Record breaking weekend ahead

Sodebo now more than 1000 miles behind IDEC, but there is an opportunity to regain some ground

Saturday February 12th 2011, Author: James Boyd, Location: none selected

Image above courtesy of Expedition Navigation Systems and PredictWind.

Date Lat Long Spd Crs Spd Spd Dist DTF v IDEC
      Inst   4hr 24 hours      
12/02/2011 10:15 40°10.52'S 021°25.45'W 22.3 90° 15.7 16.2 388 18 828 -1 036.30
12/02/2011 08:00 40°10.01'S 022°28.43'W 14.7 85° 13.8 16.6 398.1 18 871 -1 024.10
12/02/2011 06:00 40°12.61'S 023°01.00'W 13.1 83° 12.4 16.5 396.1 18 892 -996.1
12/02/2011 04:00 40°17.48'S 023°33.15'W 18 80° 11.4 17 409 18 912 -966.5
12/02/2011 02:00 40°18.10'S 024°16.07'W 9 105° 12.3 17.4 418 18 941 -946.5
12/02/2011 00:00 40°14.27'S 024°38.43'W 9.2 187° 15.3 18 430.9 18 958 -915.3
11/02/2011 22:00 40°06.34'S 025°01.65'W 25.6 92° 18.6 18.6 446.1 18 978 -886.2
11/02/2011 20:00 40°05.53'S 025°50.81'W 16.2 95° 18.9 18.6 445.8 19 011 -872.2
11/02/2011 18:00 40°01.00'S 026°37.21'W 20.4 97° 19.6 18.8 450.9 19 045 -859.5
11/02/2011 16:00 39°56.24'S 027°26.54'W 20.8 97° 20.9 19.1 459.4 19 081 -847.2
11/02/2011 14:00 39°51.30'S 028°17.81'W 20.1 100° 23.1 19.3 463.7 19 118 -837.8
11/02/2011 12:00 39°34.33'S 029°06.46'W 22 120° 21.7 19.6 470.2 19 159 -834.4
11/02/2011 10:00 39°10.95'S 029°58.63'W 26.4 123° 22 19.2 460.9 19 205 -835.2

As we feared the advantage of 'virtual IDEC' over Sodebo has now increased to more than 1000 miles. Sodebo reached 40°S at around 1700 yesterday and has since turned her bows due east to maintain a favourable wind direction. Unfortunately this has resulted in him straying into the southern part of the high and over the early hours of this morning Sodebo's speed has dropped and she averaged just 11 knots up to 0500 this morning. Now Sodebo is edging into the winds to the northwest being generated by the secondary depression to her southeast, her speed is picking up. 

Over the next 48 hours another intensifying depression is moving east along 55°S and tomorrow afternoon Sodebo will be able to pick up the strong northwesterlies preceeding the front associated with this. These conditions in this stretch of water to the west of South Africa are often record breaking - remember ABN AMRO Two in the Volvo Ocean Race before last or Virbac Paprec 3's 516 mile run here in the Barcelona World Race. So watch those 24 hour run figures over this period (Coville is the current holder of this record - 628.5 miles set on his transatlantic record attempt in 2008). Here, finally, is an opportunity for Coville regain the miles lost in the South Atlantic on IDEC. 

Latest Comments

  • Blackburn 15/02/2011 - 15:29

    If he doesn't pull off this miracle, David, then he will still own the movie rights to an upcoming classic: How Don Quoville (with his steed Sodebo and autopilot Sancho Bob) Tilted at the Virtual IDEC Around the Planet... Separately, does anybody know what the mysterious still image is, at 6min22secs into this Oracle 'for your eyes only' video? ... Is it the bottom of a foil casing? http://www.youtube.com/user/OracleRacingTeam#p/u/2/jUjNCgJ13Ik

  • David Bains 12/02/2011 - 11:36

    At 1000mls behind and with 43 days left to match Joyon's record, Sodebo will have to make up almost exactly 24mls a day! So sail at 1kt faster all the time to equal the record! I suppose theoretically the boat is slightly faster than Idec but this is a big ask. Joyon only had a couple of slow days ascending the Atlantic and Coville doesn't seem to enjoy this kind of luck. Too late in the season to start again!

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