Vendee Globe 2016?

[ateam]

wind is shifting now

 

[Haji]

Sheesh...between work and this amazing race (and entertaining thread), I'm not getting nearly enough sleep. But I'm 100% sure that it's still far more than Alex & Armel are getting...

 

[ct800]

Too bad for Alex: no AIS, no AP = no sleep.

No sleep = no focus.

And quite risky along La Manche and Britanny with traffic overnight.

He might need to tack just to remain a bit further offshore.

2nd is still nice.

 

[jack_sparrow]

Herman you need to get a girlfriend after all this....but you need to ditch her in 2020 otherwise we will be angry.

.

 

[jack_sparrow]

Too bad for Alex: no AIS, no AP = no sleep.

No sleep = no focus.

And quite risky along La Manche and Britanny with traffic overnight.

He might need to tack just to remain a bit further offshore.

2nd is still nice.

Your dribbling CT...He has AIS up now....always had radar....plus no AP/Steering cable issues in this lighter weather...and sleep is highly over rated...stop making excuses....he doesn't need them....and no one remembers who came second down the line...unless of course you have already bagged two #2's and it is now or never to get a #1.

 

[eastcoastdude]

On the vendee live, Alex came across as totally shattered. He has put so much into closing the gap I fear that he has nothing left in the tank. I hope he just gets home safely now. It is still a beast of a boat to navigate through a tricky area. I don't think we can even begin to comprehend the stress that these leading 2 boats have gone through. BP will win barring catastrophe, both sailors are heroes. I want Alex to win, but his only way to win is a BP catastrophe - which I don't want to even contemplate.

 

[Anemone Tickler]

Alex's DTL has now got a 3 in front of it...Looks as though he has hit a light patch and been forced to go higher and leave the outside lane open to Armel who is moving along nicely.

Yeah.. unfortunately Armel's DTF also now has a 3 in front of it. Incredible finish.

I can imagine Alex talking to Hugo Boss when her steering has a wobble or rattle to it at the higher speeds, telling her to hold together like Han Solo talking to the Millenium Falcum.

Best comment in the entire thread

 

[jack_sparrow]

Alex's DTL has now got a 3 in front of it...Looks as though he has hit a light patch and been forced to go higher and leave the outside lane open to Armel who is moving along nicely.

Yeah.. unfortunately Armel's DTF also now has a 3 in front of it. Incredible finish.

I can imagine Alex talking to Hugo Boss when her steering has a wobble or rattle to it at the higher speeds, telling her to hold together like Han Solo talking to the Millenium Falcum.

Best comment in the entire thread

You need to get out more.

 

[jack_sparrow]

Herman you need to get a girlfriend after all this....but you need to ditch her in 2020 otherwise we will be angry.

.

I will tell my wife

Clearly your missus is very forebearing Herman....BTW does she have an unattached sister?

 

[jonas a]

http://sailuniverse.com/2017/01/guillaume-verdier-how-the-imoca-boats-are-changed-since-2007/

evolution of an imoca 60

 

[Pierre S]

It's now looking to be an incredibly tight finish between JPD and YE/JLC.

 

[bilbobaggins]

Tides becoming important now ...

......and local knowledge, of which ALC will have plenty. He's a top Figaro sailor, of course, and the waters off West and South Brittany are his training grounds.

They'll both have to avoid the Off Ouessant TSS complex, and I'm wondering if one of them will make a dive through the Passage de Fromveur or down the Chenal de La Helle..... Such would make a spectacular 'last-lap' ending to a spectacular race - and give their sponsors much-enhanced TV coverage.

 

[popov]

http://sailuniverse.com/2017/01/guillaume-verdier-how-the-imoca-boats-are-changed-since-2007/

evolution of an imoca 60

Stunning!

 

[Varan]

"No AIS reception" for Hugo Boss by a french military aircraft doing a flyby:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uveRZxc-KK0

That will be super fun as he gets closer to civilization.

I am not a specialist in aviation but someone might want to warn them there is a blinking red light on the plane's dashboard just at the beginning of the video

:lol:

Missle lock to ensure a victory for France.

 

[Your Mom]

FWIW... At 1 AM Central US time last night, I finished 107th in the Virtual Vendee, out of 450,000 entries. First in the SA group, first American, roughly a day and half before the first real boat. ALC and AT were ahead of the virtual fleet at Cape Horn (and I had spent most of my time in the top 100 of the virtual fleet up to that point, often in the top 50). Then the virtual fleet totally blew apart in the South Atlantic with at least 4 different viable strategies playing out. I was among the leaders of the second-best strategy, but lost out to those who played the best strategy effectively. AT and ALC were closer to the track of the third-best strategy.

I try to not cross threads by discussing the virtual race here, but I figured this detail is worth one post.

The winner was an Aussie (a friend of mine in the game), who finished 16.5 hours ahead of me. Second was a Kiwi. Best French was 3rd, and second-best French was 6th (with Switzerland and Germany in between). I'm guessing the French press, which actually has written things about the virtual race, is bummed that the leaderboard wasn't a French sweep. Throughout the race, they tended to ignore the frontrunners who weren't French. When the Aussie took a commanding lead, they started putting up articles about tangential stuff like which yacht clubs around the world have the most entries.

 

[kass]

Listening to the Today programme on Radio4 in the U.K. and they do a piece on the VG. This is big deal as its the biggest talk radio breakfast show in the country. Ellen McArthur comes on to talk about how she got 2nd and sort of made the interview all about herself rather than Alex, and then when she's steered back on subject Ellen tells us that AT negated the foil damage by carrying and fitting a spare. FOR FUCKS SAKE. How dare she repeat this nonsense. If you are going to represent our sport to the masses at least have the good grace to get your facts right.

Anyone who would like to hear it can do so at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08bhpbs skip to 01:42:25, lasts about 5 minutes.

 

[WetHog]

Regardless of who wins this has been a pleasure to follow. Much more enjoyable than the last version of the VOR.

And this race made all the more enjoyable with the contributions of Forss and others. Thank you.

WetHog h34r:

 

[GauchoGreg]

Regardless of who wins this has been a pleasure to follow. Much more enjoyable than the last version of the VOR.

And this race made all the more enjoyable with the contributions of Forss and others. Thank you.

WetHog h34r:

Yep. The VOR used to be really fun to follow. I couldn't care less about it this last time. One design and too tight of course makes it a snooze fest, even when incredibly tight racing. But the Vendee, the Jules Verne, and the Coville solo record efforts have been a blast to follow.

 

[jack_sparrow]

FWIW... At 1 AM Central US time last night, I finished 107th in the Virtual Vendee, out of 450,000 entries. First in the SA group, first American, roughly a day and half before the first real boat. ALC and AT were ahead of the virtual fleet at Cape Horn (and I had spent most of my time in the top 100 of the virtual fleet up to that point, often in the top 50). Then the virtual fleet totally blew apart in the South Atlantic with at least 4 different viable strategies playing out. I was among the leaders of the second-best strategy, but lost out to those who played the best strategy effectively. AT and ALC were closer to the track of the third-best strategy.

I try to not cross threads by discussing the virtual race here, but I figured this detail is worth one post.

The winner was an Aussie (a friend of mine in the game), who finished 16.5 hours ahead of me. Second was a Kiwi. Best French was 3rd, and second-best French was 6th (with Switzerland and Germany in between). I'm guessing the French press, which actually has written things about the virtual race, is bummed that the leaderboard wasn't a French sweep. Throughout the race, they tended to ignore the frontrunners who weren't French. When the Aussie took a commanding lead, they started putting up articles about tangential stuff like which yacht clubs around the world have the most entries.

Virtual VG is like having sex with your sister

 

[stief]

FWIW... At 1 AM Central US time last night, I finished 107th in the Virtual Vendee, out of 450,000 entries. First in the SA group, first American, roughly a day and half before the first real boat. ALC and AT were ahead of the virtual fleet at Cape Horn (and I had spent most of my time in the top 100 of the virtual fleet up to that point, often in the top 50). Then the virtual fleet totally blew apart in the South Atlantic with at least 4 different viable strategies playing out. I was among the leaders of the second-best strategy, but lost out to those who played the best strategy effectively. AT and ALC were closer to the track of the third-best strategy.

I try to not cross threads by discussing the virtual race here, but I figured this detail is worth one post.

The winner was an Aussie (a friend of mine in the game), who finished 16.5 hours ahead of me. Second was a Kiwi. Best French was 3rd, and second-best French was 6th (with Switzerland and Germany in between). I'm guessing the French press, which actually has written things about the virtual race, is bummed that the leaderboard wasn't a French sweep. Throughout the race, they tended to ignore the frontrunners who weren't French. When the Aussie took a commanding lead, they started putting up articles about tangential stuff like which yacht clubs around the world have the most entries.

Interesting point about the third choice (and congrats: I've enjoyed following your thread and the tactics). That race was also a treat to follow, and will look forward to following the VORG too.

Speaking of the VOR, they've got a great opportunity to extend their global reach to 100s of thousands more, just by supplying the best polars and the access to nav tools. We've seen what Herman, forss, alpha and more can do when the data is made easily available. Hope the VOR can appreciate and help their efforts as much as we have so we can have another great Christmas.

And . . speaking of data feeds: looks like Armel may be in range of this AIS station shortly https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/stations/2234/_:3cde6984bf3089520ca4d04487196542