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Vendee Globe - Upwind In The Pacific!

Everything on its head
At the antipodes of France, with their heads upside down to the south of New Zealand, the two leaders can’t get over the welcome the Pacific is affording them. After the chaotic, rough seas of the Indian Ocean, Vincent Riou (PRB) and Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle) were expecting a quiet entry into the Pacific. They imagined themselves stepping up the pace a notch, as they surfed along downwind, putting more than 400 miles a day on the clock. The opposite has happened. They are “hammering away” upwind in 35-40 knot winds, as a clearly demoralised Vincent Riou explained during his radio report today. It’s all due to a low-pressure area in the wrong place, to the north of the route the competitors are taking, instead of its usual place to the south near the Antarctic. The leaders, who passed the halfway mark yesterday, meaning they are now getting closer to Les Sables d’Olonne, rather than moving away from it, certainly cannot be pleased with the overcast weather, low temperatures and the uncomfortable rate of sailing. These conditions at the front will allow the two chasing after them, Sébastien Josse (VMI) and Mike Golding (Ecover), to win back over the next few hours some of the miles they lost yesterday. Further back, Dominique Wavre (Temenos) will also be taking advantage of the situation to narrow the gap a little with the leading quartet.

Here’s New Zealand
Sometime during the night in Europe – but during the day for them in the antipodes – Vincent Riou and Jean Le Cam will be crossing the longitude of New Zealand, the final civilised land before they round Cape Horn, some 4500 miles ahead. Before that, they will have to pass through the final two compulsory gateways, located 1500 and 3000 miles in front of their bows, which have been established to avoid the competitors going down too close to the Antarctic, where there are obviously a lot of icebergs.

Bilou in Tasmania tomorrow
Less than 200 miles from the Tasmanian port of Hobart, famous for its legendary race between Sydney-Hobart, which begins every year on 26th December, Roland Jourdain (Sill et Véolia) should be reaching the Australian island tomorrow, bringing to an end his second Vendée Globe. Two members of his shore team will be joining him, then Bilou will be returning to France to spend the festivities with his family, before studying with his team, architects and builders the necessary repair work to the keel or its reconstruction.

Humphreys makes a comeback
The British yachtsman Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto), who stopped in a South African bay to repair his broken rudder all by himself, overtook Karen Leibovici (Benefic) this morning. He has thus left one of the two women in the race back in 17th and final place in the rankings. Conrad continues to fight his way back, and now has his eyes on Raphaël Dinelli (Akena Vérandas) just 65 miles ahead of him.

Quotes from the boats:
Vincent Riou (PRB): “It’s certainly not very nice around here. It’s raining, overcast, and the visibility is down to zero. We’re sailing upwind in 35 knots. I haven’t seen the sun for 6 days, and I’ve been in the fog now for 4 days. I shan’t be spending my holidays down here. It reminds me of the British Transatlantic Race at 55°N, whereas here I am at 55°S. The worst thing is it looks like it’s going to last. Jean (Le Cam) came back up on a good tack. It should be said that his boat is faster than mine upwind. I’m not that focused on the rankings. It isn’t in these conditions that gaps develop. There’s no point in going on the attack here. I’ve turned on the radar, as Jean is very close and in this fog...”
Sébastien Josse (VMI): “The weather is complicated and the charts aren’t very clear. I’m trying to understand what’s going on, and especially not miss out on anything. The “elastic” is stretching out and then squeezing us back together. We climbed back with the front, which has now gone over, and are slowing down again. There’s a transition zone ahead to deal with, and the wind will come around 180°, which seems incredible. It doesn’t feel like I’ve spent 40 days at sea. It doesn’t feel that long. We’ve had two or three deep lows to deal with, but the winds haven’t gone above 70 knots. I still feel quite happy about things. Everything is possible in this race.”
Bruce Schwab (Ocean Planet): “There are two interesting things about my position to the north; the sun is out and the seas are easier to cope with. I have decided to stay to the north of the low. I’m moving along slowly with it, and according to the sea state I push my boat a bit harder. In fact, I do it when I feel like it. The race is long and my aim is to complete it. It’s not by going on the attack in the Indian Ocean that I’d be looking after my boat. There will be opportunities later on to catch up with the others. I don’t have much confidence in my automatic pilot. I’m afraid the boat will go over and gybe all by itself in the breeze. Life is quiet on board. I’m just starting a new book, and between two gybes, I’m working on a new tune for the guitar. I do have a few worries, however. I haven’t had any chocolate left for a few days now...”
Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto): “One down! It’s great to be back with the pack. It’s also re-assuring to have someone behind. Since I started back out from South Africa, my confidence has been gradually building, and I’ve been pushing the boat a bit harder. I’m spending a lot of time each day checking everything and keeping an eye out for the slightest weakness, so I can repair things immediately. The wind will soon be coming around, and I’ll be gybing towards the Kerguelens. Anne (Liardet) and Raphaël (Dinelli) are about one day ahead. It will take a little time to get back up with them, maybe not until New Zealand. For the moment, I’m concentrating on making good headway. This is an extraordinary race and I want to finish it.”

Source : Vendée Globe 2004