ronnie_simpson

anybody got any more info on the training event that went down? i had been hearing about it before it went down, and also saw the Gitana video, but haven't found any good write ups, or results. Did Gabart end up ahead at the end? Hard to tell because Seb is saying he was ahead of the other boats, but i'm unclear if that includes Macif

cool boat but it's missing two hulls. if budget and rules are really not a consideration i'd take a maxi tri. just sayin'.

you just won the interweb today

you guys are spot on about the better boats that would have been available. S&S 34 is quite possibly the single best choice for this race, again keeping with the "spirit" of the race. the Contessa 32 would also be a great choice. a lot of Bob Perry designs would have been ideal as well. Valiant 32s, Valiant 40s, etc. there are so many other designs that would have been much better for the race and still keep with the intent. i think it's important to point out that the original race had full keels, fin keels and even multihulls. restricting it to only full keels is absolutely retarted and destined the race to be a failure in my opinion. one thing that people aren't discussing too much, or perhaps they are, is that heavy full keel boats are actually terribly dangerous in heavy running conditions. they are likely the worst type of platform one could choose for this race, let alone being the sole type of boat allowed. (a major major fuck up by RO) an ultralight or a racier design would be able to get out of it's own way, surf away from heavy storms, move fast enough to get out of the way, not trip over itself, etc. and still be plenty strong. this is a slow motion train wreck, i'm following this thread somewhat, but more of in a Rimas fashion than having any interest in the race itself. respect to the sailors who are out there, for sure, but the people organizing this thing are well off the mark.

i hear you. i got nostalgic at the start and wished i had mounted a campaign. but the restrictive nature of the rules just turn me off too much. they mandated people go non stop around the world in some of the worst boats imaginable. i'd way rather pursue something more interesting/ enjoyable. can you imagine racing solo non stop around the world on a boat that won't surf and is literally terrible downwind ??? (which is like 80%+ of the race)

i hear you. i got nostalgic at the start and wished i had mounted a campaign. but the restrictive nature of the rules just turn me off too much. they mandated people go non stop around the world in some of the worst boats imaginable. i'd way rather pursue something more interesting/ enjoyable. can you imagine racing solo non stop around the world on a boat that won't surf and is literally terrible downwind ??? (which is like 80%+ of the race)

i don't always take SA's viewpoint on things, but I sorta do on the GGR. I agree with you - this could have been like the SHTP - and I would have been all for that. I have done the SHTP twice and when I first heard about the GGR, I was very intrigued. Until I read the rules list and that only a few designs of boats (all pieces of shit in my opinion) were eligible. This race is a total shit show and this was easily predicted well before the race started. Glad no one's died... yet. edit: so how are skippers, such as Jean luc van den Heede making satellite phone calls (as posted above?). I thought sat phones were illegal for this race? SOOO many contradictions in this stupid ass race. very capable designs excluded from being legal, can't take modern technology, but yet skippers are making sat phone calls and charging batteries via Watt and Sea hydrogenerators... wtf

perhaps the best thing i've ever read

you guys are pretty much right. they missed calling the lay line a bit and had to throw in two quick gybes to make it to the finish.

He is a fantastic sailor and will be a very serious force to be reckoned with in the next Vendee Globe. I cant wait to watch him, and Jeremie Beyou, and the other prominent Figaro champions who now have brand new VPLP IMOCAs. Next VG is going to be amazing.

you are contradicting yourself, mate. one thing i've learned about foiling (from doing it), is that you don't get lucky and keep the thing on foil all the time. it's hard. i'm okay with it becoming a test of boat handling skills. the best team still wins. I was totally okay with the AC50's too, I thought they were rad. As someone else said however, the constant pumping of oil was fucking stupid. teams became incentivized to merely hire a world class cyclist or grinder who knew fuck all about yachting. that's not a fully crewed sailing race, it's an oil pumping contest with another guy driving. One thing the last few AC's taught me is that I won't pass judgement on the boats until the actual racing takes place. If the racing is a flop or the boats are a flop, then i'll form my opinion. But until then, i'm captivated at the learning curve, though I honestly wish they just stayed with foiling cats and built a sustainable series out of the whole thing.

No disrespect to Nathalie, i'm all about chasing the dream and good on her for getting out there and giving it a go. I know and like Nathalie. But she's simply not at the level that these guys and gals are, consistently well behind the entirety of the fleet. I'm not trying to be a dick, i'm just conveying the reality. All I was implying was that it would be much more exciting to have an American representative (or more than one), who could have the opportunity to train and go mix it up in that fleet, and see how they compare. A Mckee or Breymaier, or dreamers who have gone out and done some solo stuff like Ryan Finn and myself, or many of the very very talented professional sailors and up and coming young hot shot sailors that call America home. There are plenty of Americans who could at least hang onto the back of the fleet, though I agree the level is high enough that it would take even the best sailor on earth multiple seasons to truly be competitive. This race is amazing. edit: add "solosailor" to that list. He's a heck of a sailor, it would be interesting to see where he stacked up. Not among the front runners who have been at it for eons, but certainly in the pack, keeping the right sails up, responding to the shifts and generally going the right way.

We saw fuck all for wind in Honolulu, and I did not see or hear of any major damage in the Ala Wai harbor. As a result of the light winds (even lighter than normal for most of it), the surf was absolutely phenomenal on Thursday and into Friday, and then diminished from there as the period (and size) decreased. Very hard to verify, but there are rumors abound that the fires on Maui were set by some very bad people, not mother nature. This is apparently what happened on Oahu's west side during the last storm (intentional set wild fires) most of the good surf was on South facing shores (SE swell), so the winds were mostly offshore = good for surf.

i think they're super cool boats. i had an interesting chat with some people this summer, mostly just dreaming i'm sure, but it would be pretty beat to see 6 Figaro 2's end up on the west coast and run a development course/ school/ series, where participants charter the boats, etc. Figaro 2's are due for a steep price drop i would imagine, as the F3 comes on line. F2's are rad. (so are F3's for that matter)

she's over half a day BEHIND the next slowest boat. it creates an interesting situation, because if she doesn't drop out, then the boats who retired in this leg - which include some big names - effectively have no shot at even getting a top 10 overall ranking at the end of this thing, based on the "slowest finisher plus two hours" rule for DNF's. no disrespect to Nat, she's a nice girl, but it would be great to see an American who could be a bit more competitive with the fleet.