Vendee Globe and Alex Thomson / Hugo Boss

Here's a video for you Cherod (from 16th November) when Kojiro had just got his main down. There have been 3 since then following his attempts to repair the sail (a far cry from getting out the sailmaker's palm, needles and repair tape of old).

i remember doing ( something ) similar with Evo stick off the portugese coast , many moons ago . ( quite successfully (y) )
 
This race has really got me gripped. It's a fantastic thing to take on. Punishing on mind and body. Hope the elderly French gent manages to get through unscathed.

Tough times ahead. Good luck to them all.
 
Don't forget the 'elderly French gent' who showed all the others the way home on the last Golden Globe Race.

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.....

Totally different game. Like racing a Nissan Micra compared to a Formula 1. Try comparing the size of the sails. Then apply the difference in G forces at 20+ knots.

The GGR was just a weird exercise in distorted nostalgia compared to VG
 
For those here concerned about LinkedOut and Apivia catching up on HB.
Have a good look at pictures of the 3 foils.

LO and AP have very long foils with a flat section. Quite like the HB foils from 4 years ago. These will be optimised for a particular range of angle and wind angle. And we know from these teams (and analysts) prior statements that they will be, and are, good for reaching. That would dictate a strategy to 'get to the Southern Ocean first'.

HB this year has smaller but very curved foils. The team have stated clearly that they are optimisde for downwind, which is the majority of the race, from Cape of GH to Cape Horn most of the time.

The teams chasing right now must be very concerned that HB and AT are still in the lead, in conditions that are not yet optimal for HB.
 
Don't forget the 'elderly French gent' who showed all the others the way home on the last Golden Globe Race.

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.....
Indeed Ive sailed many a blue water mile with chaps into their 70's who would shame an average forty year old in tenaciousness and strength....

Life begins at 72!
 
I'm wondering if ATR have decided against giving the competition free access to their boat data. The "boat" part of the hub has been stuck on 28.6kn and 1.5g for quite a while now ;-)
 
The teams chasing right now must be very concerned that HB and AT are still in the lead, in conditions that are not yet optimal for HB.

It's going to be interesting to see how much Apivia and Linked Out can hang on the coat tails of Hugo Boss once in the Southern Ocean. Assuming they all survive intact with no serious damage I would have thought to be comfortable HB would want a minimum lead of 200nm before turning left after Cape Horn.
 
I am a bit of novice when it comes to understanding the race tactics and boats but in addition to the comments on the boat designs, the following may be relevant too...?

Avoiding equipment failures and personal fatigue seems a good strategy. The successful boat and skipper will need to sustain the stress of winds constantly in excess of 30 knots; the skipper will need to remain in good shape mentally and physically too.

With this in mind perhaps Alex is pacing himself and the boat? We already know he has considered carefully how to reduce his own fatigue by having the arrangement of an enclosed cockpit. Let's remember AT has suffered various failures in the past including the last time with a foil failure and he knows better than anyone that its a harsh environment for man and machine. Which other sport continues 24 hours a day for 70 plus days at such extreme conditions? (F1 cars manage a few hours before being completely rebuilt!).

Finally, chasing down is easier than being chased! There are no rewards for getting to any point other than the finish first and it's easier to catch someone than it is to stay ahead. When you are on top in any sport it's hard to maintain that position because there are no benchmarks. Always better to have a strategy of coming from behind rather than one of leading all the way.

Hopefully, I am right, but I'm not putting any money on it.
 
I am a bit of novice when it comes to understanding the race tactics and boats but in addition to the comments on the boat designs, the following may be relevant too...?

Avoiding equipment failures and personal fatigue seems a good strategy. The successful boat and skipper will need to sustain the stress of winds constantly in excess of 30 knots; the skipper will need to remain in good shape mentally and physically too.

With this in mind perhaps Alex is pacing himself and the boat? We already know he has considered carefully how to reduce his own fatigue by having the arrangement of an enclosed cockpit. Let's remember AT has suffered various failures in the past including the last time with a foil failure and he knows better than anyone that its a harsh environment for man and machine. Which other sport continues 24 hours a day for 70 plus days at such extreme conditions? (F1 cars manage a few hours before being completely rebuilt!).

Finally, chasing down is easier than being chased! There are no rewards for getting to any point other than the finish first and it's easier to catch someone than it is to stay ahead. When you are on top in any sport it's hard to maintain that position because there are no benchmarks. Always better to have a strategy of coming from behind rather than one of leading all the way.

Hopefully, I am right, but I'm not putting any money on it.

Can't agree
 
i dont think we can doubt the mental durability of any of them , i believe they have all done previous races , or similar .
 
He might well be wearing noise cancelling headphones/earplugs. His updates sound fine so that tech is being used for the audio. I would !
 
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