At least the weather conditions have slowed everybody down and the distance to the leaders won't be as big if/when Alex gets moving again
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At least the weather conditions have slowed everybody down and the distance to the leaders won't be as big if/when Alex gets moving again
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From the team update:
... imagine repairing 'structural damage' without knowing what caused the problem, with the southern ocean ahead. I would be seriously worried. Did he hit a 'bump'? Is is the design or bad manufacturing?It is yet unclear what caused this damage.
M
Last edited by thieuster; 23rd November 2020 at 07:13.
Update here. The challenge with making things light. Seems in good frame of mind and as he says better to be there than in the Southern Ocean.
https://youtu.be/EJfhOBJAMeU
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I must say that he's very positive. At the back of my mind would be: 'If I repair this to be stronger than before, where is the next weakest point?'
That said he must have confidence in the design otherwise he wouldn't be sailing in it, so hopefully he's found the only major issue at a reasonable time and place to effect a repair.
Well todays update seems to be he has a series of cut shapes and he certainly sounds in good spirits. Go Go Alex
Some pretty big cracks in that carbon, which as most folk know is pretty tough. Carbon is great in tensile stress , but like a rhubarb stem doesnt like twisting. It looks like some form of shear force has permeated through the hull and damaged the ribs. I truly hope the hulls integrity is intact as he is approaching the big one.
Steve
A good sailor I used to know had an Acrow prop in the cabin of his yacht. It supported one of the wooden frames that had broken while he was in the '79 Fastnet race.
Let's hope that Alex has something sufficiently strong to clamp / bolt alongside that longitudinal frame to provide sufficient support without over stressing the rest of the structure by making it too rigid. Hopefully his team back at base can do the necessary calculations and come up with some suggestions...such is modern racing. It's beyond me...
Looks repaired and stable so far. Back in the race. Excellent job. And always positive. Great man
https://youtu.be/tUqed4lPunw
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Some interesting routing decisions to be made...see the tracking map and Earth Wind Map and use the controls:
+3 h k forward one time step +24 h shift-k forward several time steps -3 h j backward one time step -24 h shift-j backward several time steps now n go to now (the most recent data)
Alex second fastest speed with 10.57 kts right now under top 8 sailors. Back in the race. Catching up. Great
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Great race also so far of Boris Hermann from Germany on SEAEXPLORER - YACHT CLUB DE MONACO on 5.th place. Weiter so!
Yannick Bestaven on Maître CoQ IV just 4 miles behind.
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Last edited by Ginpopy; 25th November 2020 at 22:04.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I enjoyed watching Boris' drone video. It's great how they can shares these things with 'us'.
Sam Davies seems like one to watch.
I'm still all for Alex though. He is inspirational and deserves this so much.
EDIT: They are ALL of course inspiring, but I'm still #AllezAlex
Last edited by ASW1; 25th November 2020 at 23:23.
And he's back. In great spirits https://youtu.be/8IGDJ_YxEtw
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It looks like the weather for the leading pair is not very good, I suspect there will be some catching up done in the next day or so......
Rudder damage now on Hugo Boss
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“At approximately 19:00 UTC this evening (Friday 27th November) – 19 days into the Vendée Globe round-the-world yacht race – Alex Thomson notified his technical team on shore of damage to the starboard rudder of his HUGO BOSS boat.
The team immediately advised Thomson to disconnect the rudder to regain steerage. He now has control of the yacht with one rudder, and is safe and in no danger onboard.
The team is working to assess the extent of the damage. A further update will be released on Saturday 28th November.”
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Frustrating for Alex, but all these things conspire to make success sweeter.... Hopefully.
Although, as I suggested earlier it now seems that Sam is definitely moving into the spotlight.
The Jules Verne was looking to get interesting with two challengers, but Gitana has just had to bail out. Darn UFOs https://youtu.be/ohgnE5z6kKo
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Alex seemed so well prepared. Now he’s had two major breakdowns. Real shame.
Really gutted for Alex Thomson having to abandon the race Four years preparation gone...and just as it seemed he was back in the race.
Three Brits left in, and as someone stated earlier Sam Davies could be the one to watch.
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Gutted for Alex but still plenty of interest in the race.
That's a real bummer. But that's how these sports go. Really frustrated for him and the team.
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Very sad: “Alex Thomson said, “Unfortunately, a repair is not possible. We therefore accept that this will be the end of the race for us. Myself, my team and our partners are of course deeply disappointed. We believe the best was yet to come in this race””
... Boris Herrmann left. Let’s see
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Well we warned at the beginning of this thread how addictive it would be. What a roller coaster for Alex. However the team will have evaluated the performance of the boat on what would be a massive down wind leg through the southern ocean and decided one rudder doesnt allow any redundancy and no rudders would be pretty disastrous. So back to supporting Samatha.
Steve
I thought this was a lovely narrative:
Message from Fabrice Amedeo For Alex Thomson The BOSS will be back
For the past two weeks, I have been going through a lot of emotions every day and I find this remote position, far behind everyone else, incredibly difficult. But since this Saturday at midday, I no longer complain. I no longer have the right. Because the Vendée Globe has lost one of its favorites, Alex Thomson, who is heading for Cape Town. But our race lost more than that. Alex has revolutionized our sport: his boats are always the most beautiful and are one step ahead of those of his competitors. Alex modernized communication in sailing by exploding all the barriers: Keel Walk, Mast Walk, Sky Walk. He is unique in our sport.
The Vendée Globe needs Alex Thomson’s victory. I hope it will be 2024. And on top of all that, Alex is nice and he is modest. The race loses not just a favorite but also today, a great man.
I wish the best to him and his whole team.
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Given the dominance of the French, in looking for an alternative skipper to support Boris is up there for me.
Whilst Sam is British, she lives in France, is sponsored by French sponsors (who are supporting an amazing cause...), does most of her interviews in French, and is married to one of the other (French) skippers, so could almost be classified a being French.
Boris on the other hand does lots of content in English, I find him engaging and he seems like a really nice guy and is in the pack.
I think I might support Sam out of respect for her achievements and drive but will follow Boris to keep my engagement in the whole process.
My bad for not being better at French, but I prefer to follow it all in English...
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Kevin Escoffier (PRB) has bailed out and activated his beacon. His life raft (with him inside) was spotted by Jean le Cam (Yes we Cam) who rerouted to assist. Waiting for more news.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I'm not sure how to spe Bejesus, but....
Definitely mixes things up. Hope everyone remains/is safe. Fortunately le Cam is/was close by.
https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/...er-in-liferaft
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Last edited by ASW1; 30th November 2020 at 18:42.
Very touching speech:
https://youtu.be/vsbKTw6OHVo
I am really sorry for Alex.
In four years probably you will be able to develop a system able to avoid and protect the boat from collisions avoiding or at least reducing the risk of damage.
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Feeling sorry for Alex.....but then read that Kevin Escoffier is in his life raft as his boat was taking on water.....scary stuff. Hope he's picked up OK Jean le Cam.
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Boris Herrmann arriving as well. I hope they’ll find him quickly. Strong winds and cold temperatures.
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Just read the latest update. Le Cam lost sight, and lost radio contact with Escoffier in 5m seas and 25knot winds. Fingers crossed the four boats now in the area find him safe and well.
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Link:
...Guided by Race Direction Le Cam arrived on zone around 1615hrs UTC and quickly established visual and voice contact with Escoffier who was in his liferaft but he was unable to retrieve him in the big, 5m, seas and 20-25 knot winds.
As he was manoeuvring to prepare to get closer to the liferaft Le Cam lost sight of the liferaft and could not establish radio contact nor to pick up the signal from the AIS the range of which was reduced by the heavy seas.
He lost sight of Escoffier in the dying light but has continued to try and locate him, Le Cam is communicating regularly with Race Direction and the rescue authorities. The three other skippers are now in, or are approaching the search area. The positioning of Kevin Escoffier's personal beacon (AIS MOB Man Over Board) emits HF radiowaves and will only be detected in the local zone.
The four skippers will follow a protocol established by Race Direction in coordination with Jean Le Cam. They will approach with three reefs in the mainsail and the engine idling. A grid search area for the zone has been established and will be carried out by the four IMOCAs who are set to provide assistance.
The PRB shore crew said that besides his AIS Mob, Kevin Escoffier also means to signal his presence in the liferaft. Daybreak tomorrow morning is around 0340hrs UTC in this zone and the search will be ongoing...
It would seem that he has bee separated from his EPIRB and they now have to rely upon a short range AIS MOB marker...at night. Not good.
Picked up by le Cam: "...his boat nosedived into a wave and, he reported after his rescue, literally broke in two"
https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/...hed-yes-he-did
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Good news:
“At 0118hrs UTC the PRB Team was informed that their Vendée Globe race skipper Kevin Escoffier (PRB) has been rescued by fellow Vendée Globe competitor Jean Le Cam (Yes We Cam!).
Escoffier had to abandon his IMOCA 60 PRB following damage yesterday afternoon around 1346hrs UTC and took to his liferaft some 840 nautical miles SW of Cape Town.
The rescue mission was coordinated from Les Sables d’Olonne by Vendée Globe Race Direction in collaboration with CROSS Griz Nez and MRCC South Africa. The President of PRB, Jean-Jacques Laurent was at the Race HQ with race director Jacques Caraës and the race direction team assisting through the entire process.
"He's on board with Jean!" These short words came as a huge relief for the whole team, for Escoffier’s family and all those involved in the Vendée Globe
Kevin has so far only been seen aboard YesWeCam via live video as Jean Le Cam had his video system connected during all the search operations. No one has yet been able to talk with the PRB skipper who just appeared smiling, bundled up in his survival suit alongside Jean Le Cam.
Vendée Globe race director Jacques Caraës outlined, “We sent Jean back to a position received by the CROSS Gris Nez, the position sent by the onboard EPIRB distress beacon. Météo France's drift simulation also delivered a trace. Jean set off at OOh15 UT (1h15 French time) on our request to reach this point at reduced speed. He found no one at the given location. He then resumed its journey southeast for three quarters for between 45 minutes and an hour - an hour. As he was making headway at 1.5 knots in a 20-25 knot wind under very reduced sail (3 reefs in the mainsail and no engine), he disappeared from the screen when suddenly we heard him talk. We no longer saw anyone. Then, a few minutes after 1:06 UT or 2:06 French time (time at which he had precisely to retrieve Kevin on board), Jean went back down to the chart table and then we saw Kevin arrive behind his back in a survival suit. They both appeared fit seconds before the video cut. He is fine. Everyone is well. They are recovering!
On January 6, 2009, during the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe, Vincent Riou, the then the skipper of PRB, rescued Jean Le Cam from his upturned IMOCA 60 which capsized at Cape Horn.
This time 61 year old five times Vendée Globe racer Le Cam has reversed the roles delivering Escoffier, the 40 year old skipper from Saint Malo, from a potentially lethal situation.
The whole TEAM PRB and the Vendée Globe community sincerely thanks Jean Le Cam and the three other skippers, Boris Hermann, Yannick Bestaven and Sébastien Simon who have worked heroically and tirelessly to find Kevin, as well as the race director, the CROSS Gris Nez. and the MRCC Cape Town which coordinated the search“
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Makes a nice change to wake up to some good news.
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K.E. said he reinforced PRB with 200 kg of carbon fibre, yet the boat split in two against a wave.
( read here, in French)
There is obviously a lot to learn still, with the most high tech boat (Hugo Boss) suffering almost the same fate. I am sure "lessons will be learnt", and the boats in 4 years will reflect that.
As to Jeannot, the karma flows: he was saved by Kevin's boat (then skippered by Vincent Riou) 12 years ago.
Last edited by Saint-Just; 1st December 2020 at 09:34.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Yes, maybe foils aren't the best option for this sort of sailing. The slamming of the bow is obviously causing big problems - seen with both Hugo Boss and now PRB.
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It was in a previous PRB that Riou rescued Jean le Cam when he lost his keel in the 08/09 Vendée. That PRB was dismasted during the rescue and Riou was subsequently awarded 3rd place by the jury because he had been lying 3rd when he went to the rescue.
This latest PRB is not a new boat. It was built in about 2010 and it’s done two Vendée races with Riou and many other races, including wining the Transat Jacque Varbre skipped by Jean le Cam... it’s a circular small world.
It was however extensively modified a year or so ago to add foils, but no one will ever know if that was the origin of this catastrophic failure.
Thank you for the correction. It gets a bit confusing now that boats are renamed the same as the previous one, I miss the old days where you knew your Pen Duick IV trimaran from your Pen Duick VI ketch...
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Sam Davies struck a floating object and is heading north at reduced speed
British skipper Sam Davies informed her team that her IMOCA Initiatives-Coeur had struck a floating object at around 1900hrs UTC this evening. She is heading north at reduced speed and will inspect her boat to assess the damage and discuss actions with her team. Sam Davies is unhurt.
From another article:
...So speeds between 15 and 22kts and I was actually just making a hot meal after the gybe and the stack and everything and it was just starting to get dark. I hit something. I did not see anything. I did not know what it was. It was pretty much dark when it happened. But it was as if I had run aground on a rock at the time. The boatspeed went from 20kts to zero. The boat nosedived on the impact with the keel. I knew it was the keel. I heard a crack coming from there. I and everything else flew forwards, including my dinner which has repainted the entire inside of my boat. Everything moved...
Last edited by PickleB; 3rd December 2020 at 17:54.