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On 16/11/2010 à 20:00:00
Here come the roaring 40's!
A long, and busy night in Pointe-à-Pitre saw more and more finishers completing the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale, and it is only set to get more hectic when the Class 40 fleet start arriving late Wednesday or Thursday depending on how cruel or kind the winds on the approach to Guadeloupe turn out to be. Notable finishes last night included Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas), the two IMOCA Open 60 skippers who chose the southerly routing option. Desjoyueax arrived in sixth position, just under one day behind fellow Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou (PRB). He joked about going south for the sun early but admitted that there was very little to choose between the two options before making his choice “ I did what I wanted. From time to time you try things when you don’t know if they will be good or not so good. I expected to have 50 miles of deficit in the south of the Azores amticyclone and it was 150. There the mass was said.” Desjoyeaux said. “I have had time to digest this. Now we move on. Life goes on.” >>16/11/2010 à 20:08:00
Cammas' words after the finish
Franck Cammas (Groupama 3), quotes:
On ranking this win among others:
“All victories are good but I’ve never experienced a finish like this, either the weather on the water or the welcome here.”
“This victory it was not really expected, we prepared very well but I did not really know how it would unfold on the boat, so it is hard to know how to rank it in the list. But certainly I am very proud to be able to add my name to those who have won it before me.”
All the Catégorie Ultime news >>
16/11/2010 à 11:11:00
Desjoyeaux, 6th, "we will turn the page"
Crossing the finish line at 06h31m04s (CET/Paris(05h31m04s GMT) Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) took sixth place in the IMOCA Open 60 class, some 2d 00h 18m 08s after class winner Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement).
The southern routing, one which also cost him dearly a year ago in the Transat Jacques Vabre, worked for the Ultimate class but this time it clearly did not work for the double Vendée Globe winner with his new VPLP/Verdier design.
Desjoyeaux has had time to analyse his result and the way forwards, making ready for the Barcelona World Race which starts 31st December.
“It would have been good if they had left us some wind for the finish because in the end it was bit too long at the end. Everyone says it’s a good trick to head off to the sun, but I went too early. We had looked at it and there were good chances of passing over the top, but it was on the Monday morning I took the decision. That was the best routing on the morning, I was on a good shift on the left with Kito and I wanted a trip to the south, I had wanted to go there for a while. I did what I wanted. From time to time you try things when you don’t know if they will be good or not so good. I expected to have 50 miles of deficit in the south of the Azores amticyclone and it was 150. There the mass was said.
All the Classe Imoca news >>
15/11/2010 à 21:32:00
Lionel Lemonchois comes back for Rhum double
Lionel Lemonchois duly completed the second measure of a pair of Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale 2010 doubles, today when he triumphed on a second consecutive edition of the race.
In 2006 Lemonchois smashed the course record by four days, winning on Gitana 11 in 7 days 17 hours 19 hours 6 seconds, just under half the time that it took on this very different but courageous race on Prince de Bretagne.
All the Multi 50 class news >>
14/11/2010 à 23:27:00
A big splash across the ocean for the Rhum class now
The distance between Andrea Mura (Vento di Sardegna) and Luc Coquelin (Pour le Rite de Médecin) remains pretty stable – around 150 miles for the last four days – behind them the gaps between the other boats grow.
The fleet is now spread out of close to 800 miles. In fact most of them are now dealing with their own particular meteo system.
For the leaders, actually on the wind, the persistence of a depression NE of Bermuda continues to give them an unsettled SW’ly airstream, which is also kicking up some unpleasant seas. The situation is radically different for Yves Ecarlat, the skipper of VALE Nouvelle Calédonie continues to make good progress but in a slightly unstable and hesitant trade wind.
All the Category Rhum news>>
16/11/2010 à 20:12:00
Marco Nannini from radio vac today
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Marco Nannini (ITA/GBR, Unicredit); “ It has been varied, I made one big mistake going too near the high. I was in about tenth position and that cost me a lot. Since then it has been very challenging because the weather conditions have been confused, and so it is very rare to have more than a few hours of the same conditions, and so it is continually stack-unstack, ballast-unballast, reef-unreef, and change course, so it is very, very challenging to keep the boat speed up.
As a person at the moment I feel fantastic, not a care in the world. (audio is in audio section)
All the Class40 news>>
16/11/2010 à 20:14:00
Conrad Colman, hampered by sail damage, battling on
Conrad Colman (NZL/40 Degrees): “It is a beautiful sunny day, calm conditions, not too bad at all. It is quite nice. I have more than a little catching up to do, but unfortunately I am down on power, the big problem is that I broke two very valuable sails, my AP reaching gennaker and also my big spinnaker. I did that very early on in the race and so I have been making do with what I have for most of the time and so I have been slower than the rest, and strategically I have been to the north and unable to get south.
I spent three days putting the big kite together and it ripped somewhere else. So the original repair was on the luff and the foot and I used up all the material that I had to repair kites with, and then I put it up and a few hours after that it ripped down the leech,
So that is irrepairable. I started this project a few months before the race and did not have an opportunity to buy new sails, and I am paying for it because the old stuff is breaking
Strategically after the first week I was in a good position, the boat was in one piece and for a while I was feeling pretty confident about my ability to come down from the north and be up with the leaders. And so I think there was a good chance then of me still being in the top ten at this point. Whereas now mid-30’s it is quite difficult mentally, as well as physically after having done all those repairs because I have ended up in a position in the fleet that I don’t quite think I deserve. But that is ocean racing.
I think it will be very difficult at this stage to come back because given my sail situation, and the boat, given the tools for the job I myself as a skipper think I am competitive, but that is life at the moment.”
ALSO IN AUDIO SECTION >>>>
All the Class40 news >>
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In brief...
On 15/11/2010 à 10:40:00
Riou fifth
Vincent Riou (FRA) (PRB) takes fifth place in the IMOCA Open 60 Class in the 9th Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale
Breaking the finish line off Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe at 07hrs 05mins 52 mins today (Monday, CET/Paris) (Monday 06 hrs 05mins 52 mins GMT/ Local 03hrs 05mins 52mins (CET -4hrs)) Vincent Riou on the IMOCA 60 PRB took fifth place in the IMOCA Class in the 9th Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale solo Transatlantic race which started from Saint-Malo, France at 1302hrs (CET) Sunday 31st October.
The elapsed time for PRB is 14 days 18 heures 03 minutes 52 seconds
His average speed is 11.37kts for the distance he sailed of 4026 miles.
Over the theoretical course distance of 3539 miles Vincent Riou’s average speed is 10.00knots
Riou finished 01 day 00 hours 52mins 56secs after IMOCA Open 60 winner Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement
On 15/11/2010 à 04:42:00
Dick takes fourth IMOCA Open 60.
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) (Virbac-Paprec 3) takes fourth place in the IMOCA Open 60 Class in the 9th Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale
Breaking the finish line off Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe at 04hrs 13mins 13 mins today (Monday, CET/Paris) (Monday 03 hrs 13mins 13 mins GMT/ Monday 23hrs 13mins 13 mins (CET -4hrs)) Jean-Pierre Dick on the IMOCA 60 Virbac Paprec 3 took fourth place in the IMOCA Class in the 9th Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale solo Transatlantic race which started from Saint-Malo, France at 1302hrs (CET) Sunday 31st October.
The elapsed time for Virbac –Paprec 3 is 14 days 15hours 11minutes 13seconds
His average speed is 11.36kts for the distance he sailed of 3998 miles.
Over the theoretical course distance of 3539 miles Jean Pierre Dick’s average speed is 10.08knots
Dick finished 22hrs 00mins 17 secs after IMOCA Open 60 winner Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement
On 14/11/2010 à 22:23:00
Christopher Pratt suffers electrical problems on DCNS 1000
All the news in brief >>
Rookie IMOCA Open 60 skipper Christopher Pratt is suffering from a complete lack of power on DCNS 1000 due to a problem with the engine of his boat.
The engine failed Thursday and since then he has been running with almost no power. He is navigating off a small hand held GPS.
“Thursday morning I tried to repair the engine but it is the injection pump and so I have been unable to use it and so have no means of recharging the batteries. I have been in virtual blackout since then. I have a little help from the solar power but have been racing with no computer, no pilot, no keel motor, no nav station. There is just the small hand held GPS which I have a waypoint in, and with a little sun have managed to fire up the computer a couple of times. I have been carefully trying to build up enough power in the batteries to use the pilot a little and navigate a little.
But the last two days there has been really very little wind. As soon as I drop the helm it goes through 360 degrees, so I have to steer all the time. I have tried everything. Ive had a pouffe at the helm and steered with my feet as well as my arms and hands. I have not been able to move off the helm much since Thursday. I just go to make some food, then get back to the helm and sleep there. I think I should get to Guadeloupe Tuesday evening.”