Our Mate Alex Thomson’s Races
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that image is incredible.
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The key issue which Alex describes above is to get into the next big weather system either first or furthest out in front. The current top 5 should pick up the next system, those further back may not. If they don't they basically don't have a hope, they will never be able to catch up. Once Alex and co are in the Southern Ocean with big weather, we'll start seeing some 500 mile days (and probably more broken boats)…..
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"Morning,
A very quiet night in terms of wind for me but lots of variation meaning little sleep again! I have a little wind again now but need to get some wind soon to be able to stop the rot from those to the west that have wind and will be increasing in the next few hours. Nothing I can do but hope this ridge of high pressure moves south east as forecast. The dye is cast, we will see what happens but the next 24 hours is crucial.
It’s a little nerve racking waiting but apart from that and being tired I am in fine form. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day, praying the black clouds stay away! I may have another issue with the hydro in the form of a tiny oil leak so on the hunt for that and preparing the boat ready for the south."
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The key issue which Alex describes above is to get into the next big weather system either first or furthest out in front. The current top 5 should pick up the next system, those further back may not. If they don't they basically don't have a hope, they will never be able to catch up. Once Alex and co are in the Southern Ocean with big weather, we'll start seeing some 500 mile days (and probably more broken boats)…..
For those of you who don't follow ocean racing, the Southern Ocean is basically a track around which weather systems travel. I can't remember which sector is favourable, but I think that it's the Northwest. That gives the best wind and sea state.
What tends to happen is that the leading pack of boats in the Vendee will catch one weather system, and be carried along on it, whereas the pursuing pack will have the lighter winds in its trail, and lose distance until the next one comes through.
If you want to go hardcore then the big, crazy, round-the-world trimarans are actually fast enough to sit with a single weather system from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn. But they're significantly faster than Open 60s.
To give a comparison, this is Francis Joyon's monster IDEC. He went around the world in 57 days, whereas the Vendee is likely to take around 85. She's 97 feet long, versus 60 feet for an Open 60, and the speed of a yacht tends to be proportional to the square root of its length. Multihulls are also faster than monohulls, but more prone to capsizing.
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thanks for the insight on the "language" of all of this. following this thread is a glimpse into another world, great stuff
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Go Alex!!! Woo!!!
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His earlier update (when he was still in 2nd)…
Holding on to second place, is Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) who said that. 'If I don’t have any more slow patches tonight I may hold on to second place for much of today but at some point I will relinquish that position to Virbac and then another to Macif. There is nothing I can do, the cards have been dealt and although I knew this when I climbed into the second place I have now got used to it and don’t want to give it up!'
He explained in his latest update that his saving grace over the last few days has been the wind angle. 'I have been sailing much tighter wind angles than the guys to the west which in the lighter winds has meant I have been able to get the best possible speed from the boat for that wind angle. Hugo Boss is also performing well and exceeding the polars (best theoretical speeds) all of the time. This is helped by the flat water and maybe by the long ocean swell which is coming at us from the south west.'
Alex wrote that in a little under two days a weather front will cross the fleet and the wind will go from the north to the south west. The fleet will gybe and continue to the ice gate and be followed by a ridge of high pressure which will probably slow them all down. He is not expecting it to last too long and is expecting the fleet to pass the ice gate of Aiguilles on the morning of the 2nd Dec.
The race routing will follow great circle to the next ice gate. There have been reports of an ice berg 500 miles south east of the first ice gate. The skippers will not be want to see their frozen enemy ice.
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It's getting hairy down there….
_Fleet News
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The southern group eats up the miles
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The elastic stretches between the front eight and the pack at the back
Breaking News
Yesterday, between 11am GMT Thursday 29th to 11am GMT Friday 30th November François Gabart (MACIF), travelled from point to point, 482.91 miles in twenty-four hours, averaging speeds of 20.1 knots. This breaks the record held previously by Alex Thomson in 2003. Confirmation of the record is subject to the WSSRC validation.
Fleet News
The fleet is hurtling along at break neck speeds on the super highway of the Roaring Forties. François Gabart (MACIF) and Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3) have both almost made top speeds of twenty knots in twenty-four hours, according to 3pm GMT rankings. There is talk on the racetrack of more surprises yet to be revealed. The front group of eight rushes headlong towards the first crossing point at the Gate of Aiguilles on the frozen road of the Indian Ocean. The shorts and sunglasses have been packed away and the boat husbandry has been done to ensure the skippers are as ready as they can be to enter the icy south._
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“It got light at 3am this morning and it was great to see some blue sky and the see the sun rising. Right now I have 15 knots of wind from the SW, due to go round to the west and increase this afternoon. The sea is pretty bumpy and little confused but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. With the bumps and the heel yesterday it was very difficult to type a tweet let alone write an update, but I tried my best!
At the moment, the rich are getting richer, the guys ahead are extending as I am from the guys behind. Once we all get into the same weather we will go the same speed until the 7th when the leaders and I will run into a high pressure, slow up and the fleet will compress again. It is like we are attached by a piece of bungy!
All good onboard apart from my hydro again. I got the damaged one working in the end and now it is the port hydro that is giving me grief. I am getting pretty annoyed with it now and will take the opportunity of a slight slow down today to get it working again properly. Last night I had to charge using the main engine and used up more of precious fuel onboard, there was a benefit in that the cabin was warm all night!
You can follow me on twitter @alexthomson99 for regular updates throughout the day.”
