Page 26. MAINE COASTAL NEWS February 2009
Yacht Racing News
Update Vendee Globe & Carnage in the South Pacific
lost the communication equipment. If the Brian Thompson (BAHRAIN TEAM the northeasterly trade winds. He had lost 185
Continued from Page 25.
three thought they were going to get a re- PINDAR) has developed a problem with his miles traversing the Doldrums and is now
of the southern ocean. prieve, they are not. Another storm is bearing wind generator and his engine is giving off a 315.9 miles ahead. Jourdain has yet to hit the
Jourdain has made repairs to his mast down on them, which could be worst than the smell, which he thinks is caused by the clutch Doldrums and thus Desjoyeaux’s should in-
support bulkhead and keel box. He had taken last. plates. crease his lead when he does. Later that day
battens from his mainsail and stuck them Day 66, 14 January: Brian Thompson of Rich Wilson is 50 miles from the East Jourdain hit the Doldrums, which had moved
together to make a bar. Then he stuck this to Great Britain (BAHRAIN TEAM PINDAR) Pacific ice gate and is experiencing 20-foot further south than normal. He hopes they do
his bulkhead at the foot of the mast. He passed Cape Horn early in the morning. He cross seas while he beam reaches. He also not move back north, since this may mean he
thought that this would be strong enough so had run down the coast of Chile and passed said that he has not slept much and is hoping slows longer while trying to get to the trade
long as he had noticed and repaired all the within just two miles of the Horn. He is now the weather moderates so he can relax a bit. winds above the equator.
damaged areas. looking for calmer water so he can make Day 70, 18 January: Desjoyeaux is still SAFRAN has passed ROXY, who is
Jourdain may also have another worry as further repairs to his bow. increasing his lead over Jourdain, which is wallowing in the light air of a Brazilian low.
Desjoyeaux seems to have skirted the high- AKENA VERANDAS and AVIVA will now 484.7 miles. Jourdain realizes that unless However, ROXY was gaining more speed
pressure area, which means he will be hard to pass the Horn later in the day and this leaves something happens to Desjoyeaux this lead later in the day. Because SAFRAN is further
catch before the finish. Desjoyeaux has now four others still in the Pacific Ocean. may be insurmountable. Early in the day west he will have to head east to take advan-
less than 5,000 miles to go and has a lead of Day 67, 15 January: Desjoyeaux has Desjoyeaux’s FONCIA was making 3.7 knots tage of the trade winds ahead and when this
nearly 300 miles. added to his lead over Jourdain, which stands better than Jourdain’s VEOLIA happens ROXY should make a gain.
Sam Davies, known as the ‘Pink Fla- at 285 miles. He was now off Brazil and sailing ENVIRONNEMENT, who said that the con- Day 73, 21 January: Desjoyeaux was
mingo” by her French competitors, was stuck north with just 1,000 miles to go to the equa- ditions he was facing would not allow him to making six knots better than second place
in light air between the Pacific and Atlantic tor. make any gains on the leader. Jourdain as he increased his lead to 373 miles
oceans and making just 5 knots. She had As a severe storm nears Cape Horn The third place racer, Armel Le Cléac’h with less than 3,000 miles to go to the finish.
shaken out her reefs and unrolled more of her AVIVA, AKENA VERANDA and BAHRAIN (BRIT AIR) is now over 1,000 miles back, SAFRAN’s skipper, Marc Guillemot, is
headsail, but when more wind hit her she had TEAM PINDAR were looking for a place to losing 200 miles in the last 48 hours. looking for a podium finish. He has gotten by
to put the reefs back in and roll up the headsail. get out of the worse of it. This storm was Steve White (TOE IN THE WATER) has ROXY and now has his sights on BRIT AIR,
Day 64, 12 January: Desjoyeaux’ lead packing winds of 50 to 55 knots with gusts up made repairs to headboard and sail. White Armel Le Cléac’h, who is 830 miles ahead.
has increased more than 200 miles in a week to 85 mph and seas up to 36 feet. Two boats said that the headboard car had exploded, However, SAFRAN has an 82 hour redress
over second place Jourdain. Jordain has ad- (AVIVA and AKENA VERANDA) made it to allowing the mainsail to fall. He took all the and Le Cleac’h has an 11 hour redress. This
mitted that he has not pressed his boat hard the lee of Terra del Fuego and BAHRAIN track cars off and the ball bearings fell out could make for a great battle.
following the repairs he made and that he was TEAM PINDAR was returning. This proved before he rehoisted the mainsail. Dee Caffari (AVIVA) is making her sail
being very careful of letting his boat slam into to work well for all three. Rich Wilson (GREAT AMERICAN III) repair. She needed two 18 by 12 foot pieces of
wave after wave has he moves up the coast Dee Caffari on board AVIVA said that has rounded the final ice gate in confused cloth to make the repair. She is concentrating
of Brazil. her mainsail looked like a tea bag or a string seas and 40-plus knots of wind. He now has on the worst areas, which are those that have
SAFRAN, Marc Guillemot, has rounded vest. She hoped to be able to use some of her 1,700 miles to go to Cape Horn. damaged fibres. She will repair these first and
Cape Horn, but still has to make a repair to his other sails to repair this one. She was 60 miles Day 71, 19 January: There may be hope then see how much glue she has left, before
mainsail mast track. He plans to do this at the from the Horn and had slowed to make sure for Jourdain as leader Desjoyeaux (FONCIA) repairing the lesser damaged areas.
Falkland Islands, which should take about that she did face the brunt of the storm just to has slowed to a crawl. Over the night he has Day 74, 22 January: Desjoyeaux contin-
four or five hours to complete. her north. lost 80 miles and now is just 416 miles in front. ues to make gains in his lead, which is now
A storm packing winds up to 70 knots Marc Guillemot (SAFRAN) has found Later on Desjoyeaux’s speed was up and his over 500 miles, a benefit of the northeasterly
and seas up to 36 feet will hit three boats that his repair of the mast track was not totally lead was no longer shrinking as he crossed trade winds. There is a high pressure system
(TEAM PINDAR, AKENA VERANDAS and successful. He can now race with a second the equator. around the Azores that could slow FONCIA
AVIVA) still in the Pacific. They have readied reef, but can not raise the sail completely. Dee Caffari (AVIVA) has regained the a bit, but after that he will get the benefit of the
themselves as best they can and now just Rich Wilson (GREAT AMERICAN III) seventh position by passing AKENA VE- westerlies. He also stated that he did have a
wait the storm’s assault. has been sailing well in 35 to 40 knots of wind RANDAS and sets her sights on BAHRAIN problem in the South Pacific, which could
Day 65, 13 January: BRIT AIR is now in and heavy seas as he closes in on Cape Horn. TEAM PINDAR, who is 77 miles ahead. have ended the race for him. He did not offer
lighter air and his gain on first place Desjoyeaux Day 68, 16 January: With AVIVA, Rich Wilson (GREAT AMERICAN III) any real particulars, but did say that he was
is not increasing anymore. Le Cleac’h, who is AKENA VERANDA and BAHRAIN TEAM said, “At one point I could hear some water in 30 foot waves with 40 knots of wind and
back 688 miles, had a slight decrease in wind PINDAR rounding Cape Horn there are now sloshing around in a compartment which us was only going six knots when he should
speed, but fortunately the wind has returned. eight boats racing up the Atlantic to the under the cockpit and that is usually sealed have been going twice that.
He was also informed by the race committee finish. The three also ducked behind the lee up and dry, So I had to go back to the lazarette Rich Wilson (GREAT AMERICAN III),
that his redress for assistance to Le Cam will of Terra del Fuego and were able to miss the through the little tunnel into the back of the who is just 770 miles from Cape Horn, had to
be 11 hours. worse of the storm. All three have now started boat. It was pretty violent back there when climb his mast to unhook the running
The leaders are in lighter air, and Jourdain up the coast of Argentina. the stern is jerking around. Whenever a wave backstay’s shock cord retaining line from the
has gain 70 miles on Desjoyeaux. What is nice Day 69, 17 January: Desjoyeaux’s lead hits the stern it knocks the boat, and you are spreaders.
is that the air temperature is very comfortable, over Jourdain has expanded further and is just rattling around inside it. I had to wear a 75 Days, 23 January: Jourdain (VEOLIA
especially compared to the temps of the South- now nearly 375 miles. Desjoyeaux’s FONCIA helmet back there and I am glad I did. I have ENVIRONNMENT) is now back Desjoyeaux
ern Ocean. is now in the sou’easterly trade winds and been continually bailing since yesterday since by 539 miles. His speed is between 10 and 11
Sam Davies onboard ROXY was given a making 14 knots. As the day went on his the storm abated, just going through the knots with the more consistent pressure of
fly-by by a British fighter from the Falkland speed increased to 16 knots and his lead went compartments. There were a couple of buck- the northeastly trade winds. However,
Islands. She is faced by a high pressure area up to 421 miles. Jourdain’s VEOLIA ets of water in the bow compartment, but I Desjoyeaux has better pressure and thus
that extends 750 miles in front of her and this ENVIRONNEMENT is the second fastest think we are in pretty good shape. So we are keeps expanding his lead. FONCIA does not
could pose a problem as she tries to keep boat (11.8 knots) in the fleet and holds a right on the track for a waypoint which we need to push to hard, since he sports about
Guillemot behind her. He made his stop at the comfortable lead over the third place boat, have 1550 miles to go to (Cape Horn), off the a two day advantage over the second place
Falkland Islands and repaired his mast track, Armel Le Cléac’h (BRIT AIR). Jourdain’s plateau of Tierra del Fuego. We are making boat. He is sailing on a course that relieves the
which took four hours to complete. only hope now to catch the leader will be in good time. We have an instrumentation prob- pressure on the rig caused by slamming into
The three waiting for the major storm the doldrums about three days away. lem. Back sailing like when we were grow up, the big waves.
(TEAM PINDAR, AKENA VERANDAS and Like many of the competitors, Sam Davies looking at the windex at the top of the mast. Marc Guillemot’s (SAFRAN), who took
AVIVA) took a more easterly approach as the (ROXY) and Marc Guillemot (SAFRAN) said The autopilot is fine on ‘compass’ but I think a course close to the Brazilian coast, has had
storm passed more to the west. Each has been they both were exhausted from fighting light what is going to mean is that I won’t be able to make his way through a lot of fishing gear.
giving the other support and advice as they air and trying to keep their boats going as fast to sail downwind under true wind angle, Guillemot’s choice to go in when Sam Davies
battle the storm. Unfortunately the mainsail as possible. which normally you’d be able to do and set for (ROXY) stayed offshore has paid off with a
on AVIVA, Dee Caffari, has been further Dee Caffari (AVIVA), who was also tired, maybe an hour and 15 minutes or so and get lead of 167 miles over Davies.
damaged by the storm, but she will not know but from battling two severe storms, said that a nap. Instead get up every 20 or 30 minutes The weather in the South Atlantic has
the extent until after the storm blows out. She she was going to lose time when she slows to and check everything is OK. I keep thinking been benefiting Brian Thompson (BAHRAIN
later radioed in that there was a lot of flapping make repairs to her mainsail. about how any of these boats survive the TEAM PINDAR) and Steve White (TOE IN
material, but still did not know exactly how It was reported that British racer Steve beating they take.” THE WATER). Thompson is just 350 miles
serious. She really wants to complete this White (TOE IN THE WATER) was not sailing During the night White (TOE IN THE behind Davies.
race, for she would be the first woman to sail with a mainsail. He had developed a problem WATER) passed Cape Horn, leaving just Day 76, 24 January: A high pressure
singlehanded, non-stop around the world in with his headboard, which was no longer three racers in the Pacific. system is west of the Canary Islands and this
both directions. She was still pushing hard to connected to the sail. He is still making eight The battle between Sam Davies (ROXY) will slow Michel Desjoyeaux (FONCIA), but
get out of the Pacific as soon as possible. or nine knots and is now just 430 miles from and Marc Guillemot (SAFRAN), fourth and this will not threaten his lead. He was pres-
It was also reported that AKENA VE- Cape Horn. fifth respectively, has been intense since ently in a 20 knot easterly with rough seas,
RANDAS, Arnaud Boissières, had been The two racers at the back of the fleet, before rounding Cape Horn. SAFRAN has and was trying to get to the west of the high
knocked down twice and his satellite commu- competing in vintage open 60s, Raphael Dinelli been sailing closer to the coast of Brazil and and avoid the worst of it. The winds and seas
nication equipment had been washed over- (FONDATION OCÉAN VITAL) and Norbert has benefited by gaining more than 200 miles should diminish and when this happens he
board. During the first knockdown the boat Sedlacek, (NAUTICSPORT-KAPSCH) are in the last two days. will raise the gennaker and have great sailing
stayed down for a time and Boissières thought sailing just one mile apart. They still have 200 Day 72, 20 January: Desjoyeaux conditions.
he had been dismasted. The second time he miles to go to the West Pacific ice gate. (FONCIA) is back up to speed as he reaches Fourth place Brian Thompson
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