In the aftermath of the big night at sea

Sharp shreds genniker and Bubb breaks boom in Class 40 battle to the Caribbean in the Route du Rhum

Wednesday November 8th 2006, Author: James Boyd, Location: Transoceanic
Images courtesy of Expedition Navigation Systems and ProGRIB
 
Positions at 1900GMT
 
Pos
Boat Skipper
Lat
Long
Spd
Crs
Spd
Crs
Spd
Dist
DTF
DTL
Inst
4hr av
24hr
ORMA 60 tris
1
Gitana 11 Lionel Lemonchois
7j 17h 19m 6s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0
 
2
Banque Populaire Pascal Bidegorry
8j 4h 25m 7s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0
 
3
Sodeb'O Thomas Coville
8j 13h 39m 2s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0
 
4
Géant Michel Desjoyeaux
8j 13h 48m 24s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0
 
5
Groupama 2 Franck Cammas
8j 17h 55m 17s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0
 
6
Brossard Yvan Bourgnon
9j 0h 40m 15s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0
 
7
Foncia Alain Gautier
9j 16h 14m 40s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0
 
8
Region Guadeloupe-Terres de Passions Claude Thelier
22 05.40' N
57 38.10' W
17.8
209
15.8
221
13.5
323.1
443.7
0
9
Sopra Group Antoine Koch
23 49.08' N
58 37.84' W
26.2
205
20.1
204
15.8
379.4
530.4
86.7
10
Gitana 12 Thierry Duprey du Vorsent
23 05.28' N
55 11.36' W
12.3
275
14.4
269
11.4
273.8
598.2
154.5
11
Madinina Gilles Lamire
36 28.48' N
41 00.44' W
13
230
7.9
235
7
167.4
1685.6
1241.9
ABD
Orange Project Steve Ravussin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Open 60 monos
1
Sill et Veolia Roland Jourdain
24 00.28' N
57 44.44' W
18.1
204
16.6
204
14.7
352.4
560.4
0
2
VM Matériaux Jean Le Cam
25 42.80' N
56 55.20' W
21.1
198
18
187
14.7
352.1
672
111.6
3
Temenos II Dominique Wavre
26 13.44' N
55 00.36' W
18
181
15.2
181
14.3
343.5
751
190.6
4
Virbac-Paprec Jean-Pierre Dick
27 14.32' N
56 25.32' W
18.2
188
15.7
182
12.7
304.5
758.5
198
5
Brit Air Armel Le Cléac'h
27 31.08' N
55 35.24' W
12.3
198
14.7
195
14.5
346.8
801.3
240.9
6
Artemis Brian Thompson
26 15.11' N
51 33.69' W
9.3
214
15.1
234
14.9
357.8
872.1
311.6
7
Roxy Anne Liardet
27 36.72' N
46 42.88' W
13
236
14
230
10.8
258.8
1123.4
562.9
8
Safran Marc Guillemot
29 17.08' N
45 57.28' W
18.3
230
16.4
219
11.1
265.6
1215.7
655.3
9
Maisonneuve Basse Normandie JB Dejeanty
30 46.50' N
41 54.72' W
11.5
227
8.9
222
7.4
177.6
1424.3
863.9
10
Adriana Karembeu Paris Philippe Fiston
35 24.36' N
37 14.08' W
6.9
201
4
223
8.6
207.6
1789.6
1229.2
ABD
Delta Dore Jeremy Beyou
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ABD
PRB Vincent Riou
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Class 2 multis
1
Crêpes Whaou ! Franck-Yves Escoffier
23 02.56' N
58 38.32' W
22
212
18.1
202
16.3
390.2
487.5
0
2
Trilogic Eric Bruneel
26 51.54' N
51 27.42' W
16.4
232
15.9
232
15
361
881.9
394.4
3
Laiterie de Saint-Malo Victorien Erussard
28 41.80' N
45 46.88' W
7.1
277
11.7
223
9.7
232.6
1196.9
709.4
4
Deleage & DIAZO Loic Escofier
35 42.40' N
45 48.80' W
13
212
12.2
212
10.9
261.8
1489.9
1002.4
5
Négocéane Roger Langevin
33 40.19' N
40 06.91' W
1.1
235
6.1
228
7.5
179
1613
1125.5
6
Gifi Dominique Demachy
34 17.24' N
40 38.16' W
8.4
175
6.8
183
5.8
139.5
1615
1127.5
NL
Jean Stalaven Pascal Quintin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ABD
Le Bon Marche - Rive Gauche Anne Caseneuve
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Class 3 multis
1
Imagine-Institut des Maladies Génétiques Pierre Antoine
34 37.84' N
40 50.08' W
8.3
213
4.7
225
6.5
156.8
1620.1
0
ABD
Switch.fr Charlie Capelle
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ABD
Ideal Stelrad Ross Hobson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Class 1 monos
1
Jeunes Dirigeants Pierre-Yves Guennec
34 43.04' N
35 17.56' W
6.6
225
3.7
280
8
192.5
1847.3
0
2
Ville de Dinard Bruno Reibel
36 20.44' N
33 57.24' W
8
249
8
238
8.1
193.6
1950.5
103.2
3
Antilles-Sails.com Philippe Chevallier
37 43.00' N
34 07.44' W
2.4
192
3.9
188
7.1
170.8
1991.5
144.2
4
TAT Express Arnaud Dhallenne
37 11.12' N
32 58.32' W
7
254
8.2
249
7.9
190.2
2020.6
173.2
Class 2 monos
1
Artforms Kip Stone
35 22.04' N
45 05.20' W
12.3
229
12.9
208
9.4
224.5
1498.1
0
2
Vedettes de Bréhat Cap Marine Servane Escoffier
38 00.04' N
47 03.60' W
8.3
238
11.9
226
10.3
248.3
1562.2
64.1
3
Cap Guadeloupe 971 Luc Coquelin
38 33.74' N
44 28.36' W
10.9
239
10.8
237
10
240
1659.3
161.3
4
AOI Solidarité Dentaire Internationale Denis Douillez
33 07.36' N
32 28.96' W
7.1
260
7.8
238
7.7
185.5
1925.7
427.6
Class 3 monos
1
Roaring Forty Michel Kleinjans
34 13.12' N
37 23.36' W
6
244
5.7
249
7.1
170.7
1743.6
0
2
DangerousWhenWet Aurélia Ditton
42 09.20' N
36 17.24' W
8.6
200
9.3
204
6.2
148.3
2072.7
329.1
3
Fantasy Forest Alain Grinda
38 43.80' N
27 03.42' W
0
0
1.1
270
5.5
133
2310.1
566.6
ABD
A Fond Contre la Spondylarthrite Didier Le Villain
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ABD
La Promesse Jankees Lampe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ABD
Charter Regis Guillemot Martinique Regis Guillemot
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Class 40
1
philsharpracing.com Phil Sharp
34 44.32' N
47 53.64' W
12.3
211
11.1
220
8.8
210.5
1380.5
0
2
Atao Audio System Dominic Vittet
33 38.32' N
38 58.00' W
5
216
4.7
249
6.2
149.8
1658.9
278.5
3
IXSEA Olivier Rabine
36 55.00' N
42 05.08' W
11.2
226
6.7
206
7.6
183
1660.1
279.6
4
Chocolats Monbana Damien Grimont
35 41.84' N
40 18.00' W
5
277
3.1
254
5.9
140.6
1679.4
298.9
5
TMI Technologies Joe Seeten
34 32.64' N
39 06.00' W
6
236
6.2
233
6.7
160.3
1684.9
304.4
6
Appart'City Yvan Noblet
33 52.16' N
38 28.44' W
7.3
210
5.1
235
7
167.8
1687.1
306.6
7
Bolands Mill Ian Munslow
37 59.64' N
42 46.96' W
11
231
10.7
239
9.5
228.1
1689.1
308.6
8
Tchuda Popka 2 Gw Catherine
34 42.36' N
38 10.44' W
6.4
236
3.3
246
6
143.2
1727.8
347.3
9
Cinémas Cinéfil.com JE Criquioche
35 11.88' N
37 16.24' W
3.3
260
4.5
214
7
168.7
1781.1
400.6
10
Cap VAD Thibaud Derville
35 17.24' N
36 55.88' W
1.4
274
5
251
7.4
178.6
1797.9
417.4
11
Cotes d'Armor - Pierres et Mer Philippe le Gros
36 05.34' N
37 30.78' W
1.9
283
3.1
261
7.3
174
1800.8
420.3
12
Le Comptoir Immobilier Guillaume Voizard
37 37.32' N
38 53.64' W
10.4
234
9.5
239
6.9
164.4
1807.1
426.6
13
Nous Entreprenons Jacques Fournier
35 41.92' N
36 51.72' W
2.1
330
5.3
269
7.4
177.2
1813.2
432.7
14
Lexibook Hervé Papin
35 43.32' N
36 49.72' W
4
319
4.7
255
7.4
178.3
1814.8
434.3
15
Guyader L'Esprit de la Mer Gery Trentseaux
36 31.44' N
37 28.76' W
7.3
256
5.7
266
6.9
165.6
1819.1
438.6
16
FNAIM Pays de Loire Lionel Regnier
33 48.84' N
35 04.92' W
8.3
237
8.1
251
9
216.3
1829.1
448.6
17
Kenmore Homes Nick Bubb
39 07.68' N
39 40.92' W
8.4
101
8.5
94
4
95.4
1845.8
465.3
18
Destination Calais Pierre-Yves Chatelain
34 39.44' N
35 00.64' W
4
200
4.5
254
7.8
186
1856
475.5
19
Nouvelle Caledonie Yves Ecarlat
34 00.72' N
33 44.20' W
7.2
226
7.1
229
7.7
183.8
1893.5
513
20
Paca Entrprendre Cecile Poujol
36 29.44' N
35 33.52' W
4.1
214
4.2
238
8.1
193.6
1893.6
513.1
21
KNAUF Industries David Lefebvre
37 16.12' N
32 30.72' W
9
258
9.8
253
8.2
197.4
2042
661.5
22
Jardin Bio Equitable Benoit Parnaudeau
38 24.16' N
28 57.92' W
9
264
4.4
244
0.7
17.7
2221.6
841.1
23
Siegenia-Aubi Marc Lepesqueux
38 31.80' N
28 37.56' W
0
0
0
216
3.9
93.5
2239.3
858.8
24
Fermiers de Loué - Sarthe Francois Angoulvant
38 31.88' N
28 34.92' W
7.1
86
0.4
92
-0.1
-1.7
2241.2
860.7
NL
Oyster Funds Gildas Morvan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


In the Open 60 division of the Route du Rhum Dominique Wavre continues his push, his new Owen Clarke design Temenos clearly loving the big running conditions. This morning Wavre moved up to third place, after Jean-Pierre Dick on Virbac Paprec was late to put in a gybe south and in the last 12 hours has closed 15 miles on leader Roland Jourdain on board Sill et Veolia. Remarkably Jourdain revealed today that he broke his boom while passing the Azores almost a week ago. He did not even think about stopping, but fixed the boom with all the materials he could find on the boat.


Fastest in the class over the last sched has been second placed Jean le Cam on VM Materiaux who has averaged an impressive 18 knots with an instaneous speed reading of 21.2 knots.

Wavre this afternoon described the conditions on board: "I have been hoisting canvas and I now have everything aloft. The boat is incredible. There is 20 knots of wind and I’m making an average of 16 to 17 knots with surfs of 22 to 23 knots. I’m helming for about quarter of the time as the boat is behaving really well under pilot."

"The trade winds should gradually drop off as we close on Guadeloupe. The seas have calmed down a bit and I’ve managed to make the most of the conditions to hoist a little more canvas. The seas are less messy than they were yesterday. We’re expecting a rotation in the wind this afternoon and gybing at the right time is always important if you don’t want to lose miles."

"So we’re beginning the final battle. I’m going to do everything I can to hold
onto this third place but while we’re not all on the same tack, it’s pretty
difficult to establish a hierarchy . Sill et Véolia is a long way ahead and
VM Matèriaux looks difficult to catch between here and the finish."

Phil Sharp continues to lead the Class 40s although a position for his nearest rival Gildas Morvan on Oyster Funds is not available at present, it looks like this afternoon Morvan may have closed to within 100 miles of Sharp.

The conditions over the last 24 hours have been severe for the Class 40s, with big gusts, shifts, thunderstorms, gales, big seas, For Sharp the conditions proved far larger than were forecast. "Early this morning I was 140 miles ahead of Gildas, but I lost ground (20 miles) because I had a bit of a setback," he reported this afternoon. "There was a very big thunderstorm at about 3-4am and 60 knots of wind. Obviously I was not expecting that much wind so I had up my gennaker and three reefs in the mainsail.

"The wind and the seas came up of nowhere, the boat fell over and the genaker was ripped to shreds, so now I have no genaker, which leaves me quite handicapped for the rest of the race. The wind was very southerly and it turned out I was in the eye of the thunderstorm. The wind was too much for the boat to handle, She finally laid on her side with the sails flapping. I literally lay inside because the cockpit was vertical. Then I was hanging off out of the guardrail trying to get the mainsail down. It is quite difficult to get the sails down when the boat is the wrong way out.

"When the wind dropped the rain was stlll unbelievable. It hurt to stay outside. It was actually so painful! It was raining marbles. But the wind was so vicious that you had to stay out under the rain.

"I am pissed off about the genniker, because it reduces my performance. I'll need to climb up the mast today to retrieve the halyard so I can use the genoa instead of the genaker that is in the sea somewhere in many pieces. But I'll have to wait to climb up the mast because there is still a thunderstorm around me and the wind is very variable. When that has passed, I'll climb the mast. So my holiday in the Caribbean'will come a bit later than expected !"

Ian Munslow on board Bollands Mills is back up to seventh place and at the latest sched is showing the second highest four hourly run in the Class 40s after Sharp. However he too has had a bit on. After the strong winds last night Munslow admitted to bring overly exhausted. However the weather had cleared up this morning making it possible for him to sort out a broken batten in his main sail. Sleeping was also on his 'to do list as he had barely slept overnight.

Meanwhile Nick Bubb on Kenmore Homes is now down to 17th place having broken the boom on his Kenmore Homes. As he reports:

"At about 0200 on Wednesday morning I finally made it through the front to the gale force NE winds we were expecting, I was running in 10th position and with this downwind sleigh ride that only the run away leader and a few others had got into things were looking very promising for fighting up towards the top five again. I was well prepared as conditions changed and as the wind increased and veered. I was quickly down to my staysail and three reefs in the mainsail (the same area as my trysail which is a heavyweight small orange mainsail for use in extreme conditions). With the wind gusting from 40 to 50 knots, a huge seaway built and soon I was amongst some off the most hairy conditions I have ever encountered, (Southern Ocean included!). This seaway had already caused the capsize of the trimaran, IIdeal Stelrad, just ahead of me earlier in the night.

"Despite this, with the boat speed between 15-22 knots, I felt very comfortable. It was pitch black and, with waves breaking over the deck, I felt it was best to let the pilot get on with it. After an hour or so I braved the foredeck to check everything was okay with my Solent, which was furled away, and to retrieve some loose lines. While I was up there the boat surfed down one particularly big wave and bore away as the wind angle changed - unfortunately just a tiny bit too much and the boat crash gybed while I hung on for dear life.

I worked my way back to the cockpit not too concerned -0 crash gybing is something which does inevitably happen to solo sailors every now and again - and with no spinnakers up and such a tiny mainsail there should have been no problem. As I cleared the reefed part of the mainsail off the coachroof and prepared to gybe back I noticed the angle of the outboard end of the boom to the mast was wrong and my heart fell as my brain calculated what had happened.

"As ever I had put a preventer on the boom with a fuse system for such circumstances and this had worked properly it seemed, the fuse was broken anyway...... So, I can only conclude that the boom broke (in the middle) when the end hit the runner. We always thought the section looked a little small when it turned up from the manufacturer a few days before my qualifier......

"Anyway, I then fought the huge flapping mainsail and boom pieces down onto the deck, removed the headboard car and lashed them all down. At the moment I am still running downwind with just my staysail trying to decide what to do: I am in the middle of the Atlantic with no struts/poles/tubes to splint the boom with and I am very unlikely to have enough food, water or fuel (to charge the batteries with) to make it to the Caribbean in this state, coupled with that we have headwinds forecast in a few days.

I" am planning a system with the spinnaker sheets to use the main at 3rd reef point with a loose foot but my wind angle is going to be shocking. The Azores are just over 500 miles to the east so it looks like my best option is to head there once this gale passes. It will mean retiring from the race something, which in the last five years and around 40 offshore races, I have only had to do once before (even the broken mast on the trimaran in the Round Britain earlier this summer didn't stop us.....) but it does seem to be the only sensible thing to do. I will be endangering myself to carry on in this disabled state and any further issues would make a tough situation very difficult. After all the hard work from so many people that has gone into making this project happen, I am totally devastated but left with little option.

"Thank you all for your support, lets hope the winds are favourable to get to the Azores!!!"

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