Early morning arrival anticipated

Sam Davies and Roxy due off Les Sables d'Olonne in the wee hours tomorrow morning

Friday February 13th 2009, Author: James Boyd, Location: United Kingdom
Image above courtesy of Expedition and Predict Wind
 
Positions at 1430 GMT
 
Pos
Skipper Boat
Lat
Long
Spd
Crs
Spd
Crs
Dist
DTF
DTL
1 hour av
4 hour av
24 hour
1
Desjoyeaux Michel Foncia
84d 3h 9m 8s
12.30knts
 
 
 
 
 
2
Le Cléac’h Armel Brit Air
89d 9h 39m 35s
11.57knots
 
 
 
 
 
3
Davies Samantha Roxy
47 19.34' N
4 20.06' W
10.4
107
8.8
95
86.5
116.4
0
4
Guillemot Marc Safran
47 45.20' N
9 02.66' W
6.9
68
7.5
80
160.1
306.2
189.8
5
Thompson Brian Bahrain Team Pindar
47 14.93' N
11 07.28' W
9.9
83
10.3
80
272.2
385.7
269.2
6
Caffari Dee Aviva
47 40.19' N
13 31.09' W
12.3
66
11.3
74
293.4
484.4
368
7
Boissières Arnaud Akena Vérandas
31 14.44' N
31 28.25' W
10.9
6
9
9
166.4
1641.6
1525.1
8
White Steve Toe in the Water
23 27.52' N
38 04.05' W
11.1
350
10
355
183.1
2224
2107.5
9
Wilson Rich Great American III
9 06.98' S
34 38.66' W
8.4
113
6.1
26
159.6
3810.6
3694.2
10
Dinelli Raphaël Fondation Océan Vital
26 16.94' S
39 57.88' W
7.6
33
11.1
29
260
4879.4
4763
11
Sedlacek Norbert Nauticsport-Kapsch
33 13.03' S
42 41.69' W
8.2
26
7.7
23
184.6
5313.9
5197.4
RDG
Riou Vincent PRB
 
 
 
ABD
Jourdain Roland Veolia Environnement
 
 
 
ABD
Le Cam Jean VM Matériaux
 
 
 
ABD
Malbon Jonny Artemis
 
 
 
ABD
Dick Jean-Pierre Paprec-Virbac 2
 
 
 
ABD
Hatfield Derek Algimouss Spirit of Canada
 
 
 
ABD
Josse Sébastien BT
 
 
 
ABD
Eliès Yann Generali
 
 
 
ABD
Golding Mike Ecover
 
 
 
ABD
Dejeanty Jean-Baptiste Groupe Maisonneuve
 
 
 
ABD
Peyron Loïck Gitana Eighty
 
 
 
ABD
Stamm Bernard Cheminées Poujoulat
 
 
 
ABD
Wavre Dominique Temenos II
 
 
 
ABD
Basurko Unai Pakea Bizkaia
 
 
 
ABD
Beyou Jérémie Delta Dore
 
 
 
ABD
Thomson Alex Hugo Boss
 
 
 
ABD
Bestaven Yannick Aquarelle.com
 
 
 
ABD
Thiercelin Marc DCNS
 
 
 
ABD
de Pavant Kito Groupe Bel
 
 
 
 
Sam Davies and Roxy are expected to finish off Les Sables d'Olonne early morning - between 2 and 6am our girl thinks, third boat home on the water in the 2008-9 Vendee Globe. Sadly due to tidal constraints, Sam won't be able to make the traditional triumphal motor up through the canal into the heart of Les Sables d'Olonne until the morning when the tide is flooding.

To avoid the worst of the light wind and high pressure, since yesterday Sam has headed for the Brittany coast and since this afternoon has been effectively following the coast as she closes on LSD.

" Roxy seems to be a no wind and high pressure magnet," Sam reported this morning. "For someone who really doesn’t like sailing in light winds it is pretty tough. I confirmed to myself in the Southern Ocean that I am a strong wind sailor. I was looking forward to a storm in the Bay of Biscay, but it is probably much safer to come like this, because there is a lot of debris floating from earlier storms.

"I’m not going to relax until I’ve crossed the finish line, but it is funny sailing into the Bay of Biscay. I had the Bay of Biscay dolphins this morning and it’s like coming home. I’m crossing the local fishing boats and it’s weird to be here on my boat, because I’m always here on my boat, only I've just sailed around the world!

Sadly Sam doesn't look like she will take third place off Marc Guillemot and Safran, which has closed in on her from 263 to 189 miles over the last 24 hours, as overnight yesterday Roxy slowed to a crawl as the high pressure passed over her, covering just 18 miles from 1900 GMT to 0400 GMT this morning, making only 1-2 knots more of the time, stuck in glassy calms. Only is Safran is fully becalmed will he arrive more than 50 hours after her and this doesn't appear to be the case. The bad news however is that with the centre of the high disappearing up the English Channel over the course of tomorrow, so it will become a beat to the finish for Safran, and behind him Brian Thompson on Bahrain Team Pindar and Dee Caffari's Aviva.

Thankfully for Marc Guillemot the forecast indicates that it is not going to be a beat in big conditions. While Thompson and Caffari could see 15-20 knots from the east - their routing has them putting in a big tack south towards the Spanish coast, as they head for the finish line, with the high still to the north, there is the potential for Guillemot to stay in light headwinds if he stays further north.

The race remains very much on between the three boats behind Roxy. Over the last 24 hours Thompson has closed in on Guillemot from 190 miles astern to just 79 miles while in turn Caffari has closed from 121 miles behind Thompson to just 99, as being further west she is able to stay in stronger breeze for longer. Over the last 48 hours, Aviva's track has crossed to the north of Pindar's where there is more wind and still Aviva's speed is a knot faster than Pindar's. While the wind is in the south for these two at present, the further east they sail the more the wind will head them.

Arnaud Boissières on Akena Vérandas has now escaped his penance in his high pressure and is heading NE and making a steady 12 knots. He was complaining yesterday of how he could not remember any good, enjoyable sailing in the Atlantic yet. The situation does still look quite confused for him but he has 10 knots NW’ly.

The trade winds are running out for Steve White on Toe in the Water and he looks set to be in good shape as the high shifts east ahead of him allowing him to cut the corner and head northeast towards the finish. White has another day's sailing before he is in to stiff southwesterly breeze.


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