Vendee Globe Race Thread

[Hwyl]

Thats not a lot of fuel for sure. Was this some time back? Electronic loads seem to get more and more. I think a double alternator on a main engine is a good idea, a large discharged battery bank would put enough load on the engine to not damage it. I believe most sailboat auxiliaries are too big these days. I expect the pilot is the biggest load. The footage coming back this race is quite spectacular.......i dont see one of these boats working at these speeds with a Hasler or Aries gear.

2004/2005 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2OhD7nY6GY He used a non smart autopilot and set it to his apparent wind. That obviously caused problems when he was slowed down, but it's all there was back then. Because he had a freestanding rig, he had a lot of shade free deckspace. I can't remember whether he had 8 or 10 solar panels.

[Flobart]

^ A nice "simple" boat. I like the lifting beak under the bow. I do not know when pilots became able to steer a course based on a speed setting, rather than wind and course. Similar in some respects to Gerrs BOC design.

How he could live with that keel hum i dont know. Bad enough with wind in rigging. I remember a Sonata 22 with a lift keel had the same issue with keel hum at 5+knots.

[amish rob]

2004/2005 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2OhD7nY6GY He used a non smart autopilot and set it to his apparent wind. That obviously caused problems when he was slowed down, but it's all there was back then. Because he had a freestanding rig, he had a lot of shade free deckspace. I can't remember whether he had 8 or 10 solar panels.

Oh, heck no! . Great video, which does a great job of demonstrating why I don’t do that. More power to those folks.

[John Meachen]

Every night at 10 pm (UK time) I am able to watch a short French TV highlights broadcast.Usually its just a few competitors talking to their video camera.Yesterday the weather was quite benign and one took his camera on deck where we were amazed by the sight of four other boats in quite close proximity.I have seen bigger spreads after an afternoon of racing and yet there they were half way round the world and still close.

[Hugh MacD]

I've been using that measuring tool on the tracker periodically and have been stunned by the proximities. Times when they could almost toss beers boat-to-boat. Even the competitors have commented on it.

[Woxbox]

One had to change course to avoid collision. They did get squeezed together by the shape of the exclusion zone.

[Woxbox]

Time compensation for those who assisted in the rescue has been announced: So Bestaven has a stronger lead than shows on the tracker, but Le Cam is a couple hundred miles or so closer to the top three.

Jean Le Cam“Regarding the time spent rescuing Kevin Escoffier (PRB), and after evaluating the impact on his race, the Vendée Globe international jury awarded Jean Le Cam 16 hours and 15 minutes of compensation. This compensation will be applied to him when crossing the finish line. "
Yannick Bestaven
“Regarding the time spent rescuing Kevin Escoffier (PRB), and after evaluating the impact on his race, the Vendée Globe international jury awarded Yannick Bestaven 10 hours and 15 minutes of compensation. This compensation will be applied to him when crossing the finish line. "
Boris Herrmann
“Regarding the time spent rescuing Kevin Escoffier (PRB), and after evaluating the impact on his race, the Vendée Globe international jury awarded Boris Herrmann 6 hours of compensation. This compensation will be applied to him when crossing the finish line.

[sp_clark]

Dalin’s LinkedOut’s taking water into the watertight bow compartment. He’s practically stopped while he pumps water out then assesses what happened, how to repair.

https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/...ow-compartment

[Flobart]

My calculations on that time allowance for LeCam, given his speed and distance average so far, would give him a 212nm advantage, or nearly half the actual distance to the current first place.

[Flobart]

Glad to hear no damage for Ruyant on Linked Out, just leaking hatches due to water over the deck. They must usually have good seals and locking to avoid getting sucked off....

[sp_clark]

Skirting hard to that ice limit they are at this point, that low pressure’s slowing ‘em down.

DFBABE31-C31C-4601-A49E-7088E7EE3A66.jpg

Is that ice limit simply a warning line or do they suffer a penalty for venturing beyond? Other than the obvious risks of growlers out there....

[amish rob]

Glad to hear no damage for Ruyant on Linked Out, just leaking hatches due to water over the deck. They must usually have good seals and locking to avoid getting sucked off....

They likely wouldn’t need such hatches if they went OVER the water rather than THROUGH it.

This type of sailing is so crazy scary looking, to me. Going 100mph in those conditions would be equally thrilling and terrifying.

I’ll stick with the duck punt, for now.

[Hugh MacD]

They likely wouldn’t need such hatches if they went OVER the water rather than THROUGH it.

This type of sailing is so crazy scary looking, to me. Going 100mph in those conditions would be equally thrilling and terrifying.

I’ll stick with the duck punt, for now.

What I can't imagine is the stamina these folks have to deal with that for months! It's fun for a day or two, but.....

[amish rob]

What I can't imagine is the stamina these folks have to deal with that for months! It's fun for a day or two, but.....

I’m an Ironman, endurance cyclist, and ultramarathoner, and I think it’s absolutely the endurance that makes these folks great. You hit the nail on the head!
An hour would be awesome. Sleeping? I mean, actually falling asleep, for however short a nap, while this wonderboat rockets through the maelstrom on a surfboard fin?
Pooping?!

Because the ability of the machines to endure is well known; and it’s easy to see when they fail. The ability of the folks inside those things? Not that they are necessarily “better” at “sailing” than others, but those are some special folks to be able to endure that contest; and to compete the entire time!

Because even in a race this long, one single moment spent NOT racing could cost a trophy.

Fantastic event.

[Hugh MacD]

I’m an Ironman, endurance cyclist, and ultramarathoner, and I think it’s absolutely the endurance that makes these folks great. You hit the nail on the head!
An hour would be awesome. Sleeping? I mean, actually falling asleep, for however short a nap, while this wonderboat rockets through the maelstrom on a surfboard fin?
Pooping?!

Because the ability of the machines to endure is well known; and it’s easy to see when they fail. The ability of the folks inside those things? Not that they are necessarily “better” at “sailing” than others, but those are some special folks to be able to endure that contest; and to compete the entire time!

Because even in a race this long, one single moment spent NOT racing could cost a trophy.

Fantastic event.

I got to do a Pac-Cup (one was enough!) and we raced HARD for 12 days...hard enough to win the division (OK...it was the "Full Race Winnebago" Division, but...) and I can't imagine racing at that level for months on end! I have huge respect for these folks! I got to do a delivery on a 70 ultralight where we hit 30 and ran in the 20s for a day or so and even that was exhausting!

[John Meachen]

Rob sums it up perfectly.They may or may not be the best sailors if they were just sailing around a bay for an afternoon,but they have a superhuman ability to push a boat fast for a long period with almost no rest.I've been checking the progress several times a day since the start and will do so for the remainder of the event.I also saw earlier that the repaired Gitana 17 is preparing for an attempt on the Jules Verne trophy.If that goes well,they will be back in France just a few days after the leaders of the Vendee Globe.

[Woxbox]

This race continues to fascinate. They may be weeks into the race, but they're still grouped like they were circling the buoys on a Saturday afternoon. Relatively speaking, the leaders are closer to each other than the America's Cup challengers were halfway through their 25-minute "races" in Auckland over the weekend.

And at the moment, the weather has thrown up a big STOP sign for the second group.


Vendee-12-23.jpg

[Hwyl]

Thanks for the clear map.

[Flobart]

The 2 leading boats look to be having some nasty conditions for rounding Cape Horn. For the first time in this race the 2 leading boats have opened up a bit of a lead, but a long way to go. I wonder what the routings suggest for going East or West of the Falkland Islands.

[Flobart]

Screenshot_2021-01-02 Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En.jpg

[Flobart]

Besthaven has rounded(past 85nm South) of the Horn, 55 days and 22min from the start. Dalin 160nm behind.

[Hwyl]

Charlie Dallin (sp) is going inside Staten Island, a ballsy move.

[Woxbox]

Looks like it might pay off and put him ahead of Bestaven, who was forced to jibe off his route to dodge a weak spot.

Vendee 1-3.jpg

[Hwyl]

Besthavn still has time on him though.

[Flobart]

That move has bought Dalin 100nm closer than he was this morning. Besthaven may have 10hrs in hand, but its a long way to go. Given the close racing so far though.......who knows?

[Hwyl]

Doesn't Besthaven have a shortened foil on the port side? That will affect him in the trade winds. Maybe given the history it will help him.

[Flobart]

Doesn't Besthaven have a shortened foil on the port side? That will affect him in the trade winds. Maybe given the history it will help him.

I thought his boat was still in good order, but Dalin in 2nd and Royant have damage to foil or casing. Recall that Thomson in the last race had a damaged foil, but chased Armel all the way up the Atlantic. Much will depend on the routing to gain boat performance.

[John Meachen]

Each time I check the updates I wonder why Benjamin Dutreux's boat has an icon thats a lot smaller than the other competitors.

[RFNK]

Each time I check the updates I wonder why Benjamin Dutreux's boat has an icon thats a lot smaller than the other competitors.

He annoyed the committee.

[Flobart]

Still close after all the miles, and some very challenging weather routing to consider....map file would not load.

[Woxbox]

And now closer. The weather systems have conspired to compress the leading group. What a horse race.

Vendee-01-11.jpg

[John Meachen]

Last time I looked the first five boats were within 30 miles of each other.What a fantastic race.

[nrs5000]

Pretty remarkable. I only check in on the race map every few days, and it's amazing how fast they are getting round, and that they are so incredibly close so far into the race.

[Woxbox]

Here it is again. The leading group has been spreading out -- but the horse latitudes will pretty certainly check the front runners' progress and tighten the peloton once again.

Vendee - 1 - 20.jpg

[amish rob]

Yeah. Spreading out. Hahaha.

Crazy that this is a race around the world, and they’re still in danger of collision with each other.