 |
12:09 PM Wed 3 Dec 2008 GMT
The advantage is still with the leaders as the Southern Ocean seascape unfurls its usual flat, muted colours, long swells and soaring Albatross. Overnight the gaps down the head fleet have mostly been compressed.
Racing in 20 knot average wind strengths S?bastien Josse (BT) has earned four miles for his efforts through the night, but Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) has returned consistently fast speeds closing five miles on the leader, to sit less than two miles off second placed Generali (Yann Eli?s).
Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) has regained fourth place again from Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) who has not been able to match Peyron's overnight pace and has dropped to 84.3 miles behind the leader.
Behind them the breeze has been lighter which has made it possible for the leaders to continue their gains. In tenth and eleventh Marc Guillemot (Safran) and Michel Desjoyeaux (Fomncia) may have less than a mile between them in terms of distance to finish, but Guillemot has seen a further 15 miles taken off him by the leaders who are now more than 200 miles ahead.
But for Sam Davies, GBR, (Roxy) and Brian Thompson, (Bahrain Team Pindar) the frustration at being trapped by lighter winds at the back of a small front which passed over them yesterday, and their losses are more considerable - Thompson losing 40 miles or so overnight and Davies closer to 70. Dee Caffari, GBR, (Aviva) - who has her knee inflammation improved - has lost about 20 miles.
Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Chemin?es Poujoulat) reported this morning that he has done his best to make a holding repair to damage to his bowsprit which he had to replace after hitting a ship on the first night. The Swiss skipper suggested that the bobstay which supports the carbon sprit may have been slack and hence some compression damage had occurred to the lamination, Stamm said:
'I had hoped to take advantage of the calms in the Doldrums to get it fixed, but I had strong winds and thunderstorms, so it wasn't very practical. Around St. Helena there aren't any calms and working on the bowsprit, when you're heading upwind isn't easy, or even possible. A few days ago, one afternoon, I managed to tighten the bobstay and yesterday, with the spinnaker attached to the bow, I carried out repairs on the carbon. I was pleased to get that out of the way before 55?S. Keeping the fingers crossed that it will hold out.'
And at the tail of the fleet there is a stimulating four way battle, with Raphael Dinelli, Derek Hatfield, CAN, Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty and Norbert Sedlacek (AUT) all within 24 miles of each other in terms of distance to the finish.
0400 HRS GMT. Rankings, Wednesday 3rd December 2008
1- Seb Josse (BT) at 18368 miles
2- Yann Elies (Generali) + 41.9 miles
3 - Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) +43.2 miles
4 -Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) + 67.2 miles
5 - Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) + 84.3 miles
Selected International.
9- Mike Golding, GBR, (ECOVER 3) at + 112.5 miles
12- Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) at + 253.8 miles
13- Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 490.1 miles
14- Sam Davies, GBR,(ROXY) at + 597.8 miles
15- Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 687.7 miles
17- Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Chemin?es Poujoulat) at + 803.3 miles
18 - Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 810.5 miles
19 - Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 812.6 miles
20- Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 934.3 miles
21- Unai Basurko, ESP, (Pakea Bizkaia) at + 1033.5 miles
23- Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 1526.6 miles
25- Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) +1539.8 miles
www.vendeeglobe.org
by Vendee Globe Media
|
|
Sailing
