Vendee Globe and Alex Thomson / Hugo Boss

[Bathdave]

Talking to someone today who was talking this week to someone on the inside of the HB team

they see the withdrawal after damaging the rudder in fishing gear as a blessing is disguise

lifting the boat in cape town, they realised the damage which alex repaired in the south Atlantic was more extensive than they thought and the boat may well have broken up in the southern ocean like PRB did

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Talking to someone today who was talking this week to someone on the inside of the HB team

they see the withdrawal after damaging the rudder in fishing gear as a blessing is disguise

lifting the boat in cape town, they realised the damage which alex repaired in the south Atlantic was more extensive than they thought and the boat may well have broken up in the southern ocean like PRB did

Thanks for that . Definitely a blessing then.

I just hope that they will be open about the cause so all can benefit in the future. They have to be congratulated for first publishing pictures of the problem.

Trouble is, these days, many will just give them a hammering.

I can understand if they don't.

 

[Frogmogman]

Pip now up into 16th place !! Only 45 miles behind Alain Roura in 15th.

Amazing effort. ?

Up to 15th now !!

COME ON !! (tho' I suspect any further moves up the ranking will depend on retirements or issues on boats ahead of Pip).

Have the rest of you really completely lost interest since Alex retired ?

 

[Bathdave]

Up to 15th now !!

COME ON !! (tho' I suspect any further moves up the ranking will depend on retirements or issues on boats ahead of Pip).

Have the rest of you really completely lost interest since Alex retired ?

No ...at the off I was firmly rooting for Alex, but after his departure I started taking interest in other competitors and have followed the race more ‘holistically’ rather than just seeing what Alex was doing each day

I completely adore Pip

I have only recently clocked fact that Damien Seguin has only one hand....extraordinary achievement to do this race, when you realise hiw much fixing and fettling is necessary to keep boats going ... and he’s in 4th place

 

[Frogmogman]

No ...at the off I was firmly rooting for Alex, but after his departure I started taking interest in other competitors and have followed the race more ‘holistically’ rather than just seeing what Alex was doing each day

I completely adore Pip

I have only recently clocked fact that Damien Seguin has only one hand....extraordinary achievement to do this race, when you realise hiw much fixing and fettling is necessary to keep boats going ... and he’s in 4th place

Damien Seguin's performance has been astonishing. He has truly redefined what is meant by single handed sailor. His boat is a non-foiling 12 years old one; it's so great that he is neck and neck near the front with his mentor Jean Le Cam (who has been hugely involved in his campaign).

Damien truly is an elite sailor, with 2 Olympic Golds and one silver at the Paralympics, he then cut his teeth offshore in Figaro racing followed by the Route du Rhum and TJV in Class 40s. As you say, the difficulty of undertaking this race with his disability is enormous. On one of his video reports he had cut his hand quite badly with his sailing knife, and had had to patch it up himself, with no spare hand to do it.

Maximum respect.

 

[Ravi]

Damien Seguin's performance has been astonishing. He has truly redefined what is meant by single handed sailor. His boat is a non-foiling 12 years old one; it's so great that he is neck and neck near the front with his mentor Jean Le Cam (who has been hugely involved in his campaign).

Damien truly is an elite sailor, with 2 Olympic Golds and one silver at the Paralympics, he then cut his teeth offshore in Figaro racing followed by the Route du Rhum and TJV in Class 40s. As you say, the difficulty of undertaking this race with his disability is enormous. On one of his video reports he had cut his hand quite badly with his sailing knife, and had had to patch it up himself, with no spare hand to do it.

Maximum respect.

I agree with you that maximum respect is due. Seguin's achievement is amazing.

 

[Ravi]

Saturday morning 0400 update...... all very exciting ...

Yannick, trying to race to outpace the storm to the cape with 40 knots of wind on the port beam. He must be worried about damage.
Charlie in 30 knots about to enter the same maelstrom, just behind. How far behind can he shadow for safety without losing advantage?

The 10 boat hunting pack behind, secretly hoping that the leaders fall victim to the Cape storms.

My money is still on Thomas Ruyant.

What drama! What a race?!

 

[Skellum]

Alan Roura has got to be a bit miffed about Pip sailing past him in his old boat from the last VG.

 

[Bathdave]

Alan Roura has got to be a bit miffed about Pip sailing past him in his old boat from the last VG.

Sadly Pip seems to have run into problems with her wind instrument inputs to her auto pilot

her repairs should keep her sailing but not so fast

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Sadly Pip seems to have run into problems with her wind instrument inputs to her auto pilot

her repairs should keep her sailing but not so fast

Wasn't the report interesting though. Had no idea that these boats have so much technology.

The masthead wind information not working. The data coming from it, even compares with polar data
loaded into the computer to make sure that the boat is performing at optimum for that area of the ocean.

She still has self steering using a compass course. She is trying to restore data using a deck mounted wind sensor,
and even had to solve a quadratic equation to try and make it work.

 

[Frogmogman]

Sadly Pip seems to have run into problems with her wind instrument inputs to her auto pilot

her repairs should keep her sailing but not so fast

Yep. Really not where you want your autopilot to be functioning on compass course alone.

Sounds like she's going to have to go up the mast.

 

[dgadee]

and even had to solve a quadratic equation to try and make it work.

That's the most impressive bit of her multi-skill set.

 

[Nimrod18]

Fully echo the last batch of posts. A continual stream of drama from this race and I‘m finding it really gripping. Have been following Pip from the start and she’s definitely going from strength to strength. Add to that her posts are frequent and high quality, especially Monday‘s and this morning‘s. Fingers crossed her impressive windex lash up doesn’t compromise her ability to make speed too much.

 

[dgadee]

Where is Bestaven going?

 

[Black Sheep]

He's doing a Moitessier!

Alternatively he's looked at the 48 hour forecast, and wants to get the right side of the High developing N of the Falklands

 

[michael_w]

They need to work over to the African side to pick up the SE trades.

 

[dgadee]

They need to work over to the African side to pick up the SE trades.

He seemed to be going to the Antarctic side. All very interesting, though, and not a lot dividing the first and following group.

 

[Frogmogman]

It really is still all wide open; the complexity of the weather patterns in the South Atlantic mean it is easy for one of the leaders to make a wrong call and find themselves in a hole in the wind.

For reference, in the last event, when Armel le Cléac'h rounded Cape Horn, Alex Thomson was 760 miles behind him; he was 75 miles behind him when Armel arrived at Les Sables d'Olonne.

 

[Nimrod18]

Vendée still a very welcome distraction at the moment. Pip Hare flying compared to the nearest followers; has anyone got any SA on her windex fix? If she’s still working with her homegrown modification she should patent it - she’s +5% on her followers, though I note her comms have dried up a bit - wonder if she’s having to focus a lot more on the boat?

The pelaton round the Horn was great to follow (rule 18.2 anyone?) and looking forward to seeing if there’s a bomb burst as they head north.

 

[Frogmogman]

Vendée still a very welcome distraction at the moment. Pip Hare flying compared to the nearest followers; has anyone got any SA on her windex fix? If she’s still working with her homegrown modification she should patent it - she’s +5% on her followers, though I note her comms have dried up a bit - wonder if she’s having to focus a lot more on the boat?

The pelaton round the Horn was great to follow (rule 18.2 anyone?) and looking forward to seeing if there’s a bomb burst as they head north.

The wind direction vane started working again, so she at least has apparent wind for her main autopilot, just no wind speed on that unit.

I guess she can fix up the auxiliary one to get some wind speed data when she has a moment.