Leaving the dock at 0730

Kate Jennings looks at the form for tomorrow's departure of the Vendee Globe

The final technical briefing for the 2004-5 Vendee Globe took place at 0900 GMT this morning hosted by Race Director, Denis Horeau; Deputy Mayor of Les Sables D’Olonne, Louis Guédon; Chairman of the SAEM Vendée, Philippe de Villiers; President of the French Sailing Federation (FFV), Jean-Pierre Champion; Jean-Yves Chauve the race doctor; Sylvie Viant, President of the UNCL; Alain Gautier, safety adviser to the Race Director; and Richard Silvani, the weather consultant from Météo France.

The first of the competitors will leave the dock in Port Olona at 0730 GMT and the start is planned for 1202 GMT.

All forecasts for tomorrow’s start of the fifth edition of the Vendée Globe 2004 agree on a big high pressure system over southern Ireland with a low pressure system situated out to the west of Gibraltar and the Canaries, with little change in the coming days. 15 knot northeasterlies are forecast for the time of the start. With the start zone located at the edge of an area of high pressure, a front is expected to creep in creating a dense cloud layer, but not rain. The wind is expected to drop off to 5-8 knots by around 1500 GMT as it backs to the north, with a northerly 10 knot wind filling in by 2000 GMT.

Initially the competitors look set to enjoy downwind conditions across the Bay of Biscay, with the first options really coming into play three days after the start with sustained 30 knot winds as the zone of high pressure shifts to the west, providing good downwind conditions. On Wednesday a depression centred to the west of the Canaries will start to affect the forecast.

The first of the fleet, Anne Liardet (Roxy), will leave the Vendée Globe pontoon at 0730 GMT with each competitor designated a certain departure time at 5 to 7 minute intervals. On their exit, the competing boats may be towed, make headway under their own power or receive help from the organisation. Should one of the boats experience delays the following boat will replace that particular boat.

Given the conditions Coastal Course No.2 has been selected for the northeasterly winds forecast by the Race Committee. The start line will be marked out by the French navy frigate Stern and a large yellow Sodebo mark.

Eight minutes from the start the Vendée Globe flag will be hoisted from the frigate. Four minutes from the start the India Flag will be hoisted which means that the shore crews must be off the boat. At one minute from the start the India Flag will be lowered and finally the start will be signalled by the lowering of the Vendée Globe flag.

President of the Race Committee for the UNCL, Sylvie Viant, stated that there would not be much of a current but warned the competitors “not to overshoot the start line”, as according to the present rules in force, the competitors would be forced to go around the outside of the start line and re-cross in the correct manner. This news was greeted with some concern by Vincent Riou and Dominic Wavre who believed this ruling to be too harsh, especially having to perform the penalty amid thousands of spectator boats. Sylvie Viant agreed that it may be possible to set a penalty at a certain GPS position further down the course instead and that, were this possible it would be noted in an amendment to the Sailing Instructions.

Following the start the first mark to be rounded will be the Les Sables d’Olonne mark and the second the Bourgenay mark (off Port Bourgenay), very large yellow cylindrical buoys with a yellow flashlight and the race flag.

Employed as adviser to the Race Director throughout the race, winner of the second Vendée Globe Alain Gautier expressed his thoughts about how things were shaping up prior to tomorrow’s start at 1202 GMT. “The IMOCA class measurements have had a good effect. The only thing I would suggest is that we have the tendency to store all our emergency equipment in a box, which is fine when the boat is the right way up but upside down it’s a different matter. I would suggest that everyone put their survival suit and distress beacon within reach and not use it as movable ballast.”

The finish line is to be located south of a point called Le Nouch, a fairly long way offshore from the local airport in Les Sables d’Olonne in case of a big swell.

Skandia skipper Nick Moloney gave his reaction to tomorrow's start: “I’m really excited about tomorrow. I’m looking forward to getting away cleanly, that’s my biggest objective, not to smash into anybody or break any battens or do anything stupid. I want to say goodbye to the spectator boats and the press etc and start living my life at sea. Taking the start represents 16 years of bloody hard work and total selfishness I suppose in a lot of ways, a lot of exclusion from my family and friends. I’ve missed out on a hell of a lot in life generally in order to get here to do this project so I’m standing here really, really pure; a little bit sorry for some of the sacrifices I’ve had to make along the way, but I don’t have anything after this. It’s my third of three absolute majors that I set myself in 1995 and who ever thought that I’d get here and that it would be an Aussie that would get there first when our country is just so isolated and so hard to get out of. I’m really proud to be starting tomorrow and happy that I don’t have any visions afterwards. This is everything for me. During the Whitbread I was always looking at the Jules Verne, in the Jules Verne I was always looking at the Vendée, and now I’ve got nothing to think about other than enjoying the course and to come back a better person and to enjoy my life with my friends and family.”

Hellomoto's Conrad Humphreys added: “It’s a very good forecast, a little light in the beginning which, with the deck spreaders it’s difficult to sail very, very hot angles but off Cape Finisterre and maybe all the way to the equator it’s really important to have a forecast that allows us to get away without too much pressure and stress and it looks like we’ve got wind behind us all the way to Cape Horn. I had a very good night’s sleep. I always have a few butterflies before the start of a race and I don’t think this one will be any different, it’s just the butterflies will be bigger. The wind is going to be stronger the further west we go so it’ll be very important to sail fast and quickly because the faster you go the more wind you arrive at and therefore the further you can get in front. The depression in the Canaries is still a little unclear as to where it will go and where the pressure ridge will come down the coast so at the moment I think a rhumb line course will be the best course but we’ll be watching that depression very carefully.

While Bruce Schwab said: “I feel nervous about the start and we’ve still got a lot to do. Given our resources and our time, the jump it takes to get from single-handed sailing in the U.S. I feel pretty good. We’ve come a long way. There are many, many reasons for me to be here, both for myself as a sailor and for my supporters. We never did find a big sponsor so I’m representing a lot of individuals and in a way that’s even more meaningful."