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Like a Boss has new meaning...
That mainsail ^ has a wicked shape.
Back in our race I'm currently taking a hitch down south to try and catch some big winds that seem to be on the way ..... I've lost about 12,000 places today!
And Safrans out after hitting another submerged object..
@sharkbait - I'm watching your hitch south with interest, and I see ampthill is doing the same.
I'm tempted to follow, but for now will continue on my current course - be interesting to see where we end up in a couple of days!
Nick (Kapow saling)
I'm reasonably confident as the winds theoretically going to go a bit light up on the track I was taking before. You never know what's going to happen next though!
I'm amazed that these boats don't carry spare foils. Maybe that will be the next development? I can see that the main foils maybe aren't possible to change alone, but the rudders?
Foils weigh 100kg I believe. People have changed rudders before but as they typically have "a pop up" mechanism if they hit something they don't break as often anymore. Its also another reason for having two smaller rudders one each side vs traditional one large centre one which as its under the boat is very difficult to change and can sink the boat if it fails. A spare rudder is possible to carry (rule requirement on the volvo race I believe) but spare foils infeasible (weight and they are not symetrical anyway)
Alex is back on the other tack and foiling again but his lead has dropped to 35 miles.
Have these Guys done less than 10knts yet?
Amazing.
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Well that went pretty well..... Dropped to about 20,000th but now back to 7500th going quickly in the right direction!
Get south guys.
BPop has caught Alex, now they are (and will) match race each other until the finish..
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Not been following this, but the photos are fantastic!
It's a photogenic sport !
Sailing Anarchy did a call with Alex. Audio below or on FB
And Armel take the lead this morning..
Look at the keel ! And this maybe a fluke but he's even got both woolies flying..
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Yep, I bet Alex can't wait to get back on starboard so he can use his good foil.
Sadly I am of the view his chances are toast. Armel has overhauoed a 130 deficit and turned it into a 30 mile lead and is frequently going 2 knots faster. Unless Armel has a problem he can just sail safe and every time he is on the foiling tack/gybe Alex doesn't have he is going to step away. Josse had one problem (rudder) which cost him 75 miles and now he's 500 back as he fell into different weather
Amazing how many people turned out to see Tanguy back into Les Sables on a cold Monday afternoon (his wife is English, didnt know that, he lived in Lymington for a while I think)
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=947671372032098&id=197426247056618
Just got my first advert on the free version
Waiting for it to load
This may take the edge off things
OK I saw no advert, just a count down. I think it thinks I was using an ad blocker but I wasn't
Plenty of time still for stuff to go wrong Jamba.
JeanLC, you can almost hear him on the radio "Hello, hello.....this is JLC... calling...... a n y o n e!"
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A French Navy ship did a rdv with Armel / BP and took some helicopter footage. Saw it on tv but should be on the sites
That is insane. I have no idea how they remain focussed for that length of time with that level of sleep
This is worth watching, I've played it 3 times. 'Kin 'ell that's arc'd up 🙂
[grump on]
Even in this edit they've cut in stock footage, watch for different headsails on BP 😐
[grump off]
Good find Jam.
The heal angle on Hugo... bloody hell... those canting keel rams must be under so much pressure..
Awesome, the way Alex just bounces around the boat whilst heeled right over... 😕
Hugo Boss looks over canvassed to me and slower than Banque Populaire, but there again rumour has that he has lost his starboard foil, or has he?
That Alex geezer with the union jack is clearly 'kin barking !
What's supposed to be wrong with his boat (in terms your gran would comprehend, please) ?
Alex has broken one foil. This foil is a mini wing underwater, lifting the boat up and pushing it back upright against the wind.
A bit like a running with a flattish tyre on a rally car.....goes round one corner well, but the othe way is awful.
The boats (New generation) have a foil (like a daggerboard) either side of the beam (middle section of the boat, just in front of the cockpit, just behind the mast) These foils are deployed when on either tack, they "dig" into the water when healed over - so Starboard Foil = deployed on Starboard tack, and as they are shaped like an airplane wing provide "lift" and also act as a stabiliser. The last Gen boats had similar but the just went up/down in roughly the same position and did a similar job, these new Gen foils not only go up/down but in/out so theres more tuning available.. think of them like stabilisers on a bike... fit them close the the rear wheel and there is less stability, fit them further out and theres more.. the lift element helps the boat track cleaner and higher tot he wind thus sailing better VMG (cleaner wind angles)
Alex lost his Starboard foil about a week ago when he hit something submerged, it broke off and now he's only go the Port one. In the film you can see the Port foil in the air as Alex is on Stb tack, so he should have the Starboard foil in the water, but it isn't there.. this means he can't sail quite as stable nor high. Actually you can see the boat roll around in the clip.. whilst this is probably due to the sea state as much as anything, you would expect a smoother pitch and yaw with the foil deployed.
He does make comment about it in the clip..
It in French, but you get the gist.
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Ignore - cross-post with bikebuoy's
(however, "le ballast" - that diagram makes it look like it's mobile and has been shifted to the "useful" side, or is that just omitting the left side for simplicité ?
(must be massive force going through those things - hard (or else biggish motors?) to set/lock/trim ?)
[s]
you mean the "outriggery-looking", bright green thing under the water ? What's it/they do - prevent excess angulation ? Is that why he's at about 50 degrees ?! (or is it the other side that's gone)Alex has broken on foil
"foil" implies lift to me (though I guess downforce is just the reverse - or does it lift the entire hull to reduce drag?)[/s]
Hugo Boss looks over canvassed to me and slower than Banque Populaire
It was my first thought too however these boats are designed to sail more heeled than a typical boat (part of reason for twin rudder) and perhaps Alex has had to adjust the "mode" further due to the foil loss ? Also as I watched it agin (longer clip on AT facebook ?) most of the time Boss is pretty flat, only seems to be in bigger puffs she heels right up.
Re the heel thats certainly a lesson I learnt (and mistake repeated) that its often faster to reduce sail and keep the boat a bit flatter - hull shape more efficient and leeway (going sideways) reduced. Sailing shorthanded its easy to get lazy and try and "hang on" to the sails you have up, These guys are tough and very disciplined at sail changes / reefing main. They'll have a very good feel for matching configurations depending on wind speed and angle, waves etc. We used to have a card we'd drawn up they'll have it electronically too as part of routing software.
Overcanvassed or not (and I'd agree that was a lot of heel), he's doing a great job of hanging on to Le Cleach and has now reduced the gap to under 8 miles! That's close racing after almost 10,000 miles, and another 15,000 to go!
That footage is frankly incredible, proper goosebumps on the back of my neck stuff.
I wonder if Alex was heeled over so far for dramatic effect and to look good on tv? He certainly gives 'BOSS' a good showing 🙂
And related to the previously unanswered question - do these boats have mobile ballast that can be pumped from side to side?
Yes they have water ballast
And that video proves Alex doesn't have his starboard foil (some people were suggesting mind games)
I'm sure he has lost his SB foil, but I'm not sure that you could prove it from the footage. It'll be interesting to see the stump.
Has gone over the edge to saw it off yet? To be that sounded unnecessary - surely just retract the stump in to the hull. Another example of Alex 'bigging it up for the media'?. Still gets mucho respect from me though.
We all know that a gust of >10knts will make the boat heel over, add sea state and waves and you get the effect Alex shows, however I think because of the lost foil he is intentionally heeling it over to dig the chine in the water to aid "lift".
Great footage, love the conversations between Armel and Alex and the Navy..
I'm sure he has lost his SB foil, but I'm not sure that you could prove it from the footage. It'll be interesting to see the stump
My thought was whether the bow would be burying so much if he had the lift from a stbd foil
Most of the footage Boss is not that heeled. Only the bit when he's on deck and with the flag (absolutely brilliant imo 🙂 that will be THE image/video of the event if he wins and maybe anyway)
Yes they have water ballast, quite complex with a number of tanks so they can trim side/side and fore and aft. The Spaniard had a pipe burst/leak which flooded his electrics just after the start. Have sailed a bit on a Class 40 (sort of a mini Open 60) with water ballast and it's damn effective.
Do they need fuel to pump ballast or can they use the forward motion of the boat in some way to drive another pump?
😀 The guy is a star ! I am sure this is on a website somewhere
@will these boats buy the bow quite a bit, its a result of a design choice (reducing boyancy (size) in the bow). They all have these covered cockpits now as they know the amount of water on deck will be huge. You can see how much Boss buried the bow (and slowed down) on the footage, I shudder to think of the loads on everything inc rig when that happens
Here is some footage of a differemt sort of boat (symetrical spinnaker with higher center of effort - Figaro 2 ??) training, these Vendee boats are designed to avoid that
In the videos on the first page, the sailor was showing how he could move all the food ,stores and sleeping area from side to side for ballast.
He did say a tack would take a hour due to moving everything around, changing foils etc.
That explains a lot, thanks. That Boss boat looks incredible
Leffe yes they have pumps but tend to use gravity too on a tack, ie drop the water before they tack. The quantities of water are pretty large. Trying to pump that uphill after tacking would be very difficult. Water is heavy, 1m3 weights a mteric ton. Note the teams don't discuss the specific layouts, systems etc and generally will not allow photos of the insides of the boats.
Alex in fist place 🙂 made a better job of timing his gybe in my very humble and amateur opinion.
How did he get back in first? I thought he was still 30 behind?
edit:i misread 1m3 as 1.3m3. Slaps head
Are they carrying 3 months of fresh water as well? The more you look at this the crazier it gets
They carry water makers / desalination pumps.