Transat Jacques Vabre - Day 11

Compression and Pressure

Closing fast with the finish in Itajai, Brasil where the parties started yesterday, Saturday, when the race village opened, a very warm welcome, exuberant welcome is expected for both MOD70s when they arrive. Expected during Monday afternoon (local time). Edmond de Rothschild still held a small advantage in to the final 500 miles but with a sequence of weather hurdles set in their way, victory in this eleventh edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre is set to be held in the balance until the very final hours.

Compression, as the fleets compact in lighter winds, has been noticeable in the IMOCA Open 60 fleet who are fighting to get from the stifling Doldrums which are active and complex, into the oxygen of the south easterly trade winds, to establish a more decisive margin. MACIF had seized the lead again this afternoon, coming back from the lighter winds in the east, to squeeze back in front of PRB. But the concertina has squeezed hard and now there is only 30 miles separating first from fifth among the Famous Five, the posse of crews which train together out of Port La Foret.

And there has been something of a squeeze in Class 40. The leading duo GDF SUEZ and MARE have not really felt it, still nearly 70 miles ahead of the chasing third placed SNCF Geodis. The Multi 50s are hard on the wind in the SE'ly trades with FenetreA-Cardinal back in a more commanding position over second placed Actual.

The MOD70 match race is very close to its conclusion, but with less than 45 miles between leaders Sebastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier and long time pursuers Sidney Gavignet and Damian Foxall on Oman-Air Musdandam, the two head to head duos will leave nothing on the race course. Working constantly on the deck, snatching brief naps in the shelter of the small cuddy, Gavignet reported today that physically they are starting to bare the effects of their unrelenting work rate:

"We are getting close to the finish and are in good shape on board. For the first part of the race we were operating very much as a duo, but now we're able to operate single-handedly more and more which helps a lot with getting enough rest in order to be sharp and fresh to keep the speed up during the next watch.

"We are helming a lot and our hands are suffering for it, not quite bleeding yet, but not far off – we've been on this tack almost exclusively since Cape Finisterre. Right now we are doing 21 knots of boat speed." Gavignet told his team earlier today "There are still some challenges to come before Itajai; we have to get through a small front with very little wind behind it, there will be a little from the north and a little from the south. It will be pretty tricky for both boats.

"In the meantime, I am going to get dry and sleep for 20minutes before heading back up on deck and getting on the attack for three hours!

The low pressure system is squeezed between two high pressure zones, resulting in cloudy, difficult transition zones, which will mean a slow down for the leader before escaping again. Gavignet and Foxall were making sure they were fully energised for the final night.

Oxygen

In the IMOCA Open 60s it is MACIF which has only just managed to pass in front of PRB as the two leaders fought into the first of the SE'ly trade winds. Making 16kts on the afternoon ranking suggests Francois Gabart and Michel Desjoyeaux have an edge which might multiply initially on the 750 miles tack towards Recife on the corner of Brazil.

Class 40 sees the contraction in the peloton become more noticeable as they run into lighter breezes. Now just four miles separates third from sixth, Campagne de France (Miranda Merron and Halvard Mabire) dropping a couple of places over the early afternoon. Merron said this afternoon: "We are into a bit of a snakes and ladders phase right now so we really need full concentration as we get into a bit of a light patch. The boats behind will be catching so we have to minimise that effect."

"We lost out a bit with the staggered start which did advantage the boats which went out first, and again at Finisterre, but we really have been pushing hard to get back into it."

Speaking of their strength together as a duo, certainly one of the most enduring partnerships in the Class, Merron pointed out that more than 36,000 miles of sailing together, means they are able to push their boat to constant high average speeds.

Quickest through much of the day has been Mike Gascoyne and Brian Thompson who are driving hard to try and recoup the miles they lost making a big repair to their mainsail. Lying 11th the British duo believe they have a good chance to come back:

Talking on the live radio vacation with Paris, Gascoyne said: "It is great to be getting a chance to catch up the leaders, to make up some lost ground. I think it cost us about 150 to 170 miles we had a big rip across the main, just under the third batten, two thirds of the way down, going down one metre and across to within 30cms of the luff of the sail. So we lowered it on deck, looked at the material we had and unfortunately because we shredded the A5 as well we had some of it, the A5, available. So basically we repaired that all of the next day, hoisted it and 9 the following evening. We were conservative, baby'd it a bit, and it had moved a little but the key area by the leech of the sail was rock solid."

"We have just built it up and up since yesterday and we are pretty pleased with the ranking this morning and we are going well. The group we were with, Proximedia and that, we have left them behind and are chasing into the group ahead."

"We know the guys in front have slowed up and it is our turn to enjoy it."

"For us the guys up the front are going to be held up a little bit with lighter winds, the high is moving down and so we should hold the stronger winds and we think that looking at the leaders, if it goes the way it is looking we could be under 100 miles behind at the Doldrums. And I think that if that was the case, with a pretty straight route down there, we have the advantage of looking down the track and see what's going on and we will be coming down quickly."

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Neck and neck in closing stages of the Transat Jacques Vabre for Oman Air-Musandam (from Oman Sail)

With just 700nms to go to the finish of the 5,450nm Transat Jacques Vabre, Oman Air-Musandam – the Sultanate of Oman's flagship MOD70 campaign – has made significant inroads on Edmond de Rothschild's lead, sitting just 39nms behind on Sunday morning.

The Franco-Irish duo of skipper Sidney Gavignet and co skipper Damian Foxall has been taking it in turns to steer, not wanting to leave anything to chance in the closing stages of the Transat Jacques Vabre. "Our hands are worn to tatters," said Sidney this morning. "But it will be worth it if we can make up these last few miles and cross the line ahead of Gitana!" Averaging 25knots of boat speed in the past 24 hours, the duo is approaching the Bay of Rio and another weather system. Jean-Francois Cuzon the Oman Air-Musandam router has warned that the conditions over the next two days are very complicated.

Oman Air-Musandam in the Transat Jacques Vabre - photo © Jean-Marie Liot / Lloyd Images

Having completed a gybe and a sail change, Sidney picked up the Satellite phone to update us on the latest news from the boat:

"Damian is on the helm right now – we just swapped the jib with the gennaker and that took almost an hour! You have to prepare the sail, staggering around with the motion of the boat in the waves and then you have to slow down and engage the autopilot so that you can both deal with the sails and do it quicker, then you have to tidy up and put up the staysail – it's quite a process!

"So that is how I spent my off watch time, but it doesn't matter as I managed to get some good rest earlier on. We are getting close to the finish and are in good shape on board. For the first part of the race we were operating very much as a duo, but now we're able to operate single-handedly more and more which helps a lot with getting enough rest in order to be sharp and fresh to keep the speed up during the next watch.

"We are helming a lot and our hands are suffering for it, not quite bleeding yet, but not far off – we've been on this tack almost exclusively since Cape Finisterre. Right now we are doing 21 knots of boat speed downwind.

"There are still some challenges to come before Itajaii; we have to get through a small front with very little wind behind it, there will be a little from the north and a little from the south. It will be pretty tricky for both boats.

"In the meantime, I am going to get dry and sleep for 20minutes before heading back up on deck and attacking for three hours! Over and Out."

The duo on board Oman Air-Musandam has the pedal to the floor and the 11th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre promises a match race to the end.

The current ETA is conflicting, but the earliest the MOD70s are expected in Itajaii, Brasil, is Monday afternoon. More from Damian and Sidney then.

Final sprint (from Edmond de Rothschild)

What suspense! Heading the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet, the 70' trimarans Edmond de Rothschild and Oman Air – Musandam are providing us with a breathtaking final, the conclusion of which could well be decided tomorrow in Itajaí (Brazil), according to the latest estimates. The end of this hellish sprint is forecast to be complicated with a cold front associated with a ridge of high pressure to be traversed before the finish. With less than 500 miles to go, aboard the trimaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild, the watchwords are concentration, application and determination. Firm leaders since rounding Cape Finisterre, on 9 November, Sébastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier are more determined than ever to remain in the chair right the way to the finish.

The very mention of Rio de Janeiro conjures up images of carnivals, Sugarloaf Mountain, Corvocado and, above all, sunshine. On a stopover in the airport of this 'marvellous city' before heading for the state of Santa Catarina and the city of Itajaí, part of the shore crew were able to get a bird's eye view of the phenomenon, which is currently keeping the Edmond de Rothschild duo on its toes: namely close to 100% cloud cover, low clouds and a threatening black sky. There's no doubt the cold front announced by router Antoine Koch has made it to Brazil.

Final bend and the home straight

This Sunday afternoon, the two one-designs were approaching Cabo Frio, which marks the entrance into the bay of Rio. Having negotiated this bend, Edmond de Rothschild and her adversary could have linked nicely onto the home straight and the finish line, but the situation is becoming complicated: "There's a big low, which has formed over the Brazilian coast and is heading off on a merry-go-round into the Deep South around Antarctica. Associated with this low is a substantial cold front, which is breaking up the Saint Helena High and is stretching out as far as the coasts and the bay of Rio. To the south of the front, there's no wind and it's very stormy," explained the router from his HQ in La Rochelle, before unveiling the current scenario on the water: "As the front approaches, the northerly wind is beginning to ease gently and the speeds will drop off significantly. This will be an unstable period with squalls possible. In the front itself, the light, gusty wind is likely to shift round 180° and the satellite photos suggest that it will also be very rainy. Behind the front, the decor will radically change and Sébastien and Charles should hit a southerly wind of around 25 knots."

However, the episode described by the router will be rather short-lived, as a final weather obstacle is due to loom across the trimarans' course: the passage of a ridge of high pressure synonymous with another gybe in a zone of light airs. To sum it up, until tomorrow, the speeds will yo-yo and you can be sure that the sailors will both be on deck more often than not, one at the helm and the other trimming so as to make the absolute most of any oscillations in the wind.

On the attack right the way to the finish

Two days ago, the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild admitted: "You don't get something for nothing!" It's an expression that Sébastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier put into practice again last night. Indeed yesterday, at the 1900 GMT ranking, they had conceded some ground to their pursuers and were just 21 miles in front of Oman Air – Musandam. The situation wasn't the most favourable but the Gitana Team duo managed to keep a cool head. Physically tested by the 10 days of incredible intensity in this race, the two sailors didn't hesitate for even a second at the idea of digging even deeper and putting the pedal to the metal after nightfall. "They were able to take it turns a great deal at the helm so as to maintain a fast pace (26-30 knots of boat speed) and find the right trim under gennaker. It involved a night of piloting and on top of that it was necessary to make a nicely choreographed gybe overnight so as to set a course to the south-west. They timed it to perfection. The upshot of this was a single gybe for them compared with three for Oman," Antoine Koch explained. In this way, this Sunday morning, Edmond de Rothschild had snatched back some precious miles in relation to her adversary as they prepare for the final 'sprint': they boasted a 31-mile lead at the 1600 GMT ranking.

The Doldrums: Safran back in the contest (from Safran Sailing Team)

This has been an exceptional weekend for Marc Guillemot and Pascal Bidégorry. Covering over 410 miles in 24 hours, the two sailors on Safran are back to a distance of around thirty miles from the leader. For the moment, the passage through the Doldrums has been very favourable for them.

"We shouldn't get too excited. Anything is still possible and we will see the outcome tomorrow morning, once we're out of the Doldrums. Having said that, we're very pleased the way the last few hours have gone. We have been pushing hard. With the help of the Doldrums, we are well and truly back in the contest." Marc's voice sounded very upbeat this Sunday on the satellite phone. And we can well understand why. In twenty-four hours, Safran made up an amazing 70 miles (130 km). The gap to the leader was reduced from practically a hundred miles yesterday to just thirty this Sunday lunchtime. Moreover, Marc Guillemot and Pascal Bidégorry have also got much closer to the boat in third place, Maître Coq. The latter now has a mere fifteen mile lead over them, as opposed to thirty-five on Friday evening.

The race is back on

To sum up, the Famous Five boats, which have led this Transat Jacques Vabre are getting back together again as they make their way through the Doldrums. A word of caution however. We should not exclude the possibility of more shake-ups in this infamous intertropical convergence zone. To the east of the leading group, Macif paid a heavy price first of all during the night... before getting going again and retaking the lead from PRB in this Transat Jacques Vabre.

For the time being, Safran – along with Cheminées Poujoulat – has been the main beneficiary of this first half of the passage through the Doldrums, which they began yesterday evening. Even if these two boats may also experience areas of much lighter winds, the race is certainly back on with 2300 miles to go to the finish in Brazil.

"Over the last 24 hours, we have pushed hard with all our sail up," added Marc Guillemot. "It's really exhilarating with the boat under the water... it was very wet. The only little problem is that we need to get some rest, as it has really taken a lot out of us over the past few hours, in particular with all the sail changes. We need a bit of sleep. The tiredness is beginning to take its toll, but the race is fascinating with everything to play for."