Fuente info VG
Day 31 ½ 280 miles SWW of Kerguelen Islands
Life on the edge
1500 HRS GMT. Rankings, (FRA, unless stated)
1. Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) at 15609.8
2. Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) at 31 miles
3. Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) at + 31.3
4. Mike Golding GBR (Ecover) at + 33.5 miles
5. Seb Josse (BT) at + 48.7 miles
Selected International
12. Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) at + 245.8 miles
13. Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 558.3 miles
14. Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Cheminées Poujoulat) at + 584.7 miles
15. Sam Davies, GBR,(ROXY) at + 651.8 miles
16. Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 831.6 miles
18. Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 1137.3 miles
19 . Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 1274.8 miles
20. Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 1447.5 miles
22. Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 1972.2 miles
24. Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport.Kapsch) + 2440.7 miles
IN SHORT WORDS
The combination of cross seas nearing the Kerguelen Plateau and gusty, squally winds have proven extremely testing for the leading Vendée Globe skippers today.
Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) moves up to second.
He reported a 30-40m long piece of ice, five metres high which he passed about half a mile from. Top five boats have only fifty miles in it as they slant north to make 230 miles wide passage between the Kerguelens and leave Heard Island to their starboard.
Mike Golding, GBR, (Ecover 3) is fourth, 33.5 miles behind leader Jean Pierre Dick, but says he has been on the edge of control for two days.
Loick Peyron still making 6-7 knots under jury rig north east.
Speeds of 18.7, 18.3 and 18.1 knots displayed by the top three boats over the hour before this afternoon’s poll confirm that few concessions are made among the Vendée Globe vanguard since the dismasting of third placed Loïck Peyron early yesterday, nor indeed the report from Michel
Desjoyeaux (Foncia) that he had spotted a large ice floe less than half a mile away today.
The fleet are converging, being channeled through the gap between the Kerguelen Islands and Heard Island. It is about 230 miles wide but this hostile channel, where the seabed shelves quite sharply, is part is responsible for the difficult, confused seas which several skippers today reported having to deal with. Factor in gusty, squally winds which make it hard to manage and set a sail-plan – under-powered and you lose miles, or get pushed around by the 5 metre seas, over-powered and the auto-pilots can barely cope and the consquences are expensive in terms of lost energy and miles.
Two phenomena are coming together: firstly the wind will veer from the west and south-west to the north-west and will be very powerful: thirty in the forecasts, with gusts around 45 and more in the squalls. The seas are confused, pushed along by this flow associated with a Southern Ocean Low which will pass over the Kerguelens tonight. These leaders will be reaching the continental shelf just after the cold front goes over them, making the manoeuvre particularly tricky, as they will be changing tack.
Some may attempt to gybe, but even under reduced sail (two or three reefs in the mainsail and storm jib), there are serious risks. Even once on the right gybe it will be difficult keeping on track with breakers coming over the bow.
British skipper Mike Golding, Ecover 3, reported today that he has not been in his bunk for two days, cat-napping at the nav station, ever vigilant to help out the pilot or change sail configuration in the big waves.The veteran of two Vendee Globe races admitted today that he has been on the edge of control at times. So, too, the fourth placed skipper’s nearest – and longstanding - rival Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) also concurred that life was pretty crazy with just four miles separating second from fourth.
Seb Josse (BT) still sails by his ‘fast and reasonable’ pledge and lies fifth now, but expects to gain again as the fleet close through the channel. Josse is still furthest north of the lead group, with Jourdain in the south.
4th Mike Golding, GBR, (ECOVER 3) + 33.5 miles “The conditions over the last 24-48 hours have really been quite difficult because we are sailing in between 22-35 knots and sailing in an enormous seas which are coming up from the North west and the seas are out of kilter with the wind angle, which means that the boat is really having to work very hard, or the pilot in particular is having to work very hard to avoid a crash gybe, and when you overpower the boat the risk is even greater and so it is pretty stressful. And so I have not been in my bunk for two days. I have been sleeping at the nav station because it is so on the wire. But this morning I have gybed which meant I have lost a place, but I think I might gain that place back on the next sched.”
3rd Roland Jourdain, (Veoilia Environnement), +31.3 miles : “The weather is typical of the Roaring Forties, it is grey, we have about thirty knots of wind, big big waves five metres and sometimes more wind than waves so it is difficult to go with the boat, you just push the water. Last night was difficult because I could not find the speed with the boat, so I tried without the reef, with the reef, and I just finished the gybe about haf an hour ago and the gybe is pretty hard work, between the jobs you have to do in the boat, move all the stuff from one side to the other, and on the outside of the boat, so that is something like one hour of work. I am happy where I am, it is better than being 200 miles behind with the boat after one third of the race. I was a bit afraid because Veolia is not new, but we show the others for the future. The boat is in perfect for me, so lets go to the future. It is a crazy regatta for me, we knew before the start that all the boats are pretty close in speed, and all the skippers are really, really good. But when you live it every day, the regatta, and you have your whole life to have on board, all the little jobs you have to do, it is like a factory a boat when you are racing like this. It is crazy.”
22nd Derek Hatfield, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) + 1972.2 miles: “ The last eighteen hours have been strictly horrendous, but the wind built very quickly, a very localised weather system, not forecasted so I was caught out with too much sail up, slowly building to 40 knots overnight and the waves were horrendous this morning, so I am in a bit of a fight and it has been a long, long battle overnight. I need some sleep for sure, I am not thinking very straight, but we are getting through it. The sun is out, the wind is 25-26 knots. It is the seas which are the problem, the boat is doing 25-26 knots. I am going to have to leave you and deal with this….”
