Vendee Globe and Alex Thomson / Hugo Boss

There is no doubt all the participants of this Vendée Globe are heroes, every single one of them, the stories coming from the boats are ample testament to that, but for me there are two who are extra special:
Damien Seguin for achieving this race as a Paralympic sailor (and having the sense of humour to dress as Captain Hook when entering Les Sables d’Olonne)
and Jean Le Cam, who succeeded in rescuing Kevin Escoffier in circumstances none of us here can probably imagine even being at sea in, and who sailed an awe-inspiring race at his age (and mine)
 
westhinder said:
There is no doubt all the participants of this Vendée Globe are heroes, every single one of them, the stories coming from the boats are ample testament to that, but for me there are two who are extra special:
Damien Seguin for achieving this race as a Paralympic sailor (and having the sense of humour to dress as Captain Hook when entering Les Sables d’Olonne)
and Jean Le Cam, who succeeded in rescuing Kevin Escoffier in circumstances none of us here can probably imagine even being at sea in, and who sailed an awe-inspiring race at his age (and mine)
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hear hear

the stories that we are hearing of the practical challenges each skipper had to overcome would have been outside the competence of almost anyone, and to do so with one hand is just mind boggling...even finishing the race is unbelievable, never mind finishing so high up the fleet in an old boat.
 
Bathdave said:
hear hear

the stories that we are hearing of the practical challenges each skipper had to overcome would have been outside the competence of almost anyone, and to do so with one hand is just mind boggling...even finishing the race is unbelievable, never mind finishing so high up the fleet in an old boat.
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And then comes up the channel into Les Sables dressed as Captain hook!
 
westhinder said:
There is no doubt all the participants of this Vendée Globe are heroes, every single one of them, the stories coming from the boats are ample testament to that, but for me there are two who are extra special:
Damien Seguin for achieving this race as a Paralympic sailor (and having the sense of humour to dress as Captain Hook when entering Les Sables d’Olonne)
and Jean Le Cam, who succeeded in rescuing Kevin Escoffier in circumstances none of us here can probably imagine even being at sea in, and who sailed an awe-inspiring race at his age (and mine)
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And, it has to be said, these lightweight, wide sterned, twin rudder, very short / swing keel and even foiling boats, seem to have crossed the Southern Ocean much more safely than the long keeled GGR boats :cool:
(Even if the main exception was spectacular, and needed rescued, like some of the GGR boats)
 
dunedin said:
And, it has to be said, these lightweight, wide sterned, twin rudder, very short / swing keel and even foiling boats, seem to have crossed the Southern Ocean much more safely than the long keeled GGR boats :cool:
(Even if the main exception was spectacular, and needed rescued, like some of the GGR boats)
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Now you've done it...
 
Kukri said:
“...people with sponsors’ money to burn often have better boats than private individuals spending their own disposable income”?
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See also, "people who spend much less time in the Southern Ocean, and have 1st rate weather routing less likely to see massive storms than people who spend much longer in the Southern Ocean with no weather routing."
 
flaming said:
See also, "people who spend much less time in the Southern Ocean, and have 1st rate weather routing less likely to see massive storms than people who spend much longer in the Southern Ocean with no weather routing."
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Plus I think there is emerging evidence that in big Southern Ocean waves
(a) going faster, if can maintain control, is often safer than going slower, as reduces the wave frequency and impacts
(b) twin rudders are more effective than a single one, particularly downwind,
and more speculative but increasingly probable
(c) in extremis if caught broadside on by a massive wave, a long keel can be more likely to be rolled than a boat that can side slip easier.
This last seems to be seen sometimes with cats.
 
Frogmogman said:
A little snippet of information that may be of interest to those who aren’t aware of it, Yannick Bestaven is an engineer by trade, one of the two partners who created the Watt & Sea hydrogenerator.
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That is impressive. Never heard a bad word about these.

I only wish I could afford one. I have two Aquair 100s but despite being kept in the same locker they have failed to breed.
 
When he was finally alongside, Jean Le Cam revealed he had been nursing his boat along for the last one and a half months, with severe delamination of the full, which he repaired twice. He told there were times he had stopped the boat for fear of breaking it. He had seriously feared he was going to lose his boat.
 
Allan said:
Jean Le Cam's interview is worth reading. I liked the way he dismissed the (stupid) questions about whether he will do it again.
Allan
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Isn't it amazing how stupid journos can be when given a microphone and the chance to ask a question. I'm sure they have brains but they seem to just go into panic mode or the like. Shame really because M. Le Dude, J Le C, is a fantastic interviewee.
 
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