Vendee Globe 2020

[Corryvreckan 189]

25 minutes ago, james_007_bond said:

On La Fabrique, the port window on the cockpit roof broke, ooops. Goodbye protection…

Good thing it wasn't Art et Fenetres - that would have been embarrassing.

[Rocky 14]

AT and CD are doing pretty similar numbers since they tacked, quicker than Ruyant and the guys further NW. Will be interesting to see how Corum will be able to keep up after their tack in the next update, seem to be a bit in a bit lighter patch at the moment.

[tallyho 86]

38 minutes ago, loneshark64 said:

Somewhere Pip is still smiling.

:-)

[M26 61]

42 minutes ago, Raptorsailor said:

Nothing Duct tape can’t fix  

BTW how is Destremaus cardboard coach roof holding?

[tallyho 86]

No word on Giraud?... strange how he tacked back into the system

[Miffy 2,125]

special guest Francois Gabart the golden child himself - also talks a bit about 11th hour building a new boat but no plans for lol anything  

 

[JonRowe 678]

Just now, Miffy said:

special guest Francois Gabart the golden child himself - also talks a bit about 11th hour building a new boat but no plans for lol anything  

Maybe they'll do the great capey race

[Miffy 2,125]

Just now, JonRowe said:

Maybe they'll do the great capey race

He won’t let them! Imoca too small!

[troll99 446]

no  a 11hours boat in the race and they're building a new? What a prick. They could loan it to Pip. 

[Schakel 124]

5 minutes ago, Miffy said:

special guest Francois Gabart the golden child himself - also talks a bit about 11th hour building a new boat but no plans for lol anything  

 

They are building a new Ultime Trimaran.
They race the Jules Verne and route du Rhum.
But thanks to corona no official new starts are announced.
https://www.sail-world.com/news/229439/MerConcept-continues-construction-of-new-multihull
 

[Miffy 2,125]

3 minutes ago, troll99 said:

no  a 11hours boat in the race and they're building a new? What a prick. They could loan it to Pip. 

It was pretty funny when Enright was asked if he’d ever do a VG standing next to the old Hugo boss and he awkwardly tried to not lie but not say no. 
 

At the rate they’ll have the two foiling imocas signed up to do the race and no one else shows up. 

[trimfast 71]

Just now, Miffy said:

It was pretty funny when Enright was asked if he’d ever do a VG standing next to the old Hugo boss and he awkwardly tried to not lie but not say no. 
 

At the rate they’ll have the two foiling imocas signed up to do the race and no one else shows up. 

They only bought them to do the crewed version of the ocean race, right?

[minca3 191]

7 minutes ago, trimfast said:

They only bought them to do the crewed version of the ocean race, right?

AFAIK yes. I think the general consensus here is that everyone is pissed because they took the fastest boat from the previous VG out of this years edition. Additionally there is the question whether you can actually convert it to a multi person race boat at all.

[ET1 16]

To all the weather-experts: How do you get to the western side of Theta? Seems to be a very small  corridor between no wind and the upcoming western side of the storm. (Looking at windy)

[tallyho 86]

PRB gaining places while sinking!

[us7070 268]

16 hours ago, Herman said:

Thanks for that info. The Imoca 2016 polars are available and I use these, but am looking for the newest generation foilers. Upping the 2016 polars as @Hitchhiker posted upthread with a certain percentage is also possible, but hard to estimate to what level.

 

I have made expedition polars using the virtual regatta polars - supposedly for foiling boats

they are too slow i think - i have been using them at 115%

i am working on an excel sheet that converts the ranking file they post on the vendee website into a format that can be manually imported into the expedition tracking feature.

if anyone already has that working.., please share it...

 

 

 

 

[NZK 304]

30 minutes ago, minca3 said:

AFAIK yes. I think the general consensus here is that everyone is pissed because they took the fastest boat from the previous VG out of this years edition. Additionally there is the question whether you can actually convert it to a multi person race boat at all.

I think 11th hour have used the old HB to prove that a solo IMOCA 60 is a fucking catastrophe for 5-6 people. Their new boat will be better optimised for crewed sailing but then arguably no good for soloing which seems to kill the whole idea of running single boats for both IMOCA and TOR campaigns..?

I expect the current boat (old HB) will end up back in the IMOCA fleet once 11th hour dump it.

[JonRowe 678]

1 hour ago, Miffy said:

He won’t let them! Imoca too small!

I thought 60 ft was the minimum length? Also seems to include IMOCAs given the NOR says:

Quote

(d) Whisker poles or outriggers shall not be used for headsail or spinnaker sheeting modifying RRS 50.2 and RRS 50.3(c). IMOCA rated boats with deck spreaders can use aft outriggers.

?

[tallyho 86]

Groupe Setin slow and going NW?

[tallyho 86]

Giraud seems back on track, but wiiide angles

[tallyho 86]

Jump the forecast forward 6 hours and Le Cam and group are still well positioned. 

[Corryvreckan 189]

4 minutes ago, tallyho said:

Jump the forecast forward 6 hours and Le Cam and group are still well positioned. 

Yeah, I was just thinking that they look like they're closing the gap with the west group without losing too much ground (err... water).  They seem to have better speed right now in stronger wind.

[Herman 1,287]

19 minutes ago, us7070 said:

I have made expedition polars using the virtual regatta polars - supposedly for foiling boats

they are too slow i think - i have been using them at 115%

i am working on an excel sheet that converts the ranking file they post on the vendee website into a format that can be manually imported into the expedition tracking feature.

if anyone already has that working.., please share it...

 

 I'm very interested in your work! I have build a conversion spreadsheet that imports VG excel positions and generates a XML-formatted .gps file for importing into navigation software, OpenCPN in my case. It takes me 1 minute to convert the fleet positions. We could swap stuff via PB? 

[us7070 268]

1 minute ago, Herman said:

 I'm very interested in your work! I have build a conversion spreadsheet that imports VG excel positions and generates a XML-formatted .gps file for importing into navigation software, OpenCPN in my case. It takes me 1 minute to convert the fleet positions. We could swap stuff via PB? 

i will pm you

[RobbieB 1,092]

1 hour ago, NZK said:

I think 11th hour have used the old HB to prove that a solo IMOCA 60 is a fucking catastrophe for 5-6 people. Their new boat will be better optimised for crewed sailing but then arguably no good for soloing which seems to kill the whole idea of running single boats for both IMOCA and TOR campaigns..?

I expect the current boat (old HB) will end up back in the IMOCA fleet once 11th hour dump it.

Same with a Beneteau Figiro 

[Miffy 2,125]

1 hour ago, NZK said:

I think 11th hour have used the old HB to prove that a solo IMOCA 60 is a fucking catastrophe for 5-6 people. Their new boat will be better optimised for crewed sailing but then arguably no good for soloing which seems to kill the whole idea of running single boats for both IMOCA and TOR campaigns..?

I expect the current boat (old HB) will end up back in the IMOCA fleet once 11th hour dump it.

And 11th Hour has demonstrated such overwhelming resources that no one in their right minds is going to bother racing in the foiling imoca class because it is just deciding to join the search engine business against Google with a budget of only 500,000 to race an event where except for totalitarian regimes and corporate sponsors with limited actual oversight or concern for ROI - you wouldn't be able to compete. 

[minca3 191]

52 minutes ago, Corryvreckan said:

Yeah, I was just thinking that they look like they're closing the gap with the west group without losing too much ground (err... water).  They seem to have better speed right now in stronger wind.

If the windy.com predictions are accurate it seems to me it's still favorable to be further to the West in order to reach the Azores by Thursday/Friday  using down wind conditions. Which then should position them to the NW of Theta.

[Miffy 2,125]

I wouldn't want to be in the east group and finding out you're sailing into thetha beating upwind.

[blunderfull 445]

Bonus with Pip racing this go around:   really well done website, in English.    
 

https://www.piphare.com/

Pip’s pretty cool.  I’m all in on her race.   Good fun.

[Chasm 596]

1 hour ago, NZK said:

I think 11th hour have used the old HB to prove that a solo IMOCA 60 is a fucking catastrophe for 5-6 people. Their new boat will be better optimised for crewed sailing but then arguably no good for soloing which seems to kill the whole idea of running single boats for both IMOCA and TOR campaigns..?

Din't one boat in the race start as a VOR prototype? IIRC LinkedOut / Thomas Ruyant.
Easier to single hand a boat that was build for a small crew than the other way around.

[Miffy 2,125]

Alex Thomson's team to him right now



Edit: Just read what happened on Charal in more detail - oomf it wasn't just rudder damage. He's lost a backstay because an exploded block probably took out a bunch of composite structure - mother nature always find the weakest link in the system. Really awful for him and his team.

[tallyho 86]

quote Sebastien Simon,  "Conditions are really quite “shit”."

[Your Mom 993]

It'll be interesting to see Charal (hopefully) churning through the fleet a month from now.  In 2016, third place was more than 4 days behind first, and then 4, 5, and 6 were all 6 days behind.  Another week to 7th.  I know he's there to win, but if he can get a good repair done and avoid UFOs once resuming, he'll likely pass most of the fleet eventually.  Just have to do the repair properly and stay positive.

If he's lucky with the weather forecasts, he could even get right back into it eventually.  He'd just need to get into a situation where the leaders are stuck up against a wall of weak winds while he's riding up from behind on the next strong system.  We all know the experience of trailing boats "bringing the wind up from behind"...  In a race like this, if that scenario happens, it can be worth days.

Is the rule for outside assistance different in Les Sables than downtrack?  Presumably that's why he's going all the way back instead of finding a closer port?

Also wondering...  All of these boats did a bunch of testing before the race...  It isn't surprising that some are suffering some miscellaneous breakage of various severity...  That happens...  But how did the halyard lock issue not surface in pre-race testing?  So many boats have had issues with it, you'd think it would have come up.

[Schakel 124]

46 minutes ago, Miffy said:

Alex Thomson's team to him right now



Edit: Just read what happened on Charal in more detail - oomf it wasn't just rudder damage. He's lost a backstay because an exploded block probably took out a bunch of composite structure - mother nature always find the weakest link in the system. Really awful for him and his team.

Despite he suffered sleeplessness a lot he's in front of the fleet.
Any of these frontsailors accomplished something and AT did it with a lot of hassle an sleepless nights.
It's what you said:  it's the kind of sailor he is. Remarkable.



They are 74 hours underway..

 

[Miffy 2,125]

7 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

Is the rule for outside assistance different in Les Sables than downtrack?  Presumably that's why he's going all the way back instead of finding a closer port?

Also wondering...  All of these boats did a bunch of testing before the race...  It isn't surprising that some are suffering some miscellaneous breakage of various severity...  That happens...  But how did the halyard lock issue not surface in pre-race testing?  So many boats have had issues with it, you'd think it would have come up.

No outside assistance without penalty allowed after the start unless returning to Les Sables - he's heading back because half of Charal's backstay is broken. There's no good way to sail the southern ocean worried the rig is coming down.

In re issues - in a typical year the boats would have far more workup and the skippers will be seatrialing virtually until the last week to resolve issues. The problem this cycle being covid, was also the 3 week assembly/quarantine means a lot of the gear has been sitting idle. Even with "no stretch" lines and usually very reliable halyard hooks and reefing rooks - letting them idle for 3 weeks then throwing the fleet into a system always will break boats. It is just part of the VG.

[sunol 31]

From the Vendee twitter feed, Mike Golding talking about routing for Theta here.

 

[Roleur 281]

There is nothing at all unusual about the issues the boats are having this time.  It happens every year.  8 years ago only about half the fleet made it to the equator!!!  Sam & Jeromie were two of those that had to abandon.  Safran lost its keel the first night out that year too.  And if previous editions are an indicator we shouldn't expect more than half the fleet to finish, with the attrition typically higher near the beginning of the race than the end.

[Twocan 4]

 

[Miffy 2,125]

Latest results. 1700 UTC Apivia, Hugo Boss, PRB in the best position - Initiatives, Corum not too far behind if you consider the upcoming tacks. 

[Corryvreckan 189]

2 hours ago, minca3 said:

If the windy.com predictions are accurate it seems to me it's still favorable to be further to the West in order to reach the Azores by Thursday/Friday  using down wind conditions. Which then should position them to the NW of Theta.

The western boats seem to be gybing back east (including he who shall not be named ).  My guess is that they'll all converge on wherever they feel the sweet spot is for wind speed down the west edge of the front(s).  But it doesn't look as if the western group will be all that far out in front of the eastern group, especially given that the easterners are mostly the non-foilers.  And they all seem to be doing comparable speeds for now.

 

Edit to add:  Hell, at this rate, Romain might wind up in front of Sam!

[Your Mom 993]

Burton's options for serving the penalty are getting limited.  I guess he'll try to get south of 40 and then serve it near the limit.  The breeze where he is will be dying, so he needs to be south of the lightest stuff, serve the time, and then hope to get moving again before it dies too much.

[minca3 191]

6 minutes ago, Corryvreckan said:

The western boats seem to be gybing back east (including he who shall not be named ).  My guess is that they'll all converge on wherever they feel the sweet spot is for wind speed down the west edge of the front(s).  But it doesn't look as if the western group will be all that far out in front of the eastern group, especially given that the easterners are mostly the non-foilers.  And they all seem to be doing comparable speeds for now.

just checked the boat speeds, I get the impression the western group around Ruyant is going slower ATM. So it looks like  he who shall not be named, Dalin, Escoffier, Davis found the sweet spot. I think so because with the exception of Corum everyone else from the eastern group will be behind (once the field rejoins), Corum probably a bit behind. If we assume these upwind conditions with light winds suited Corums boat design the best then Troussel wasn't able to translate it into a lead.

[Hitchhiker 816]

It is possible that theta will play a big part in separating the fleet even more.  If current track stays it could well force the eastern fleet to sail hotter angles to get to the west side of Theta.  The western fleet looks to have a more favourable angle.

Look at the potential boat speed for Boss on Friday the 13th!  

 

[Miffy 2,125]

I'd be genuinely concerned for the non-foiling boats that might not be able to get to the west and will have to endure beating against a storm for a good 12 hours. 

[longy 461]

Have the furlers issues all been on foilers? With the increased slamming they seem to have, peak loads on the furler units could be a lot higher than expected.

[minca3 191]

11 minutes ago, longy said:

Have the furlers issues all been on foilers? With the increased slamming they seem to have, peak loads on the furler units could be a lot higher than expected.

to my knowledge, yes, only foilers

[Miffy 2,125]

Charal has until  Wednesday 18th November at 1420. He has 600 nm to get home... assuming he's able to hold 10 knots heading home - get back on Friday/Saturday; then not a lot of time to get that rudder and backstay fixed. 

[ET1 16]

Well, well. LinkedIn and the pack around her got stuck because they went too far right. Like I said: Very small band between no wind and the wrong side of Theta. If it moves mor east than NE I think the easterners are in a not so bad position.

[Schakel 124]

4 minutes ago, Miffy said:

Charal has until  Wednesday 18th November at 1420. He has 600 nm to get home... assuming he's able to hold 10 knots heading home - get back on Friday/Saturday; then not a lot of time to get that rudder and backstay fixed. 

Charal was the favourite for a lot of people.
Looked like a stagering horse.
Lots of peak loads when doing airial as he did.
Perhaps a smooth ride is preferably.

[Sailbydate 2,438]

Bugger. I've run out of 'likes' again and there are lots of great posts above, overnight. Thanks for your input guys.

[Chasm 596]

Since there was the question about restarting and fixing the boat.
The NOR says:

Quote

5 ASSISTANCE, EXCEPTIONS 

A Skipper may return to the port of Les Sables d'Olonne, only after prior authorisation from Race 
Management and the Race Committee Chairman communicated by any means (VHF, mail, satellite 
telephone).  

A Skipper wishing to return to Les Sables d'Olonne to receive outside assistance may be towed 
from a distance of 100 nautical miles from the port of Les Sables d'Olonne and to the port of Les 
Sables d'Olonne. 

He/she can go to the Vendée Globe pontoon or receive physical assistance on board, within a 
radius of 3 nautical miles around Le Nouch cardinal buoy. 

The Skipper will be allowed to restart the race within a maximum period of ten days after the 
official starting time of the race. He/she must then contact Race Management in order to validate 
a new start. 
In the event of the Skipper being physically unable to restart the race, the substitute Skipper 
indicated in the entry file may replace him/her if he/she has satisfied all of the conditions set out 
in article 8 herein. 

The provision is there to keep as many boats as possible in the race and the sponsors happy. After all it is unlikely to give an additional advantage over not breaking the boat in the first place.
Interesting that the substitute skipper can also be used if required. I did not remember that.

[stief 3,639]

Aha! We WILL get to read Conrad this time around!

Snipped (long, sorry) summary of the carnage last night https://yachtracing.life/vendee-globe-expert-analysis-from-conrad-colman/

Quote

Butcher’s Bill

Fabrice Amedeo (NEWREST – ART & FENÊTRES) was the first sailor to report damage and made a U-turn on the first night of racing. He appears to have had a lock failure on his big gennaker that caused significant collateral damage, including a crack in the mast. His team has been working around the clock in Les Sables d’Olonne for two full days and last night he was able to head back out to see with a fully functioning boat.

Arnaud Boissiere (LA MIE CÂLINE – ARTISANS ARTIPÔLE) also had a lock problem and had to climb the mast all the way to the top to manually disengage his big gennaker. When he dropped the sail it fell overboard and got wrapped up in his outrigger. This surely made a big mess, slowed him down and used a lot of energy but he hasn’t reported further problems.

Kevin Escoffier (PRB) had a drainage valve on his foil case fail, which lead to significant flooding on the inside of his boat. Any time there’s a lot of water inside the boat it’s really scary because it’s often hard to find the source of the problem and there is a significant risk of secondary damage of computers, electronic systems, to say nothing of your sleeping bag and spare socks!

Thomas Ruyant (LINKEDOUT) also had a problem with a sail, although in contrast with Arnaud Boissiere’s problem where a sail wouldn’t come down, his came down too early.

Normally a furled sail can stay hoisted for a long period of time without problem while the skipper evaluates the changing circumstances and decides whether to drop it definitively or redeploy it in the near future.

Alex Thomson in particular seems to sail with a lot of his sails hoisted, which creates significant aerodynamic drag but does allow him to adapt to changing conditions more efficiently. Seemingly, he has decided it’s worth it.

In Thomas’s case, one of the sales he had hoisted in standby mode bounced off the lock and fell to the deck. This risks the sail becoming damaged while dragging in the water and, if the halyard was damaged or snapped, could require a dangerous and costly mast climb to run a new one. Looks like he got off lightly.

Armel Tripon (L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE) also had sail problems, this time with his J3 or smallest jib. It appears that some component of the sail, the lock, the furling cable or the textile strop that connects it to the mast has failed. In contrast to the above cases, the problem is more severe, and he is heading to Spain to seek sheltered waters in order to repair the problem.

One concerning problem is that the J3 forestay is required to be tensioned when sailing in rough conditions in order to support the mast, even if the sail is not in use. I hope this relatively small problem doesn’t lead to a bigger one before he makes it to shelter.

Damien Seguin (GROUPE APICIL) Felt his boat slow and looked underneath it to see what the problem could be. He found that a large portion of a discarded fishing net was wrapped around his keel.

All Vendée Globe sailors prepare for this moment and carry a small diving bottle along with mask and snorkel and flippers. He was apparently able to cut the net away without a problem, but spare a thought for Damien, born without his left hand, and imagine not only sailing an IMOCA 60 literally single-handed but also swimming underneath it with a sharp knife on the open sea!

BREAKING NEWS As I write this update the news has broken that Jérémie Beyou (CHARAL), race favourite, and one of the fastest and most prepared sailors on the circuit, is heading back to Les Sables d’Olonne!

Early this morning Jeremy contacted his team to say that he had struck an object and was evaluating the damage. It initially appeared to be minimal and concentrated to the rudder blade, but he recently announced that the damage is more significant and is beyond the scope of what he can repair at sea. He is returning Les Sables to meet with his technical team and they will do their best to return him to race-ready condition.

One note about all this damage at sea and both returning to port either in Spain or back at the start finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne. The three key tenets of the Vendée Globe are “Alone, Around the World, without Assistance” so how is it that Fabrice and Jérémie are able to return to port and Armel is seeking shelter in La Coruña? Firstly, there are two different rules at play here. The start line stays open for 10 days following the initial start and boats are free to return to Les Sables and have access to their technical teams during this time.

Once out on the racecourse however, they must be completely autonomous and while they are free to consult their teams as to how best fix the problem, no one is allowed to come on-board or otherwise render any physical assistance. In the case of Armel seeking shelter, he is able to anchor his boat in a bay by himself and repair his damage so long has he does so by himself.

 

[Haji 330]

1 hour ago, Corryvreckan said:

The western boats seem to be gybing back east (including he who shall not be named ).  My guess is that they'll all converge on wherever they feel the sweet spot is for wind speed down the west edge of the front(s).  But it doesn't look as if the western group will be all that far out in front of the eastern group, especially given that the easterners are mostly the non-foilers.  And they all seem to be doing comparable speeds for now.

 

Edit to add:  Hell, at this rate, Romain might wind up in front of Sam!

I'm surprised Sam didn't jibe to cover Roman...;-)

[Corryvreckan 189]

52 minutes ago, Hitchhiker said:

It is possible that theta will play a big part in separating the fleet even more.  If current track stays it could well force the eastern fleet to sail hotter angles to get to the west side of Theta.  The western fleet looks to have a more favourable angle.

Look at the potential boat speed for Boss on Friday the 13th!  

 

It looks like they have to get around a smaller low before they set up for Theta.  It looks like there'll be patch of light winds opening up between that first low and Theta, and that could be a big factor in whether the boats can get the positioning they want before Theta arrives. 

It's not the place to get stuck (or for Burton to take his penalty!)

[staysail 316]

1 hour ago, Corryvreckan said:

The western boats seem to be gybing back east (including he who shall not be named ).  My guess is that they'll all converge on wherever they feel the sweet spot is for wind speed down the west edge of the front(s).  But it doesn't look as if the western group will be all that far out in front of the eastern group, especially given that the easterners are mostly the non-foilers.  And they all seem to be doing comparable speeds for now.

 

Edit to add:  Hell, at this rate, Romain might wind up in front of Sam!

A podium 1, 2 for that couple would be fun!

[Miffy 2,125]

Cremer starting the Vendee Globe and showing how she got from a Pogo 3 to an imoca in under 3 years - good sailing, natural communicator. 

[mad 3,725]

4 hours ago, NZK said:

I think 11th hour have used the old HB to prove that a solo IMOCA 60 is a fucking catastrophe for 5-6 people. Their new boat will be better optimised for crewed sailing but then arguably no good for soloing which seems to kill the whole idea of running single boats for both IMOCA and TOR campaigns..?

I expect the current boat (old HB) will end up back in the IMOCA fleet once 11th hour dump it.

Not sure if that was the sole aim, they've just proven what everyone was saying years ago.  They could have used a lot of other 60's to prove that point.

[james_007_bond 37]

The cardboard cockpit extension on Destremau boat did not resist very well to the boom falling down on it when the lazy jack failed during a maneuver… 

Add to that electronic issues and the forward compartment full of water leaking from the j3 attachment point on the hull… It is not fun to have the smallest budget around  

 

[mad 3,725]

3 hours ago, blunderfull said:

Bonus with Pip racing this go around:   really well done website, in English.    
 

https://www.piphare.com/

Pip’s pretty cool.  I’m all in on her race.   Good fun.

Think Pip may well end up being one of the real characters of the race. The first interview was great to see.

[Icedtea 144]

5 minutes ago, james_007_bond said:

The cardboard cockpit extension on Destremau boat did not resist very well to the boom falling down on it when the lazy jack failed during a maneuver… 

Add to that electronic issues and the forward compartment full of water leaking from the j3 attachment point on the hull… It is not fun to have the smallest budget around  

 

Uff that's a tough one. 

 

I don't think that will stop him - he's shown before he's a tough bastard who won't give up easily. 

 

I can't imagine how demoralising losing the cockpit extension would be though, especially this early.

[Rocky 14]

 

[stief 3,639]

gtranslation of Jeremie's troubles

Quote

After less than three days of racing, Jérémie Beyou made the decision this Wednesday morning to head to Les Sables d'Olonne, the IMOCA Charal having been the victim of a series of small damages since Tuesday afternoon. 

After a start to the Vendée Globe which had gone ideally for him, since he was in the leading peloton after two days of racing, Jérémie Beyou was slowed down on Tuesday afternoon in his progress towards the south. Technical Director of the Charal Sailing Team, Pierre-François Dargnies says:

“It started around 2pm on Tuesday when a sheet return pulley tore off, which put a little carbon all over the cockpit. Jeremy had to do a little repair, he got into the boat to prepare all this, and while he was inside, he typed something. In the movement, the boat gybed, it found itself on the other side, he then realized that the starboard rudder was a little damaged. He decided to wait for the passage of the front in the night to start the repairs on the rudder, he tacked this morning while waiting for the sunrise to be able to attack this repair, but after a few hours, the starboard backstay (cable which supports the mast from the rear) broke, most certainly, because the sheet feeder, which had itself broken,is right next to the backstay, the carbon shards must have sheared it. "

After discussing with his technical team, Jérémie Beyou therefore made the decision Wednesday morning to return to Les Sables d'Olonne to repair as quickly as possible:

"With a torn off sheet return point, a damaged rudder, knowing that it is possible that the foil also hit, and a broken backstay, that was a lot for a third day of racing", adds Pierre-François Dargnies who immediately organized the logistics necessary for the reception of IMOCA Charal, expected at Sables d'Olonne on Friday at the end of the day."It will necessarily depend on its speed, because as long as it is on the port tack, as is currently the case, it can move forward at more or less normal speed, but on the starboard side, since it has no backstay. , he will have to navigate very slowly. The advantage is that it is a priori only downwind. As for the repairs, we have a spare rudder, so it's not a problem, and for the rest, everything will depend on the exact extent of the damage, we will obviously do everything to repair the boat as well as possible. deadlines and allow our skipper to leave. » This is possible until the official closure of the line on Wednesday November 18 at 2:22 pm.

 

[ague 34]

Looks like, based on the video from last night, that PRB has a spare rudder in the area that was taking water. Not sure it is common in the IMOCA fleet?

[minca3 191]

14 minutes ago, james_007_bond said:

The cardboard cockpit extension on Destremau boat did not resist very well to the boom falling down on it when the lazy jack failed during a maneuver… 

Add to that electronic issues and the forward compartment full of water leaking from the j3 attachment point on the hull… It is not fun to have the smallest budget around  

 

shit. Destremau is a likable guy, enjoyed following his adventure 4 years ago

[Rocky 14]

4 minutes ago, ague said:

Looks like, based on the video from last night, that PRB has a spare rudder in the area that was taking water. Not sure it is common in the IMOCA fleet?

From what I've heard, don't know if its true, most don't carry a spare one. 

[minca3 191]

 

38 minutes ago, stief said:

In Thomas’s case, one of the sales he had hoisted in standby mode bounced off the lock and fell to the deck. This risks the sail becoming damaged while dragging in the water and, if the halyard was damaged or snapped, could require a dangerous and costly mast climb to run a new one. Looks like he got off lightly.

So this makes it 4 foilers with halyard lock problems now.

[Hitchhiker 816]

The last position report had PRB, Boss and Apivia sailing at TWA's of around 150 to 160 in 9.2 to 9.6 TWS.  Seems very deep to me. 

[Rocky 14]

6 minutes ago, Hitchhiker said:

The last position report had PRB, Boss and Apivia sailing at TWA's of around 150 to 160 in 9.2 to 9.6 TWS.  Seems very deep to me. 

The wind direction on the tracker is just the forecast wind direction, so could be slightly different in reality.

[stief 3,639]

Too funny. 

[Raked Aft\\ 111]

is it just me, or the tracker updates happening more frequently today?

 

[TPG 173]

Pretty funny to see a halyard lock dealer jumping on FB and defending their product over the IMOCA failures. 

[Raptorsailor 285]

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEscMHGDq7Dq1kSXn4tSjeg

Boris Hermann’s channel. Really nice videos. + video from AT

https://youtu.be/e3fNqcdVBec

 

 

[stief 3,639]

3 minutes ago, Raptorsailor said:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEscMHGDq7Dq1kSXn4tSjeg

Boris Hermann’s channel. Really nice videos. + video from AT

 

Thanks! 53 knots and 7 meter waves measured! Yep--more than forecasted.

[Icedtea 144]

That Alex video is great, he seems much happier now

[OPAL 188]

Boris very watchable,.

Alex settling down now.

[stief 3,639]

Mr Fixit didit

Quote

Update from

@KevinEscoffier

who has fixed the damaged valve "The past two days were quite surreal." Repair (thanks to the pirate glue ‍) The focus is now on the tropical depression Theta expected on Friday.

https://twitter.com/VendeeGlobeENG/status/1326616184309993472?s=20

[socalrider 400]

What is Pirate Glue and where can I get some?

[Coconuts.is 47]

1 hour ago, Rocky said:

From what I've heard, don't know if its true, most don't carry a spare one. 

Most do carry spare rudders.

[Schakel 124]

33 minutes ago, Icedtea said:

That Alex video is great, he seems much happier now

He is getting more and more blurry.
He doesn't trust himself and is very very carefull. "Simpliest things you might lose your attention", Is what he says.:
It's a strange sport and they are heading towards a cyclone.

[james_007_bond 37]

11 minutes ago, socalrider said:

What is Pirate Glue and where can I get some?

Special glue made specially for him by his sponsor! Helps having a sponsor in the glue business… 

[yl75 1,027]

New Live analysis from Richomme (but in French) :

https://www.facebook.com/YoannNavigateur/videos/393260258487938/?notif_id=1605126615451335&notif_t=live_video&ref=notif

[james_007_bond 37]

Maxime (V&B) climbed his mast not once, not twice, but three times! All that to fix a halyard.

 

[Rainbow Spirit 284]

One of Alex's major weak points has always been his inability to manage his sleep, this time it looks really bad, and so soon after the start. Lets hope he can get some real sleep soon

Also a question. if you go back and restart are you allowed to restock your food?

[Chasm 596]

Looks like the race in the front is on.
Similar to what Alex said in his latest video. Apiva in front and PRB behind.

[minca3 191]

and we have an adjusted leader board now

[minca3 191]

Simon, Herrmann and Burton really lost in the wind lottery

[XTR 9]

Once upon a time a long long time ago I served on subs as a Navy nuke.  Pretty much anyone who has ever served in the engine room of a nuke sub has experienced extreme sleep deprivation at at some point. Most "normal" people haven't been through the wall at 36 to 48 hours.  I hit 72 once with the kind of naps he's describing.  I've literally fallen asleep standing up leaning against a bulkhead with my knees locked.  My experience matches with what Alex is describing, and I wasn't doing anything nearly as complex as what he's doing.  (yea, ok, it was running a reactor steam plant but it's still actually pretty easy until something breaks)  Something as simple as subtracting inlet and outlet temperatures from a cooler became impossible to accomplish.  He needs to rest before he hits that TD.

[TheDragon 470]

At least Alex is coherent after less than an hour of deep sleep in three days. Their SLEEP video indicates he takes short naps, which he calls rests in his latest video. Might be taking one now. He's surely been working really hard for the last nine hours!

 

[minca3 191]

6 minutes ago, TheDragon said:

At least Alex is coherent after less than an hour or deep sleep in three days. Their SLEEP video indicates he takes short naps, which he calls rests in his latest video. Might be taking one now. He's surely been working really hard for the last nine hours!

and he's reaping the rewards (for the moment): for sailing a boat that's rubbish in light upwind conditions his position is pretty good

still don't know what to think about "the hub": it shows an average wind speed (last 4h) of 5knt, that can't be true or can it?

[oioi 66]

By my reckoning corum lost 50 miles through their excursion to the east. They were 10 miles in front of apivia before turning south,  they are now circa 40 miles astern

[XTR 9]

7 minutes ago, minca3 said: