Vendee Globe Yacht race starts this Sunday, great footage of the new gen yachts

Not sure, pop up on the Twitter feed every hour..

As my dad says when we’re doing 16 knots in a 14ft dinghy- “whole-eee shit”.

😯

Still Boss’ing it.. 65nm in the lead, and pulling 5knts more boat speed the two behind him..

Yep, apparently he’s either very quick or a bit slow depending upon the conditions as the boat may have a fairly narrow performance band.

Yes, good point SB. I do wonder how it will go in really light wind..what with the Doli’s coming up.. There’s little information about his design knocking about freely..

Will be a fascinating transition through the Doldrums, starting to look like he has enough of a gap now to balance the expected weaker light air performance.

Photos. I did see some recent drone footage taken from one boat down the fleet a bit buts it’s my view these photos are all library shots.

They are well through the Doldrums. Infact they were almost not their as they passed through

I’m just about to hit the really slow part with winds down to sub 3 knots in the next 6 hours

But I’ve made up a few places. Think leaving the Atlantic will be the first real test of how we are doing. The lead VR boat is stuck on he coast of Africa North me.

I’m keeping an eye on your position there Ampthill ….. looks decent. I’m struggling along with just 5km wind right now but I think I may start pulling out the other side in about 3-4 hours.

@sharkbait – what is your boat name? I can’t find you under your stw name

Stapleford Flyer
😯

Ah – I got you! I’m on KAPOW… and you’re about 400 miles ahead of me :/
Thanks!

jambalaya – Member
buts it’s my view these photos are all library shots.

*shrugs

Well Nick in true sailing fashion the new wind has come in from behind ( 😯 ) and your route through looks great now 🙁

Is there a way of storing a list of “friends” yachts. I’ve found you one at a time but that is by searching. I know I’m missing something obvious

Currently doing jus over 5 knots in just under 3 knots of wind

I’m worried about what the 20:00 forecast update will bring

I have found this useful for visualising the wind. Although of course the game wind isn’t exactly the same

http://gis.ee/vg/

@ampthill – you can save friends. When you select a boat (either by clicking on it or searching for it), look for the small ‘head-and-shoulders’ profile image at the bottom left. Click that and the boat gets added to your list of friends.

Nick

So Alex has just set the record to the Equator, beating the previous one by 1day & 4hours!!

Thanks Nickb I’ll try that later

Good to be through the Doldrums

Tangy has abandonned 🙁 mast not repairable to take on the Southern Ocean.

Looking forward to getting round the Cape and a better idea of where we all stand in the race. I #think# I have more less caught up with Jambalaya and theCrouset with Amp miles off over the horizon.

Me? Jealous?

Nope 😕

Uphillcursing what is your boat called?

I’ve just taken a gamble. The forecast is that the winds will break up in the area we are sailing into. SO I have born away and gone for spped to try and get far enough South to hit the narrow bands of southerlys before they dissapear

Uphill my boat was called Jambaiaya Racing as Jambalaya was taken but I never left the dock as the app kept crashing – so that’s not me

The videos look more foreboding, darker skies and a bit more wind 🙂

I’d be wary of beating away, starting east ends to be beneficial at this point. Although the winds may get a little lighter they’re singing further north so the boat speed will stay well up (maybe faster than the wind speed).

Oh and that pic is fantastic, I’d love to be on there.

Oh my God….
Beating = bearing
Ends = seems
Singing = swinging

!

Turned that autocorrect nonsense off, still post rubbish mind 😉

Beats 3 times round the cans then back to the chartroom for a beer 😆

windmonkey is the name of the fine vessel I am steering poorly.

Beats 3 times round the cans then back to the chartroom for a beer

Ahem. 😳
I may have landed in trouble with the race committee and club commodore for not waiting to return to dry land, or end of race, or in from trapeze before opening a couple of cold ones once.
Ahem. 😳

Woohoo, bounce, bounce, bounce, weehee…

😆

Closer to flying.

Ekranovendee?

Alex is getting the job done 130 miles ahead and better boatspeed. LeClech is nicknamed “the wolf” for hunting people down but the gap is starting to look comfortable and if Boss is indeed faster in heavier air … 🙂

Those lead boats are sailing into a very strong well directed but narrow band of wind. Those who catch it in the real or virtual race will be I uncatchable. The record is still on.

Be I’m about to loose the 100,000 places I gained since the Canaries failing to find the high that is forming in front of us. Should have followed Footflaps advice and stayed East. I’d have hit the light winds but with less distance to sail

My only worry now for Alex is, well, he keeps his head clear and calm… 😐

Ah, I spoke too soon.

He’s hit something that was submerged, broken the tip of his Starboard foil off but seems to have damaged the foil casing too. He’s fine he says, the boats still cracking along all be it lower and a bit slower. Full damage assessment to come,

😐

🙁

I did suggest suggest not going west Ampthill…..

OK I turned West and admit defeat. Places lost. Light winds ahead. If I get into this I’ll try the Volvo next year

The wind direction is more important than the speed most of the time with these boats.

Bad news from Alex. 🙁

Down but not out. Starboard side foil is gone but after Cape Town they should be predominently on the other tack/gybe. Slow (still 18 knots) for now and the damage will change his routing but he has a lead/cushion at least for now

http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/16315/down-but-not-out

On another note, Bens won the LVAC regatta in Japan!!