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07.12.2011
Hi, please find attached the latest news piece which I’ve just posted up on
the Transat B to B
http://www.transatbtob-imoca.org this morning 0900 UTC for the Back to
Brittany race, which is being run off the back of the Transat Jacques Vabre
and is serving as a training race and qualifier for the Vendee Globe.
Enjoy the race!
Kind regards Kate
Dodgems and night messages.
It’s been a tough old night for the Transat B to B fleet due North of Saint
Barts, battling through the squalls and dodging the lightning. Just to add
to the mix, the wind strength can also decrease or increase by some twenty
knots in a matter of seconds and doesn’t appear to relate to the forecasts,
with 25 to 30 knots currently jostling the fleet. On their race Back to
Brittany the aim right now is not actually to hang a right just yet. Instead
the fleet are drag racing north in a bid to sidestep a zone of calms to the
East, ease their way around the top of that system and hook onto a series of
depressions barrelling eastward so they can rack up some high speeds in the
downwind conditions being dished out. Those further to the West are
currently being penalised by their greater distance from the great circle
route, but clearly Francois Gabart is sailing a blinder on his
freshly-repaired shiny new steed, as is Armel Le Cléac’h on Banque
Populaire.*
*Note the slight discrepancy in the polling times for Banque Populaire and
Bureau Vallée, which was slightly earlier than the rest of the fleet.
Night messages received this morning:
Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire):
“Hello. All’s well here. Lively night, it’s slamming and it’s windy. See you
soon, Armel.”
Mike Golding (Gamesa)
“It has been a bumpy ride in a horrible sea with a lot more wind than I
expected, 28-30kts, and so I am a bit put out by that and I have had a few
little problems, I was not as prepared as I would like to have been. But it
is fine. A problem I have to deal with a little further down the track is
that I seem to have lost oil out of the engine. I am fortunate that the
bilge [sump above the keel] is otherwise dry and so it is not sloshing about
the boat, but at some point I am going to have to clean it and get it back
in! It is not major, however. As far as the weather goes there is still a
difference between the two models and so I just need to keep on top of their
evolution as we come to make decisions. As far as I can see that will be a
little bit further along and at the moment everything is OK. It is good to
have all the boats in a line. I have maybe lost a little but I am pretty
happy to have been able to hold on to the likes of Banque Populaire and
Macif over these first couple of days, and so that is heartening; something
I must admit I was a little worried about. That is very positive for me;
good news. So now we have to muscle on through the next few days. At the
moment I am looking forward to getting my head down. It's been busy but we
are generally in good shape. A bit messy in parts, with little problems I
could do without, but fundamentally all is good."
François Gabart (Macif):
I was well-prepared and if anything I was carrying less sail than normal in
such conditions. I was ready to tackle a windy night. One hour after sunset,
there was lightning every which way: thick with small stormy squalls. The
wind went from 10 to 30 knots, then from 30 to10 in a matter of seconds. I’m
trying to slalom between the squalls but it has to be said that our slight
differences in course aren’t doing much: we’re at their mercy. The lightning
worries me. 2 years ago on Groupe Bel during the IER, we lost all the
electronics in the Mediterranean with a lightning strike. I REALLY don’t
want another taste of the delights of sailing ‘in the dark’. No, not now.
Not now... The squalls are becoming calmer but we still have wind and the
seas are beginning to pick up. I’m really easing off the pace. We could go
faster but at what price? It’s too risky. As a result, the second half of
the night is somewhat cooler all of a sudden. Thank you to the automatic
pilot. On today’s menu we have a siesta, thorough check of the boat, siesta,
thorough check of the boat, etc. I haven’t been counting the number of
circuits I’ve made like that but it must be a fair few. In fact, it’s time
for me to do another one!!! Have a good day, François.
Written and translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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