Vendée Globe update

Jean Le Cam on Bonduelle crosses the longitude of Cape Horn after 56 days,17 hours at sea, 5 days faster than Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 © Benoit Stichelbaut / DPPI / Vendeeglobe

Mike is back...

The first of the Vendée Globe fleet to pass Cape Horn early this morning GMT was Jean Le Cam on Bonduelle. At the time he had a 190.6 mile lead on his closest rival and had smashed 5 days and 9 hours off the previous record time set by Michel Desjoyeaux. He passed the third legendary cape at 0515 GMT this Monday 3rd January. Mike Golding is just 42,1 miles from second placed Vincent Riou and only 122 miles from the leader.

Jean Le Cam was the first of the Vendée Globe to round the celebrate Cape Horn at 0515 GMT this morning. In so doing he has obliterated the previous record set in the last edition by 5 days and 9 hours. His race time to Cape Horn from Les Sables d´Olonnes is 56 days, 17 hours and 13 minutes. “I’m very happy to have passed the Cape in first place. It was night time but it was twilight so it was awesome. I was like a kid. I saw the island of Fonso just before the cape from which I was within 6 miles of. It’s the first time I’ve seen land since the start. I didn’t expect to have been so slowed down so much. There will be some blinders to be had on the way up the Atlantic. It will be great racing though the weather is not clear.”

Jean was clearly frustrated to be becalmed, particularly as while he has been making around 5 knots for the past 8 hours, Vincent Riou (PRB) and Mike Golding (Ecover) have been making around 3 times his speed as they close in on the Horn. “The concertina effects are always a question of luck’ said Riou realistically. “But we have to see if it lasts. I can see some big clouds ahead and for now the wind is continuing to blow. Mike is coming back too so it’ll be fun. It looks favourable for us too. I reckon to get to the Horn at around 1700 GMT. I’d like to do a bit of tourism as I go past in the daylight. It’s going to be an important moment. The weather looks pretty tricky with a number of small weather systems. I don’t have the best machine to go back up the Atlantic but I also have less pressure on my shoulders than the other two (Jean and Mike) as my boat is less modern. So far everything has gone well so I’ll just keep at it. It has to be said that Ecover is particularly exceptional upwind, and Bonduelle and PRB are probably more versatile, so the Atlantic is going to prove very interesting...”

Mike Golding is now just 42.1 miles behind Vincent Riou and right on target for taking on the Atlantic only 122 miles from the leader. “It is very frantic. It has been a mad night and it is still pretty mad. The sea keeps changing – it is very strange. There are moments when I feel in control and there are moments when it is totally out of control. I spend a lot of time above 20 knots and times doing 27-28 knots. It is mostly the sea state. I have got more sail up than I should have for 40 knots, but that doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference. Even in 30 knots of breeze I can be doing 27-28 knots. It is just a mad surf at the moment. It is a pivotal point. I sat there and waited for the 0400 polling praying that Vincent had slowed down and the rascal hasn’t. So I am left with little choice: keep the pedal down. I could be there in a few hours, but the reality is that the breeze is going to run out. The forecast is for it to be pretty light when I arrive so that could be quite slow that section. But whatever, the quicker it comes the better. I wouldn’t mind if it slows down a bit there. You can get very big waves and very bad storms associated with the area and so it can be a very dangerous passage around the headland itself. It has a strong reputation for that reason.” The English sailor also admitted that sub-90 days would be nice...

1009.5 miles behind Golding, 4th placed Sébastien Josse’s voice could not the hide the tiredness after being caught in a storm over the weekend. “I’ve eaten well and slept well but I’m in some erratic squally winds with winds going from 15 to 30 knots. I’m chasing the squalls whilst trying to remain on as direct a course as possible. I’m 1133 miles from the Horn and can’t wait to get there. I don’t think it’s going to be as easy to pass as it was for the frontrunners unfortunately. The depression is overtaking me and we should be lacking wind at the Horn.”

Not surprisingly, those towards the rear of the fleet are feeling a little envious of those already passing the legendary point marking the end of the Southern Ocean but the motivation is far from lacking. The ever jaunty American Bruce Schwab (Ocean Planet) in 9th is in great spirits still managing to stave off the attack by Conrad Humphreys (Hellomoto) while the English skipper is happy in the knowledge that he is just 29.7 miles behind him. Conrad also has other concerns having spotted two icebergs this morning. “It’s very stressful sailing and I try not to think about where the leaders are in relation to us. There is still an awful lot to play for and as soon as I can concentrate fully on my race again I’ll be going flat out...”

Quotes from the Boats:

Dominique Wavre (Temenos): “The wind has become erratic. Pretty unstable conditions. I had to manoeuvre a lot. I’ve got the trinquette up (stay sail to those who aren’t au fait with the modern term), taking reefs in and out. I haven’t been able to rest since the big wind yesterday and could seriously do with some sleep. I’m still hoping I’ll earn back some miles and hopefully, the weather will now allow me to catch the leaders in the Atlantic, though it’s been really tough on me up until now. I’ll be counting the days up to the Horn. I appreciate Vincent’s way of sailing, it’s very clean. Mike too, he was my main competitor in the Transat. His boat upwind is so competitive. Obviously it will be difficult to get into podium position now but perhaps the weather will be better on the way back up the Atlantic. My ETA for the Cape is 9 January.

Anne Liardet (Roxy): “Hello to you all,
The holidays are over! Not too much indigestion, no hangovers??? For me my little Christmas holidays, my little calm, my little blue sky and my sun, finished at the start of yesterday afternoon and if the return to work and school was as violent as mine was, hold on!! The wind Gods kicked in at 35-40 knots, 45-48 knots in the gusts and we were off!!! It lasted for 24 hours during which time we jumped from one wave to another (and the consequent fall) with the feeling that everything is going to explode. It’s incredible that a boat can cope with such a pounding. Nothing broke, nothing came lose, and nothing waltzed around the boat. It was like trying to stand upright in a washing machine. It’s siesta time after all that now! Have a good day everyone, Anne on Roxy and Andaska.”

Karen Leibovici (Benefic): “We have the decor and the atmosphere: Since 1st January, I have had a little northerly and north-easterly wind. As a result I am between reaching and close-hauled. The seas are not so built up and I’ve even had the right to a little sunshine occasionally. On the other hand, when the sun sets and rises, there is always a lot of light. For our night from 30th to 31st, I saw my first aurora borealis. What a sight! Initially I thought I was hallucinating. But no it was indeed that. Kisses Karen.”

Bruce Schwab (Ocean Planet): “We had a scare over these past few days as my radar had conked out. Sea water had leaked into the radar control box that is mounted in the aft compartment and it did not look good. I took the box apart several time to clean, oil, and rinse the salt out of the circuitry. It still wouldn’t run so I was resigned to not having a radar for the rest of the race. In the end I left the power on to the box even though it showed no sign of life, in the hope of something happening. Nothing did, and I forgot about it after a couple of hours. But I had left the power on, and about 3 hours later...ping! The radar network came on and now it is working fine again. Whew! What a relief to have the radar going in spite of the abuse the box received. We are just on the east edge of the approaching ridge, and much of the day was brilliant sun. Which is in contrast to the upwind work and murkiness we had near New Zealand just a couple nights ago. I have been very glad to stay in position with in weather, for we could have been really stuck if we didn’t keep the pace. With luck we can avoid a lot of upwind in the next few days and not get too pummelled by the next storm. Stay tuned and we shall see!”

Position Report: (14:30 GMT)

Update from Mike Golding, ECOVER:

At 0515GMT today when Jean le Cam rounded Cape Horn, Mike Golding in Ecover was lying in third place closing fast on the Vendee Globe race leader.

This morning Golding reported that he was sailing in 30 knot northwesterly winds that were regularly gusting to 40 in an incredible sea. “It is very frantic. It has been a mad night and it is still pretty mad. The sea keeps changing – it is very strange. There are moments when I feel in control and there are moments when it is totally out of control. I spend a lot of time above 20 knots and times doing 27-28 knots. It is mostly the sea state. I have got more sail up than I should have for 40 knots, but that doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference. Even in 30 knots of breeze I can be doing 27-28 knots. It is just a mad surf at the moment.”

Normally Iridium satellite phones successfully cut out background noise, but today it was possible to hear Ecover occasionally roar down the waves.

Golding was concerned about how hard he was pushing given the conditions. “It is a pivotal point. I sat there and waited for the 0400 polling praying that Vincent [Riou on second placed PRB] had slowed down and the %&$$£ hasn’t. So I am left with little choice: keep the pedal down.”

But the harder he pushes at the moment, the more miles Golding stands to recoup on le Cam. In contrast to the conditions Golding was experiencing this morning le rounded Cape Horn in a wind that had dropped to just 5-10 knots. As a result from being 256 miles astern of le Cam at 0400 today, six hours later Golding had closed to 181 miles, with more to come over the course of today.

Golding is also expecting the wind to drop considerably for him as he approaches the Horn and he says this makes it hard to predict exactly when he will round. “I could be there in 10 hours, but the reality is that the breeze is going to run out. The forecast is for it to be pretty light when I arrive so that could be quite slow that section. But whatever, the quicker it comes the better. I wouldn’t mind if it slows down a bit there.”

In any round the world race Cape Horn is the most significant part of the course. Lying at 55deg 58S Cape Horn lies at the north of a 500 mile wide north-south channel through which the Pacific Ocean funnels into the Atlantic. The Pacific also has to funnel vertically as the seabed suddenly shelves here from 4km to 200m.

“You can get very big waves and very bad storms associated with the area and so it can be a very dangerous passage around the headland itself. It has a strong reputation for that reason,” explains Golding. “Historically many ships have been lost there, never mind small lightweight sailing craft.”

With Jean le Cam rounding 5 days 10 hours ahead of Michel Desjoyeaux’s 2000 record and the latest generation of Open 60s having better upwind potential to improve their performance on this final run back up the Atlantic, so Desjoyeaux’s overall Vendee Globe race record of 93 days 3 hours and 57 minutes looks under considerable threat.

Golding says that the record is of little concern to him, but expects the initial section of the Atlantic to be slow. “It doesn’t look especially fast going north. Obviously the pace has been pretty high. We have had five boats pushing really hard. Now there is three of us all pushing really hard. We are all really motivated and that is going to keep the pressure on. As far as a prediction is concerned – I don’t track the record, but sub-90 days would be nice.”

Update from Nick Moloney, Skandia:

To listen to the full audio go to www.ocftp2.com/audio/vendee2004/nm030105a_uk_e.mp3

Quite mild, no wind...or a lack of wind. Just chipping away here, got 8 knots of wind from north west...angles are pretty ordinary. Really frustrated the low pressure system blocked my path, a warm low coming out of the north joining with the one I was traveling with, and completely blocked my path. The two merge, and I’m not far enough south...I hope by this afternoon to pick up some westerly flow.

I did have a good run for a while. Always got to go as fast you can with what you have got. Not complaining about the light air. Looking over my last few days, don’t think I had any options. Look back over my course, and I feel it was good course, am sure if I didn’t take those options then I would have suffered worse. So its suffer today, through a tough transition over the top. Lots of manoeuvres when the breeze comes.

Hopefully get this mess out the way now, and have a better second half of the Pacific.

The boat is fine, at the moment I’ve taken a reef because I was just about to break the boom in this head sea...in only 8 knots of wind, but its faster as the sail is a lot more stable. Ridiculous scenario to have a reef in at 8 knots of wind. Just trying to avoid a breakage.

Me I’m ok. Trying to have a bit of nap now. Got the alarm set for 20 minutes at a time, to check the wind strength and direction.

Not bored of my food yet, its great. Coped well. Got a block cheese I’ve been saving for Cape Horn, and a packet of dry biscuits. Its great, really good to see 9000 something now to go...first leg of the Whitbread was 7000 something, so at Cape Horn it will be about that distance to the finish.

My head is well in to the journey. Just really looking at the finish now. Really had to tear myself away from Australia. Every time you get near a land mass, you think if I broke something now would I stop. Now I don’t even think that anymore, so far progressed, no consideration to anything other than focusing on the finish. Having come this far, got to keep chipping away. Feel I am on a bit of slide towards the finish, looking forward to the finish, don’t feel like its that far now.

More Information:

• Vendee Globe website