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

😐

Historically attrition is about 50% I think

Seb twisted his Rudder stock or mechanism. He was due to replace it in daylight, with the spare he carried. I’m guessing that’s not worked.

Just watched Alex’s day 32 video:
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/16971/the-pacific-and-half-way-for-the-leaders

Excellent feeling to how rough it is, and like he says, how difficult it must be to cook, sleep or use the toilet.

Didac Costa says he has no roof on the cockpit, what’s going on there?

That squeaking would’ve had me abandoning ship. Bloody mad the lot of them.

The Alex up date in the middle of the night shows just how tough this event is. The very real danger combined with isolation and sleep deprivation

With KAPOW on my tail and gaining all the time we continue to cut our way through the fleet

This is what I’ve learned. Must have been really dim not to have spotted it as we headed for the Cape of Good Hope

We are aiming to sail East. So as a rough rule of thumb winds with any Northley component (Wind bearing greater than 270) favour Port. Any Southerly wind (Wind bearing less than 270) favour starboard

Next problem. It looks likely that the wind will swing through 270, meaning I need to gybe, during my morning ride…..

With KAPOW on my tail and gaining all the time

With both of you stalking me,I’m getting a crick in my neck looking over my shoulder all the time 😡
Sometimes you’ve got to sail the ‘wrong’ tack or even at a worse VMG if it means getting to stronger breeze earlier.

Rorschach whats your boat called?

Mamasita.

Sometimes you’ve got to sail the ‘wrong’ tack or even at a worse VMG if it means getting to stronger breeze earlier.

I got that. What I hadn’t got was If the wind is uniform every where what do I revert to

Mamasita

So about 3 hours ahead and 10,000 places. Its crowded out there. This is quite intresting

@Ampthill and @Rorschach – it’s all a bit close isn’t it! Every time I think I’m getting closer, you manage to eek out a few miles… I suspect catching you, let alone passing, will prove elusive. But I’m still trying!

Nick (Kapow)

It is great fun. I have to say it is ll made easier by passing others. That makes worry less about you catching me. Tonight looks awful. Looks like the wind swings through 270 between now and when I get up, ho hum its only a game….

Alex seems to be going for a bit if a split, higher and faster than Armel ?

That was 2 weeks ago and Armel had been in sight, Alex is now 500 miles back and Armel looks likely to catch the back of another depression in which case he will be gone. Sadly I think barring a breakage its all over as a race for 1st

Phew, a week away with no internet and I expected to come home to a boat languishing way back. Seem to have had a bit of luck with the weather.

‘kin ‘ell … that must have been some collision

😯

I sacked it off….got fed up at looking at the laptop constantly…..

Sadly Thomas is limping to New Zealand, hoping his yacht doesn’t break in half. Looking at the pics, it’s only the backbone and keel box holding it together..

Probably hit a shipping container, it’s the most logical reason for the damage. Container ships disguard them all the time, more so in the Southern Ocean since the boxes are rarely strapped down.

Shame Thomas didn’t get a look at it, it’d have an ID/name on it and could be reported.

Thomas R nearly there, hugging coast of NZ

Sharkbait what happened? Away for a few days? Is that it no way back?

Eh, what have you seen???

Last night I forgot that I’d set a course that would put me into the exclusion zone – I meant to change course again a few hours later but forgot.
This morning I found my speed had been reduced massively while in the zone and I had to get back out. Lost about 100 miles which is annoying as I’d just made about 70 miles on the little group I’m near 🙁

Do you still have a place. I saw you over the line

What happens if you go over the line? May have done it for an hour or so a week ago

You just go really slowly.

OK stapleford flyer does still have a place, few

Yes but I’ve lost about 3000 places – got some work to do!

Armel smashes the record to Cape Horn by 5 days set 4 years ago. Pretty much perfect weather for his rounding. Alex T should round Christmas morning which despite trailing by 600+ miles will make it pretty special. As a race it’s all over

Yup, once Alex dropped to 300 miles behind it was over for him. Ok, Armel could have a disaster but now they’re hugging the Argie/ Brazilian coastline Armel can only put more miles on Alex.

Almost forgotten whose in third 😕

Alex now within 34 nm of the lead. In front by tomorrow?

Look at the wind and east/west separation, the distance to finish (and hence calculation of the lead) is misleading. I’d love to think Alex is “back in it” but I suspect not.

Why do you think that (genuine question, I’m interested in your reasoning)?

I get that Alex is downwind based on the current prevailing winds, but it’s not like they’re going to have Westerlys all the way home, and in fact if the winds stayed the same as they are at the moment it looks like a more Easterly course might pick up better winds.

But then I’m not an ocean sailor and haven’t even been playing the game, so I might be missing something. Though in any case it’s certainly looking a lot closer than seemed likely a few days ago.

Just the way the new wind will likely fill in. It’s normal when you approach a lighter patch for the sailor behind to catch up, if Alex was directly behind Armel that would be one thing but there is a big East/West seperation. IMO Alex has taken a gamble knowing he will hold better wind to the East and why not as if he follows Armel he knows he’s lost.

This is from Mark Turner who ran Ellen McArthur’s operation (co-owened it I think), he’s the new CEO of Volvo Ocean Race, lives in Switzerland and does quite a bit of road biking. Met him in Geneva airport once off loading his bike bag. You can follow him on facebook if you wish.

Armel v Alex reminds me in some ways (but not all) of Ellen coming back up to MichDesj from 600 or so miles behind in the 2000/1 Vendee. She took the lead for a few hours even up the Atlantic in very similar fashion, but there was not much doubt Mich would indeed get to the new wind first, if only just in the end. Seems like Armel should be safe further west once through the light patch, just like Mich was 16 years and 4 editions of the race ago (OMG, that long?!)…but I guess you never really can be sure…

I did post earlier before I had seen Mark’s post but it’s not a unique insight, wind always looked like it would fill in from the West imo

Well I’m not going to use the App again. Quick course tweak this morning on my phone. Came onto the PC an hour later and some how I was sailing south. I think thats the second time I’ve exited the app going the wrong way….

Only a few days until the leaders will be finished now….

Alex is only 95 nautical miles behind Armel at present. That’s about 5 hours at the speed they’re currently doing. Keep thinking there is no realistic chance of Alex winning, but then he closes the gap right down again.

The last bit in to the finish will have to be on port tack, so Alex will need to overtake and build up a lead before then if he’s going to win. A very big ask!

Nail biter for sure… If onlyAlex hadn’t broken a goil…..

NewRetro I am really not sure he’s that much slower without the foil, the foil only helps in certain specifc conditions. 95 miles keeps the world interested but being mr grumpy he is only 5 hours behind only if Armel stops completely.

It’s certainly been an incredible race

Alex “boat is on fire” 🙂 not literally of course

Gap down to 88 miles now…

It’s crazy, but as I predicted.

Will Alex close the gap enough that they match race to the line ?? That would be something.

Come on Alex!
New 24hr distance record

What an impressive performance by both guys – but especially AT with a semi-broken boat for a huge amount of the race.
He may not win but chapeau chap (+ for the designers, builders, riggers, sailmakers, etc. – that boat looks simple awesome.)