Golden Globe Race

[zoidberg]

'Round the last bend, and just the finishing strait to go....'

But he still has the twin streams of commercial traffic Ushant-Finisterre to negotiate.

 

[Frank Holden]

Not overly familiar with the weather in 'the bay' but looks to me like he is making a bit of northing so he can ease sheets and bear away when the wind comes into the north... good tactical thinking.

 

[GHA]

Not overly familiar with the weather in 'the bay' but looks to me like he is making a bit of northing so he can ease sheets and bear away when the wind comes into the north... good tactical thinking.

WInds over 40Kts & 9m seas on the way , with a damaged rig, in Biscay............
Not over yet.

 

[Kukri]

Not ideal weather for sights. I would not be happy running down towards a lee shore with a restricted ability to beat if I found myself in the wrong place.

 

[Sybarite]

He's expecting to finish on Monday.

Not bad for an old guy in his 70's.

 

[Kukri]

He's expecting to finish on Monday.

Not bad for an old guy in his 70's.

+1.

An example to us all.

 

[Robert Wilson]

WInds over 40Kts & 9m seas on the way , with a damaged rig, in Biscay............
Not over yet.

NINE METRES! Sheeeesh !
Poor guy(s), all the way round and then Biscay throws 'em a curve ball.
I wouldn't even like to be out onboard in what we have here today, never mind in Biscay, with a damaged mast fitting.

I send him (all of them) my very best wishes and hopes for a safe landfall at the finish.
Amazing

 

[GHA]

Certainly doesn't sound very nice out there >

Jean Luc Van Den Heede was worried about rolling over last night and sails with half a stay sail only and now only staysail as conditions are moderating slowly with a BIG sea...ETA Morning of 29th January. ..he will call again tomorrow for one last update.

JEAN LUC VDH at 0600UTC was 272 miles from the finish making 5.7knts in 8-10mtr seas and winds gusting to 50kts or more from the North West. He is steering ESE not toward the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne holding the wind and breaking seas on his port quarter which is safer on his mast than on the beam. Over the next six hours the conditions are expected to moderate with 6mtr seas and 30-35kt winds before once again increasing late tonight to 45kts for about six hours.

 

[Frank Holden]

Well....under the GGR rules he can get an accurate position and weather forecast from any passing ship ... the ones that pop up on his AIS....

Wot? no AIS? Oh well .... 50 years ago they had RDF so he can use that then...

Oooops....

OK .. lets try Decca.... or Consol maybe ....

Bit of a problem running a race using the old systems when the old systems no longer exist...

 

[zoidberg]

He's inside 250 nm DTR now and likely to cross the dense traffic streams today in daylight. He should be able to call up one or more of those ships using VHF, and get a detailed forecast for the next 24-48 hours.... then monitor Meteo-France. However, he needs to get further north, for there's a big storm sweeping down from the NW and it is now a question of whether he'll get into Les Sables ahead of this big 'sting in the tail', due on Monday night.

It's a dead lee shore, there, and he will not want to be beating up to windward to make the Finish, with the big, steep seas that will be running.

How cruel would it be for his mast to fail just a few miles short of the line?

This pic is a forecast, but with J-L's Sunday 1000 position. Follow it as it develops on https://goldengloberace.com/livetracker/

 

[PlankWalker]

JLVDH has his manager in a big cat escorting him in, so he should have no problem asking a nearby vessel for a position.

 

[Robert Wilson]

08:00 this morning, the GGR tracker link says 125 DTF speed 5.6kts.
But heading south of East so not directly towards the finish.

SURELY, PLEASE, he'll be able to head up wind a bit before the crunch-winds later.
It's going to be a long, anxious day for him and his team.

 

[Blueboatman]

Acc to VDH's fb page he is now crossing the continental shelf, eta 10hrs demain ..
Some fab photos here taken earlier by a French photographer some 400nm from the finish... He looks to have Matmut simply roaring along downwind !
Can't believe how good those sails look after such a trip..who is the sailmaker ?��
http://www.seaandco.net/Arrivee-VDH,2740,2,en,f1.html

 

[Kukri]

Thanks. Very striking.

 

[Robert Wilson]

DTF 96nm at 14:00 @ 5+kts :encouragement:

Superb pics.

 

[Applespider]

Great pics and looks like he should reach Les Sables just before the storm hits.

Drama however in second place. Mark Slats didn't believe Don's weather report and contacted his manager (so now due a penalty just like VDH) but is also now heading for La Coruna rather than be in the middle of Biscay in a huge storm. Manager says that he's been advised by various coastguards etc that it's too dangerous and then convoluted series of events around passing messages back and forth. Will Mark be demoted to Chichester with just 400 miles to go?

My Sailing Aus breakdown of events

 

[zoidberg]

No wonder Moitessier turned right and kept on going.

Sounds like a degree of 'toys out of pram' going on....

 

[Ladybirdgaffcutter]

Acc to VDH's fb page he is now crossing the continental shelf, eta 10hrs demain ..
Some fab photos here taken earlier by a French photographer some 400nm from the finish... He looks to have Matmut simply roaring along downwind !
Can't believe how good those sails look after such a trip..who is the sailmaker ?��
http://www.seaandco.net/Arrivee-VDH,2740,2,en,f1.html

Great piccies, thank you. Looks like he's just been round the IoW on a blustery day!

 

[Robert Wilson]

08:00 less than 5nm to go! :encouragement::encouragement: about 09:00
AT-A-BOY

Poor Mark, not only in the storm, but to be penalised?

 

[Robert Wilson]

He's home.
Well done that man.