were still a good number of locals on the quayside and the pontoon in Les Sables: it was fantastic! Setting out with a two day deficit isn’t great, but there’s still a long way to go yet… And though we all know that the Vendée Globe is difficult, impossible just isn’t French”. Technical evaluation by Jean-Paul Roux, director of Team FONCIA: “As Michel was heading back towards Les Sables d’Olonne, we had already quickly deciphered the information he’d given us. After that, each member of the team tried to picture the collateral damage that could have been caused by the ballast tank, according to each of their different areas of expertise. I got in contact with the various suppliers to ensure they were on the alert. Indeed we’d like to thank Nanni Diesel (supplier of FONCIA’s engine), who had nothing to do with the damage caused by the water leak, but were able to send us two technicians from their factory in La Teste. They arrived quarter of an hour prior to the boat’s arrival with all the parts which might need changing. An engineer was also on standby on the telephone in case we had any questions… There wasn’t a minute of downtime as we were able to have a technical debrief from Michel the second he tied up to the pontoon. Following that, three people worked on the engine electrics and performed a thorough check of it. Another team took charge of repairing the pierced ballast tank cover and made the most of the opportunity to check the others. Each team member had a job-list to check certain areas of the boat and the whole thing concluded with a thorough clean down below!” Wednesday 12th November at 11h00 Michel Desjoyeaux is 450 miles behind the leader, Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac). FONCIA is making 14.3 knots VMG in a NW’ly air flow, which is enabling him to make headway across the Bay of Biscay. That same evening, he passes offshore of the Spanish headland of Cape Finisterre. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “On the approach to Cape Finisterre, it was still really slamming… In fact, that was the case throughout the entire crossing. Even though I got across the bay on a single tack, I was driving into the wind and the sea, which made it pretty violent. The wind had shifted but not the waves, which led to some almighty wave jumping! It was high time I hung a left and brought the hurdling to an end…” Friday 14th November at 16h00 The deficits are increasing and Michel Desjoyeaux is battling in the light airs off the Portuguese coast, performing a series of gybes to reindex in the NW’ly air flow. He is positioned 650 miles astern of his playmates who, as he repeats, “aren’t here to hang around!” And they certainly aren’t hanging about as they slip along in a different weather system, boosted by a generous and powerful E/NE’ly tradewind. Whilst Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) is slipping along at 15 knots, FONCIA is racking up an average speed of 10 knots. The first positive point: Michel slips past Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport-Kapsch) and moves up into 22nd position. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “We’re sailing downwind from the tip of Spain. We haven’t had a lot of wind compared with those at the front so I lost a bit of ground yesterday, but it doesn’t matter! Right now I’ve caught up with Norbert Sedlacek, who had keel issues. In principle we should both have got moving again together... I didn’t pass that far off him and now I have a few more playmates in my sights a few hundred miles ahead…” Saturday 15th November at 05h00 FONCIA is 670.3 miles behind Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) who is currently leading the Vendée Globe. This will be the greatest distance separating Michel from the head of the race! Wednesday 19th November at 05h00 A favourable weather sequence after a laborious descent down the Portuguese coast, some judicious course choices and a straightforward trajectory with a W’ly option around Madeira and the Canaries, have lead to a 670 mile deficit being reduced to one of 458.9 miles. FONCIA claws back mile after mile and moves up from 22nd place to 18th in the general ranking by drawing on a playful tradewind and judiciously sailing to the west of the archipelagos, which can be real wind traps. The 60 foot monohull even treats herself to the luxury of racking up one of the best performances of the moment: three out of four of the top speeds on Sunday 16th November, including 298.7 miles with a 12.4 knot VMG. Cape Verde is on today’s menu, whilst the frontrunners enter the Doldrums. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “The objective aboard FONCIA is still to continue making headway towards the finish line, even though we’re a long way off. One thing for sure is that the concertina effects have had an influence in one direction and right now they’re more favourable to me...” Friday 21st November at 16h00 What a week! In 22nd position last Friday, 647 miles behind the leader, Michel Desjoyeaux is in 16th position this Friday 21st November, 273 miles behind the leader Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty). FONCIA has made up 374 miles in 7 days, which translates as a 53 mile gain per day, at an average speed of over 10 knots. Suffice to say that the heavy spinnaker aboard the 60 foot monohull FONCIA was called upon and fully fulfilled its mission. A W’ly option around Madeira and the Canaries, a zigzag through the centre of the windward islands of Cape Verde, a W’ly separation from the leeward islands to avoid the wind shadow of the island of Fogo with its 2,829 metre summit: all of a sudden FONCIA has outpaced six competitors and altered his targets. Michel is increasing the series of sessions at the helm and honing the trim. He now has Marc Guillemot (Safran), Dominique Wavre (Temenos), Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) and Sam Davies (Roxy) in his sights. The only hitch in proceedings is the famous Doldrums, which has slowed the head of the fleet and lies in wait for Michel in 24 to 48 hours time. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “I’ve made up a little ground thanks to the nice weather but I’m going to have to keep an eye on when the others get moving again… They didn’t have luck on their side when they hit a wide Doldrums. Whilst they were in there I was coming up on them with a breeze, which has enabled me to catch up with the leading group... It’s certainly enjoyable making up 300 miles on boats which have a 600 mile lead over you, as well as knowing that you’re the fastest of the fleet almost every time. Even though you know why that is and that you haven’t played a big part in it, it’s still satisfying... I’m not annoyed about anything... And we’re lucky to be at sea. It feels good to be on the water... When you see the pressure of the job, personally I like being in the office! (laughs). After all, we have the finest bathrooms in the world with a 360° view of the sea, and 180° of sky... It makes a change from the 30 centimetre wide barred window with a view across to the back of the neighbouring building...” Sunday 23rd November at 04h43 Michel Desjoyeaux aboard FONCIA crosses the equator at 03h43 (UT). At this point he is in 15th position, 360 miles behind the top trio made up of Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty), Sébastien Josse (BT) and Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac). Obviously slowed by the Doldrums, he manages to the limit the extent of the damage. Michel is sailing in a 15 knot SE’ly breeze with a 10.7 knot VMG. The hunt is on again! Email from Michel Desjoyeaux: “Well, it’s certainly true that if you don’t like it when you’re heeled over, you shouldn’t sail a monohull! And if you prefer going down the waves, you have to have the patience to sail into the wind. We’re a bit stupid in sailing circles. We haven’t yet invented mechanical lifts so we continue on our way with our sealskins. There’s something charming about sealskin though… We make the most of nature, such as now, with five or maybe eight days close-hauled on a single tack. If you look back at a few of the earlier ‘Vendées’ where it was said that “to win the Vendée, you have to go fast in the South, upwind conditions don’t serve much purpose”. Darwin was right; it isn’t the sturdiest of us who survive, it’s the ones who adapt.” Wednesday 26th November at 05h00 Some find average speeds for Michel Desjoyeaux with 339 miles in 24 hours. He is 14th and 416 miles behind Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty), who is struggling to put some easting into his course. The chasing pack gets back in contact with the skipper from La Baule, on France’s Atlantic coast. FONCIA is also making the most of the opportunity but the sailing conditions reindex hard with the boat lurching, pounding and slamming… it’s exhausting work! Email from Michel Desjoyeaux: “Gosh, in a few hours, a great basic principal, one which we teach our little darlings, of which I was one once, will collapse. I’ll explain myself: "Tell us the story about the sun on your back grandfather!" Well here we have it, some twenty years earlier, whilst making my way down the Southern Atlantic to round this wretched Saint Helena High, which just went on forever, I took up my watch at the helm early in the afternoon, south bound the previous helmsman had said. I look at the compass: 180°, all’s well; I look at the sun, everything’s gone pear-shaped! It’s on my back! I’m amazed. I check the compass: 180°. Would they have lied to me? They taught me, I tell myself: the sun rises in the East, is at its zenith in the South, and sets in the West. East and West, OK. For the South you have to see! Sometimes yes, sometimes no. That’s fortunate, some practical work! From what point will you have the sun to the North of you? Still 3 days of southing to make, we’ll have time to get used to it before hanging a left. Ah yes, sailing, well at night without a moon and stars, with waves from every direction, it’s impossible to go fast; it lurches, it slams, it shakes, it’s not cool, there’s a variable wind and speed too as a result”. Friday 28th November at 16h00 And though the figures reindex as they are, namely a deficit of 290 miles on the head of the fleet, these days are resolutely positive. Positive in terms of the progress made by the man/boat, positive because they’re marked by the omnipresence of the Saint Helena High which, unusually, has positioned itself a long way over to the west and, it has to be said, really suits FONCIA. At the front they’re stumbling and cogitating, whilst behind them they’re bang on target. Michel makes the most of the situation and clocks up some superb days in excess of 300 miles. It’s a great morale boost! Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “This weather situation is enabling me to make up ground. The head of the fleet must be making 8/9 knots as it tacks upwind with the chop. It can’t be very quick… Meanwhile I’m making 12/13 knots of boat speed the whole time. This is also enabling me to stay on the pace and continue to seek the optimal course. By the time I get to where they are, the weather situation will have greatly evolved and the Saint Helena High is on the point of moving… As a result I won’t have to deal with this situation. This is all part and parcel of the little concertina effects you get and you simply have to make the most of them and use them to best effect so as not to miss out on any”. Sunday 30th November during the course of the day Michel Desjoyeaux drops his Atlantic staysail and hoists his special Southern Ocean staysail on FONCIA, which is made of Cuben Fibre (a material which is indestructible but distorts). The Atlantic staysail is stowed away in the sail locker in a 45 minute manoeuvre. It is a sail he is to reveal the existence of two days prior to Cape Horn and about which he says: “I’ve made a staysail – a sail which you hoist in 28/30 knots of downwind conditions and you keep carrying until the wind reaches 50 knots – it’s a bit special. It’s made of Cuben Fibre, a material which is indestructible even though it becomes distorted with time. I hoisted this particular sail on exiting the Saint Helena high and I stowed the other one down below, where it was nicely protected. All of a sudden I ended up with two staysails and rather than trashing your one staysail in the south where, in order to conserve it you furl it in earlier and you end up with not quite enough sail area, in this instance I had a staysail I could really thrash. I had the same system 8 years ago and I’m rather happy with the choices I’ve made as I’ve sailed a great deal under staysail in the south. Right now I’m going to get out the sail I used on my descent of the Atlantic which is in perfect condition. It’ll be great for the climb up where it’s important to have a very flat, solid sail”. Monday 1st December at 05h00 14.3 knots VMG this morning for FONCIA and three competitors are devoured for breakfast - Roxy, Pindar and Temenos – between Sunday and Monday! Michel Desjoyeaux isn’t standing idle as he racks up some very fine 24 hour performances throughout the weekend. He’s in 11th position, 226 miles behind Sébastien Josse (BT)… The top 10 is within reach as Michel and FONCIA prepare to enter the kingdom of the Southern Ocean! Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “I’ve finally managed to get past Roxy thanks to rounding the zone of high pressure. I’ve also overtaken Pindar and I’m now neck and neck with Dominique Wavre, who I’ve made good ground on. In terms of distance to the goal, we’re very close. After him, it’ll take bigger, faster bites, so it’ll be harder to close on them, but I’m not giving up hope. They’re sailing well at the front but I can sail quite well too!” Wednesday 3rd December at 16h00 With the afternoon’s position comes a twofold satisfaction for Michel Desjoyeaux: he makes it into the Top 10 just 193 miles behind Sébastien Josse (BT). Less than 200 miles separate him from the leader. He’s made up 470 miles since Saturday 15th November at 05h00 and climbed thirteen places. There’s bad news the previous day though: his heavy tears on hoisting and goes over the side, forcing Michel to bring the boat to a halt with the wind on the nose. Thursday 4th December at 18h25 With these exceptional days comes an exceptional figure: Michel Desjoyeaux aboard FONCIA, shatters the boat’s speed record with 30.44 knots. The white monohull was sailing under automatic pilot at the time and Michel even takes a photo! Still in 10th position Michel is 136.4 miles from the head of the Vendée Globe. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “High score of the boat 30.44 knots, GPS speed! Do you think we’re gaining miles in the regular customer discount programme?” Friday 5th December at 16h00 An important date: Michel Desjoyeaux enters the head of the fleet with the firm intention of getting past them. He is 171 miles behind Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) and FONCIA is now within a stone’s throw of a number of competitors. He knows he can score a big hit this first weekend of December and he’s going to do it… His weapon: to get the boat making the optimum headway, to be on top of things as he likes to say, to control the trim, to hone the trajectories and to take advantage of his daily universe which combines waves, wind, weather and strategy. He doesn’t want to doze now that he’s back in contact, he wants to continue to pile on the pressure… Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “I’ll have to stick with the same well-tried methods of sailing: a certain autonomy whilst watching what the others are up to. The fact that I have boats around me shouldn’t make me any less inclined to hoist more sail aloft and control the boat’s power. We’re working on making small gains. You have to make gains everywhere and lose nothing anywhere. We all make errors; the goal is to make fewer errors than those who are ahead” Monday 8th December at 05h00 But where will it end? Indeed this is the question everybody is asking at the start of this week… After almost a month of racing (29 days) FONCIA and Michel Desjoyeaux are in 6th position. Not ‘satisfied’ with being back in the Top 10 last week, Michel has got back with four of his playmates in 48 hours. His comeback is incredible and his trailblazing marks the history of this Vendée Globe. This Monday he is less than 100 miles behind leader Jean-Pierre Dick (Papec-Virbac), 94.7 miles to be precise. On carrying out an inspection of the deck, Michel notices that three stanchions haven’t withstood the surfing at over 28 knots! Wednesday 10th December at 05h00 FONCIA goes into overdrive, now just 57 miles astern of the leader Paprec-Virbac. The Kerguelen Islands are looming on the horizon, which will be an interesting strategic passage. They’re into the Deep South and Michel Desjoyeaux is still 6th with Mike Golding (Ecover) less than 10 miles ahead of him… A place in the top 5 is fast approaching. There’s bad news though as Michel notices the day before that his bowsprit is cracked. Email from Michel Desjoyeaux: “It’s grey from morning to evening and grey from evening to morning; light grey or dark grey, it’s all down to nuance. In addition to that it’s freezing. The water measures around 5° and the air was between 1 and 6° yesterday; greaaaat! You can’t complain though. It said as much in the tourist brochure but with the Breton rain in Les Sables I didn’t manage to open it. You just have to grin and bear the hood, the polo neck and all that stuff, but this kind of garb isn’t very sexy. We’re not here to look pretty though are we? There are those who dream of the Vendée Globe whilst they’re in the sun, well I’m in the Vendée Globe dreaming of a beach of fine sand, palm trees and hot water. Have a good day, I’m going to pull the duvet up 20 centimetres and prepare myself a little toddy!” Thursday 11th December at 18h00 Michel Desjoyeaux sends his first photos of the drifting ice… Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “It’s the third time I’ve hung around this area and it’s the first time I’ve seen blocks of ice… That’s what happened to me yesterday. I’m in the process of speeding around Antarctica and I’ve seen ice. It was a long way off but close enough that there wasn’t any ambiguity. They were modest blocks of ice, not icebergs. The first was a good twice the length of FONCIA, at around forty metres; at least that’s how big the bit above the water was. The blue is quite simply sublime and reminiscent of the colours you see in seracs and other glaciers. It was very beautiful but it was enough for yesterday”. Friday 12th December at 05h00 Terrific, amazing, incredible… Michel Desjoyeaux is 2nd in the Vendée Globe, 39 miles behind the leader. The speeds are impressive: an average of 19 knots in an hour. Still as greedy as ever over 24 hours, FONCIA has devoured 409.8 miles, which is the second best performance across the fleet. The pace in the south continues to be very elevated. Sunday 14th December during the course of the day The bowsprit is laminated and repaired. Tuesday 16th December at 11h00 FONCIA throws the speedos into turmoil once again… After a peak speed of 30.44 knots GPS, Michel Desjoyeaux has just covered 466.6 miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 19.44 knots. In land terms, this means that Michel has covered 860 km between 0500 hours yesterday and the same time today, at an average speed of 35.7 km/hr! However, the day doesn’t end there and the announcement comes as a bombshell: Michel Desjoyeaux on FONCIA takes the lead of the Vendée Globe. Michel learns the news at the 11h00 radio link up, at the same time as he learns about Mike Golding’s dismasting: the hot and cold. On what is officially the 37th day of racing, the skipper of FONCIA is 1st ahead of Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) and Sébastien Josse (BT). Michel has made up his 41 hour, 670 mile deficit on the pride of the class of Imoca Open 60 footers. An amazing achievement! Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “My position at the head of the fleet today is unexpected. It’s fantastic, great. I cannot describe how I feel. Today isn’t the day to be at the front though, that’s for two months time. First you have to finish”. At 19h25 (UT), Michel crosses the longitude of Cape Leeuwin. Wednesday 17th December Goodbye Indian Ocean, hello Pacific… Michel Desjoyeaux on FONCIA yesterday passed the longitude of Cape Leeuwin (Australia) at the head of the Vendée Globe. Michel also notices this Wednesday that the index support of the port rudder case is partially broken and is no longer attached on one side. Email from Michel Desjoyeaux: “The Indian didn’t take up the hatchet, though a lot of skippers left feathers behind in the 15 days I spent with him. He even found us some ice cubes at apéritif time! I can recall tougher regions. Two masts, one keel, rudders, daggerboards, and other undisclosable damage… The question of the day is will the Pacific be the Justice of the Peace, wisdom and serenity?” Monday 22nd December at 05h00 No respite at the head of the Vendée Globe and Michel Desjoyeaux continues to stamp his rhythm at the front of the fleet. The separation continues to yo-yo between Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement), who is holding out on FONCIA. Behind them there is a big gap… Sébastien Josse (BT) is 183 miles astern, Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) 221 miles and Armel Le Cléac’h 537 miles. So as to drive the point home, Michel sends a photo of his new speed record aboard his boat: 32.37 knots! Thursday 25th December late at night It’s status quo at the head of the race. The night of Christmas Day is coloured by close-hauled sailing and the presents have reindexed in their wrappers. However, Michel Desjoyeaux notices some serious damage aboard FONCIA, which is a spin-off of that observed on 17th December. The damage is such that he fears the worst… The day continues in this vein as the hydro generator, positioned on its support on the boat’s aft deck, falls into the water, held on by the safety rope and electric cable. Analysis: electric cable pulled out and oil in the cockpit. Result: “holidays on oil”, inside and out and a compulsory degreasing session with washing-up liquid! As Michel would say: “a s**t day”. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux on 26th January 2009, about this damaged rudder, which he had deliberately hidden: “I was sailing close-hauled, full and by, in a good 35 knots of breeze and big seas. I was carefully making headway with 2 or 3 reefs and ORC. I had raised the windward rudder to the horizontal position. I think a wave hit the rudder. The piece which holds it in the raised position had broken and it was impossible to get the rudder back into its original position. It was now only held by the strut on the side and the upper section. I decided to slow the boat down and we ended up with flattened sails which quickly went aback and I began to go backwards. At that point I saw the rudder go under the boat, then it came back towards the stern and, as luck would have it, the casing gradually returned to its original position. It shook me up to see the rudder splashing about. Miraculously the situation stopped deteriorating at that point. A few days later, I managed to make the system safe. I even made a support which enabled the rudder to kick up in the event of impact with a floating object. It feels like I came close to a catastrophe and even though you’re not frightened during the event, it creeps up on you retrospectively once you’ve sorted the problem out. A boat without a rudder is like a car without steering: no salvation.” Tuesday 30th December at 05h00 It’s been two weeks since Michel Desjoyeaux took the lead of the Vendée Globe and he is still being tailed at varying degrees of proximity by Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement). Advantage to you, to me… To me, to you! It is pretty much on these terms that the two leaders of the Vendée Globe are making headway in difficult wind and sea conditions. The skipper of FONCIA is holding onto a good lead of 73.6 miles. This isn’t much fun for some competitors as the separation from the rest of the fleet increases: Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) is relegated to over 300 miles astern, Sébastien Josse (BT) has had to withdraw from the competition following his capsize during a storm and Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) and Vincent Riou (PRB) are over 600 miles astern… It’s a fine breakaway! However, FONCIA’s bowsprit is cracked again. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “We’ve got rather tricky weather with squalls dropping in on us. One of these hit us earlier at 50 knots... You have to be fairly vigilant so as not to end up side onto the course. It’s always tricky knowing what sail area to set… Either you hoist enough sail area for 50 knots and don’t use it very often, or you hoist enough sail area for 25 knots… And when you have a 50 knot squall, you don’t know what to do with all the sail you have! It’s a bit frustrating in fact… You’re never comfortable”. Friday 2nd January at 16h00 The head of the fleet is approaching Cape Horn. The 54th day at sea and the 17th day in the lead for FONCIA. Ultimately, given the position of the Ice Gates, this Vendée Globe will be 1,160 miles longer and will extend the number of miles to cover from 23,680 miles to 24,840 miles. A record! For the time being, the game of cat and mouse continues with Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) who is still less than 100 miles astern of Michel Desjoyeaux. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “Bilou’s a tough nut to crack. He is a lot less sensitive than others to the harshness of the weather phenomena. I know him well so I’m not surprised. He’s very consistent. He doesn’t stampede along at the front of the low and then crumble at the back of it. He’s more linear… For my part, I came from behind at pace and I haven’t stopped. Bilou’s one of those who have followed suit and that’s no surprise to me”. Monday 5th January at 04h20 FONCIA rounds Cape Horn at the head of the Vendée Globe with a 120 mile lead over Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement), 481 miles over Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) and, over 700 miles on Vincent Riou (PRB) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air). Michel has taken 56 days, 15 hours and 08 minutes to round the Cape of Storms, that is two hours less than Jean Le Cam in 2004/2005 (56d 17hr 13m). An amazing performance when you know that Michel set off 41 hours after the fleet and covered 1,160 extra miles in the Southern Ocean in relation to the 2004 course! Email from Michel Desjoyeaux: “That’s it, as we say in the Broken Arms (nickname of his shore crew): "That’s done”! FONCIA has just returned to the Atlantic. It was 03h20 UT when I passed to the South of the Cape in squally weather with 35-40 knots and 45 in the squalls. It was as black as a Monday so you won’t have either photo or video footage of the rock lost all the way down here. The 2 lights are working, that of the Cape and that of the Eastern tip. The seas are finally flat and the wind is finally reasonable at 23 knots. Light conditions you might say! We’re now bound for new adventures up high.” Tuesday 6th January during the course of the day FONCIA’s bowsprit is operational once again after a successful lamination! Thursday 8th January during the course of the day FONCIA’s second heavy spinnaker goes overboard during the hoist. Michel Desjoyeaux salvages it: it’s out of order. The same day, three battery elements are changed. There’s an energy problem which could prove to be a handicap for the next stage in the race. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “I had to change some elements of one of the battery installations which were weak. I have the advantage that I have them in individual units on board. When there’s one faulty one on the four strips of 12 elements, you remove the problem one and you switch it for one that works. When you have batteries cast in one piece, you can’t do that. If there’s a fragile element, your whole battery is up the spout… For the past two days I’ve just been using the automatic pilot and the navigation instruments. I’m being careful but it’ll hold out till the end of this round the world. It’s a system I put in place on FONCIA which I’m very satisfied with… It’s just as well I have this solution!” Friday 9th January at 16h00 This two-step with Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement), which began on 16th December as Michel Desjoyeaux led the way around Cape Leeuwin, is still in full swing. And though the 26 mile lead during their passage around Australia has been transformed into 178 miles, the red monohull is still as dangerous as ever. This is especially true given that a zone of high pressure with a stubborn side will cause FONCIA no end of grief… Violent squalls, sudden wind rotations, manœuvres on deck, the climb along the Argentinean, Uruguayan and then Brazilian coastline will be far from restful. The SE’ly tradewinds aren’t easy to catch onto due to a confounded Saint Helena High, once again… Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “Since the passage of Le Maire Strait, we’ve done two days in 35 knots of breeze gusting to 40… It’s been pretty full on! Right now I have 18 knots of S/SW’ly. The anticyclone has been kind and waited for us. We’re going to round to the east of it, then the north-east and north. After that the system will join up with the Saint Helena High and should merge with it… Last night proved to be a bit complicated with a fairly shifty, ‘annoying’ wind. I woke up at one point with the boat beam onto the track… It wasn’t planned. In fact, for several days now, there have been a fair number of squalls with gusts of 40 knots associated with some big rotations in the wind. All of a sudden it’s not so easy to relax…” Wednesday 14th January at 05h00 It’s incredible but the edge of this zone of high pressure is proving stubborn and off Rio de Janeiro FONCIA is yet to hit the SE’ly tradewinds. Once lying over 300 miles astern of Michel Desjoyeaux, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) comes back to within 241 miles. The deficit continues to yo-yo until FONCIA comes out the other side of the high pressure and can once again devour the miles on her way to the equator and the Doldrums. Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “It’s hot in the Southern Atlantic. 28°C inside the boat. I’ve gained around twenty degrees in 8 days. The weather’s difficult but we’re making headway. Yesterday (Tuesday 13th January) for example, I had a gentle afternoon in terms of breeze. It’s the cool element of the race but it’s not very exciting. Upwind, upwind, upwind… I’m not complaining though, especially in relation to my playmates still in the Pacific.” Tuesday 20th January at 06h24 The Doldrums have decided to position themselves a long way South for FONCIA’s return trip so she’ll feel its effects a long way before the equator. The tough ITCZ (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone) will block Michel Desjoyeaux’s progress for several hours… FONCIA crosses the equator at 05h24 UT. Thanks to the concertina effects, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) snatches back 159 miles on the leader and is now 334 miles astern. Armel Le Cléac’h, 3rd on Brit Air, is over 1,000 miles back. Email from Michel Desjoyeaux: “Well, that’s done and dusted! It doesn’t have to be done again since it’s done! 05h24'10" UT this Tuesday 20th January 2009, FONCIA crossed the equator for the second time in this Vendée globe, and at a brisk pace too! I don’t think I paid the toll on the way down, which was only natural given that there was nobody in the sentry box! This time they didn’t let me slip through, I paid for the 2!” Thursday 22nd January at 05h00 Trapped in the Doldrums, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) can but watch Michel Desjoyeaux’s fine getaway. Positioned within the NE’ly tradewinds, FONCIA greedily devours the miles… a 440 mile lead for the white monohull, which escapes her encounter with the Azores High and the final obstacle to round. It’s lumpy, slamming and wet… but this bears fruit since FONCIA has a bonus of over 500 miles the following day! Statement from Michel Desjoyeaux: “Yesterday evening, prior to pulling on my pyjamas and going to bed, I furled in the staysail and set the small jib and it blew all night long. During the course of yesterday, there was 18 to 25 knots. Within the weather systems, things went quite smoothly under staysail. During the night though, I had up to 32 knots in the squalls. As such everything went very well! It was perfect! It enabled me to get some sleep…” Tuesday 27th January at 05h00 The right-hand turn has begun, the Azores High roundabout has been negotiated… For her 79th day of racing FONCIA is slipping along the Northern edge of the high pressure and is now looking to catch onto the train of lows circulating in the North Atlantic. The idea: to hook onto the prevailing W’ly wind and get pushed along by the stormy winds. During this time, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) can but follow in Michel Desjoyeaux’ tracks. Tactically, there’s nothing the red monohull can do, as she’s being perfectly controlled by Michel. The 524 mile lead will continue to extend as the hours pass… (*) Further information about the damaged rudder. Explanation from Marc Liardet, Boat Captain to the 60 foot Imoca FONCIA: "Open 60 footers are equipped with two rudders. When sailing, a single rudder is enough to steer the boat, the other is raised to reduce the hydrodynamic drag. They are used alternately according to how much the boat is heeling with the aim being that they’re as submerged as possible. As such you need a rudder for each tack. The raising or lowering of the rudder is done by activating ropes and the rudder pivots around an axis, like a gate around its hinges. On 17th December, the port rudder’s lifting assembly was partially damaged. On 25th a wave crashed into this rudder whilst it was raised, breaking the rope which was holding it up and thus smashing the rotation assembly. There was nothing left to hold the rudder on the boat except the lateral strut, the tiller bar to position the rudder and the rope to lower it. With the boat going too fast to drop the rudder into its lowered position, this was the only safe option which could be envisaged. Michel eased the sails to empty them and bring the boat to a standstill, and then he made the most of this opportunity to go backwards. As such the rudder partially disappeared beneath the hull, to ‘miraculously’ (carbon twists very badly!) come back up to the surface. At this point, Michel managed to get it more or less back in its housing and fix it together again with ropes. Later on, with the help of a pump hose and some stanchion pieces, Michel managed to reconstruct a support of the right size so as to give the rudder the capability of kicking up again in the event of a collision." For the translation of the list of damage suffered by FONCIA during the Vendee Globe please visit: http://www.windreportmedia.com/sailing/Foncia/cp/FONCIA-MD-MEDIA-ARRIVEE-VG_ UK.pdf Team FONCIA Press Service Agence Blanco Negro +33 (0)1 47 72 81 41 Stéphanie André. Mob: +33 (0)6 34 18 66 54 / Laurence Dacoury. Mob: +33 (0)6 18 41 30 28 presse@teamfoncia.com www.teamfoncia.com Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression