Vendee Globe 2016?

[RKoch]

While I agree that B&G should be doing more to help Heerema, it sounds like it's something that would be exceptionally difficult to help him with remotely... something that would take a hands-on experienced technician to solve properly... something that some of the guys who have logged thousands of hours on these boats could sort out with some phone support, perhaps, but maybe a tall order in this case. Perhaps they could help him to get it working in a simpler fashion... like something that would be stable without being optimal speed-wise. With the goal just being to get him to the finish line safely and in a mood to talk about the support he got rather than the failures he experienced. Hell, just hire an intern who speaks Heerama's language, train the kid up thoroughly, and assign the kid to spend 8 hours a day on the phone with Heerama until Heerama is happy. You might spend $10k while hopefully developing the kid into a skilled employee, and possibly turn the PR mess around.

But what this really underscores is... Heerama made a mistake in buying a brand new next-generation boat. I believe the moral of the story is... If you want to do this as a bucket-list adventure rather than as a professional sailor, buy a well-established boat where the kinks have all been worked out already and the systems can be counted on to work. You still need to be prepared to deal with breakage, but at least you know it works properly.

It also makes me wonder... How did this problem not surface during the qualifying events and shakedown voyages?

FWIW... What's the price tag for someone to complete a VG as a bucket-list thing? Buying the boat and all equipment, doing all of the qualifiers, and dealing with all of the side-expenses.... 5 mil?

Heerema likely bought too much boat for his skillset, like Abby Sunderland. And he appears to had not left himself enough work-up time...in a recent video he says that he hadn't tested the backup pilot because it was installed the day before the start. However, those are side issues. The main complaint Heerema is making is that he had a contract with a guy to provide shoreside support for the AP, and the guy apparently walked away.

 

[Icedtea]

Would it be difficult to publish the full list? Would be interesting data.

Just a list without numbers.

toplist.png

Awesome, thanks for that- interesting.

No surprise Alex and Armel are at the top of the list, but as you get down.

I'm surprised at Arnaud Boissieres- why is he so unpopular? Always seemed like a good guy to me, box office too with his life story.

Morgan being so far down is interesting too, would have thought the Safran skipper would have a following, even though he had to retire early.

 

[Your Mom]

Morgan being so far down is interesting too, would have thought the Safran skipper would have a following, even though he had to retire early.

This is click rates on the tracker, so the number stops going up as soon as the boat disappears off the tracker. Morgan has been off the tracker for a long time now.

 

[vibroman]

https://www.facebook.com/AlexThomsonRacing/#

Christmas songs from Alex

Well done sir!!!!!

Merry Christmas

 

[Your Mom]

Latest sked looks like Costa's going to be making HUGE gains on the pack of 5 ahead of him for the next day or two at least.

 

[LeoV]

Copyright AFP

 

[3to1]

wonder why Heerema wanted to go cruising on a foiler?

above pic; does Sodebo have a canting rig, looks straight up here.

 

[Coconuts.is]

While I agree that B&G should be doing more to help Heerema, it sounds like it's something that would be exceptionally difficult to help him with remotely... something that would take a hands-on experienced technician to solve properly... something that some of the guys who have logged thousands of hours on these boats could sort out with some phone support, perhaps, but maybe a tall order in this case. Perhaps they could help him to get it working in a simpler fashion... like something that would be stable without being optimal speed-wise. With the goal just being to get him to the finish line safely and in a mood to talk about the support he got rather than the failures he experienced. Hell, just hire an intern who speaks Heerama's language, train the kid up thoroughly, and assign the kid to spend 8 hours a day on the phone with Heerama until Heerama is happy. You might spend $10k while hopefully developing the kid into a skilled employee, and possibly turn the PR mess around.

But what this really underscores is... Heerama made a mistake in buying a brand new next-generation boat. I believe the moral of the story is... If you want to do this as a bucket-list adventure rather than as a professional sailor, buy a well-established boat where the kinks have all been worked out already and the systems can be counted on to work. You still need to be prepared to deal with breakage, but at least you know it works properly.

It also makes me wonder... How did this problem not surface during the qualifying events and shakedown voyages?

FWIW... What's the price tag for someone to complete a VG as a bucket-list thing? Buying the boat and all equipment, doing all of the qualifiers, and dealing with all of the side-expenses.... 5 mil?

Heerema likely bought too much boat for his skillset, like Abby Sunderland. And he appears to had not left himself enough work-up time...in a recent video he says that he hadn't tested the backup pilot because it was installed the day before the start. However, those are side issues. The main complaint Heerema is making is that he had a contract with a guy to provide shoreside support for the AP, and the guy apparently walked away.

This "shoreside support guy" hasn't been the only person to walk. Heerema had his entire team quit months before the start, only to beg them to come back. So who knows the real story.

 

[Swanno]

Could someone please post a link to the Forss tracker? iPad update scrapped everything and each time I go backwards I get the unexpected error message

 

[Schakel]

Does Hereema has a problem or is he just going to do a JPD all the way over

Australia to escape the next coming low ?

Yes, he has a problem.

Respect.. I want respect..

 

[Icedtea]

Could someone please post a link to the Forss tracker? iPad update scrapped everything and each time I go backwards I get the unexpected error message

gis.ee/vg

 

[sfigone]

Forss,

Any chance you could twiddle the colour for HB to something with more contrast? Hard to see his track and/r projection sometimes. Maybe full black?

I'll buy you a case of beer if you do the Sydney to Hobart as well!!!

thanks

 

[forss]

Forss,

Any chance you could twiddle the colour for HB to something with more contrast? Hard to see his track and/r projection sometimes. Maybe full black?

I'll buy you a case of beer if you do the Sydney to Hobart as well!!!

thanks

https://gis.ee/sh/

h34r:

 

[sfigone]

Forss,

Any chance you could twiddle the colour for HB to something with more contrast? Hard to see his track and/r projection sometimes. Maybe full black?

I'll buy you a case of beer if you do the Sydney to Hobart as well!!!

thanks

https://gis.ee/sh/

h34r:

Brilliant!

What brand and where to I send it?

 

[blunderfull]

Re - B&G stuff: Is hereema getting any exposure? Looking at the various sources and social channels it doesn't seem that way to me, even in Holland he has like a few hundred people who seem to be paying attention to any news about him. Less than 5000 on Facebook with almost no comments, even the dutch sailing media seems to be phonin' it in. Not sure where any big sponsor benefit would come from in a campaign with almost no media presence, no stars, and a super rich, super private older gentlemen as the focal point.

Check out his father's WWII history in the Netherlands and Venezuela and then the reaction to the naming (by Hereema's family company) of the world's largest construction ship after the father.

Good luck to B&G - they'd better hope ole Pieter was just having a bad day and needed some milk & cookies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneering_Spirit_(ship)

 

[RKoch]

Re - B&G stuff: Is hereema getting any exposure? Looking at the various sources and social channels it doesn't seem that way to me, even in Holland he has like a few hundred people who seem to be paying attention to any news about him. Less than 5000 on Facebook with almost no comments, even the dutch sailing media seems to be phonin' it in. Not sure where any big sponsor benefit would come from in a campaign with almost no media presence, no stars, and a super rich, super private older gentlemen as the focal point.

Check out his father's WWII history in the Netherlands and Venezuela and then the reaction to the naming (by Hereema's family company) of the world's largest construction ship after the father.
Good luck to B&G - they'd better hope ole Pieter was just having a bad day and needed some milk & cookies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneering_Spirit_(ship)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ailp5AxZD4

 

[3to1]

Heerema, legend.

and no big surprise that the foiler design gamble seems to have paid as the podium will probably be dominated by them, something I probably wouldn't have predicted if only for 'durability' reasons. real fkn' shame the two quickest daggerboard boats were eliminated though, the race was greatly diminished and they could have been factors. go Armel.

 

[jack_sparrow]

Re - B&G stuff: Is hereema getting any exposure? Looking at the various sources and social channels it doesn't seem that way to me, even in Holland he has like a few hundred people who seem to be paying attention to any news about him. Less than 5000 on Facebook with almost no comments, even the dutch sailing media seems to be phonin' it in. Not sure where any big sponsor benefit would come from in a campaign with almost no media presence, no stars, and a super rich, super private older gentlemen as the focal point.

Check out his father's WWII history in the Netherlands and Venezuela and then the reaction to the naming (by Hereema's family company) of the world's largest construction ship after the father.
Good luck to B&G - they'd better hope ole Pieter was just having a bad day and needed some milk & cookies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneering_Spirit_(ship)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ailp5AxZD4

I don't think this pretty famous Dutch sailor who lost two brothers in WW2 I recall and hid from the Nazi's as a kid under very trying circumstances would approve too much if alive today. Ironically it was Conny's money and leave no detail untouched for his Flyer2 Whitbread campaign in the performance/Nav arena that gave B&G a big leg up 35 odd years ago.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conny_van_Rietschoten

 

[PRBDruid]

Heerema currently heading backwards at 2,3Kts - trying hard to be DFL in a boat that could be up there with the front runners ?

 

[Renee]

Alex's vid - rounding the Cape!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOenGnsF8CO/?tagged=vg2016