Cardinal Points - Richard Donkin on Sailing

Women break another record

2009-06-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

While I and 16,000 others were sailing around the Isle of Wight on Saturday, Dee Caffari and an all women crew, including her Vendee Globe rival, Sam Davies, were breaking the record for sailing around Britain and Ireland.

Good luck to anyone who wants to try and better them. Been there, never want to go again.

Ellen MacArthur, a real dame

2009-06-22T06:21:00.001-07:00

This year’s Isle of Wight Round the Island Race was a great day on the water. I had the chance to go sailing on practice day with Ben Ainslie helming Team Origin’s Extreme 40 Catamaran, then on the race itself with Dame Ellen MacArthur and Sebastien Josse. I’ll settle for that.

Ainslie had only helmed the cat for the first time on Friday morning before our afternoon sail but he had the Volvo Ocean race winning skipper Mike Sanderson ready to de-power the main if a tip looked on the cards.

I had expected the race to be a bit of a procession but there were some great duals around the back of the island off Bembridge when the wind died. The after-deck on ICAP Leopard is clearly not used to anyone trying to take its wind and Josse had a lot of fun doing just that.

Most of the day was spent chewing the fat on deck with Ellen MacArthur. I’d been looking forward to meeting her for some time but hadn’t wanted a set piece interview with PRs looking over our shoulders - more of a natural conversation if that could be possible. And that’s exactly what happened. I think I had read somewhere that she is quiet and reserved. Not true. But she’s her own woman all right.

Lots of people are rightly suspicious of journalists and those in the public eye need to be particularly guarded. I didn’t want to pry in to her private life but at no stage did she put up any shutters. If you’ve read her autobiography you will know as much about her as you could know about anyone.

I can’t imagine what it must be like to be pointed out and photographed everywhere you go – wearing I should think. It’s probably why she stays on the Isle of Wight most of the time. But at least people are friendly there. There’s none of the lampooning today that happened after she rose to fame during the 2001 Vendee Globe.

I’m not the star struck type and I would run a mile from celebrity interviews but MacArthur has real star quality – beauty too. It’s the eyes and the inner woman that sort of glows. It’s difficult to explain without seeming smitten.

When I mentioned to two friends that I would be meeting her, they said: “Oh yes, she was the fastest on Top Gear wasn’t she.” No mention of her extensive sailing achievements. How quickly people forget. Or maybe they were surprised, as people are continually surprised, by the depth of her determination.

There are a lot of egos out there in sailing and some people are very good at disguising them in the presence of journalists. But I think that what you see is what you get and what you get in Ellen MacArthur is a team player who makes time for people where she can – given the demands on her time. She came a long way very quickly in her teens and dealing with so much fame so soon must have been tough. Now she handles it like a professional. It’s the only way.

At the end of the day she didn’t rush off but came up to the bar tent for a beer. She wasn’t bossy as I’d feared she might be. But she was enthusiastic, infectiously so, about her passions – sailing, sustainability (a big one) and her charity. She seems to draw inspiration from the strengths of the children she meets who are suffering from cancer or leukaemia, and they must do likewise from her own achievements.

I suspect we’re going to hear a lot from her soon in the sustainability movement. She speaks about the environment and the ecology with a campaigning fervour and she knows her stuff. It’s what we need.

I liked her a lot. Top woman, Dame Ellen MacArthur.

NB. Top picture: Seb Josse with Ellen MacArthur.
Lower picture: Working our rocks off on the rail of the BT Open 60. Picture credit: onEdition.

Hungry wolves close on Rio

2009-03-25T05:12:00.000-07:00

Spare a thought for the Volvo boats, denied their big Rio party by a lack of wind in the past few days. Snacks have run out on some of the boats but Ken Read, skipper of PUMA, seems to have the right attitude.

I love his comment about the chocolate bars his wife smuggled aboard that "I break in half and throw on deck to the wolves from time to time." Having met the crew I know just what he means.

Carrot still flying

2009-03-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

It is possible that you have heard of Oliver Hicks. I believe he has had a little bit of media coverage but not a lot. Yet he deserves to be better known because just now he is undertaking a venture so tough that I think he must be a little bit potty.

Hicks has embarked on a single-handed row, some 18,000 miles around Antarctica via the Southern Ocean. He didn't invite much publicity because he was afraid that state authorities might impound his boat, so risky is the venture. He couldn't get permission to embark from New Zealand so left from Tasmania instead. This time he didn't seek permission and none was given. He just set off.

That was in January and today he is 55 days in to a voyage that he believes will take him between 18 and 22 months, including a winter break in South Georgia, before he continues around the globe to his starting point.

He is blogging most days so you can follow his progress here at Virgin Global Row. His boat is called the "Flying Carrot." For practice he rowed the Atlantic two or three years ago so he knows what it's about. Good luck to him. He's going to need it.

Vendee ends, Volvo closes on Cape Horn

2009-03-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

The Vendee Globe ended for another four years yesterday when Norbert Sedlacek finished in 11th place after 126 days at sea. A lot of thinking should go in to the keel designs for the next race. While the existing keels work well in maintaining boat speed, too many are being wrecked or damaged in collisions, putting skippers in jeopardy. I don't know the answer but I would have thought it would be possible to design a weighted, canting keel that is flared on its forward edge in order to deflect a collision.

In the meantime the leaders of the Volvo Ocean race are closing in on Cape Horn in heavy weather, experiencing true southern ocean conditions.

Spirit arrives

2009-03-09T04:40:00.000-07:00

Pete Goss and his Spirit of Mystery have arrived in Melbourne. It's less than a year since I interviewed him before the boat went in to the water. It was a big undertaking and I wondered aloud about the risks, particularly since he was taking his 14-year-old son, Eliot, as part of the crew.

I wouldn't say that Goss thinks about risk the whole time but it's a big part of his thinking, except that he views it as problem solving, not as an impediment. If you're going to need to tackle heavy seas, then you build a seaworthy boat.

He knew there was a chance of a big wave turning the boat over at some stage during the voyage and included extra ballast to give it better righting ability. He believes now that the boat may have gone over 160 deg during the knock down on March 3. Coicidentally it was around this date - a couple of days later - that the original Mystery experienced its worst storm.

I think a lot of people would have thought long and hard about exposing their child to a risk of this nature. I know that Goss did. But every time he thought about it, the potential benefits outweighed the potential risks.

Eliot will have seen and experienced things that are rarely part of a teenager's upbringing. He will have learned about the useful things in life, about making judgements, respecting the elements, and the special relationships that are formed when sharing adversity. Living without risk is impossible and living a life avoiding risk is not living at all.

Ultimately, the boat was tested to the full and proved its seaworthiness. The original voyage was remarkable for its time. Goss has shown that such a voyage is remarkable in our time too. Well done to Pete, Eliot, Andy and Mark and all those who worked to make this voyage happen. There are easier, quicker ways to get to Australia but, as Goss and his crew understand, life's all about the journey isn't it?

Spirit of Mystery back on course for Melbourne

2009-03-07T15:35:00.001-08:00

Difficulties in staging a helicopter evacuation of injured crewman Mark Maidment have forced Spirit of Mystery to divert in to Portland where Maidment is receiving treatment to his leg. The three remaining crew are now carrying on their voyage, says skipper, Pete Goss.

Evacuation after Goss knock -over

2009-03-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

The Spirit of Mystery, knocked over by a freak wave late on Tuesday (GMT),is carrying on its voyage to Melbourne after the evacuation of crew member Mark Maidment who sustained a broken leg.

The crew had just got through two and a half days of stormy weather before the wave struck, knocking the boat on to its side and partially flooding the cabin. The wave washed away the life-raft and dinghy.

Said Goss: "We had just come out of a storm that had lasted for two and a half days and given us a right old pasting when we were hit by a freak wave. There was no warning, just a huge wall of water that smashed into the boat rolling her more than 90 degrees onto her side. There was carnage below with water everywhere, which got into the communications systems. The boat was fantastic though and I wouldn't have wanted to be in any other. She just shook herself off and came upright; but when she did, Mark's leg was broken."

Goss is continuing the voyage which has just a few hundred miles to go. The boat is due to arrive on the 9th or 10th of March.

The things we take for granted

2009-02-26T03:09:00.000-08:00

Brian Thompson has been writing on the Vendee Globe web site about the ordinary things in life that suddenly take on new meaning after a prolonged absence.

He says: "I am relishing the freedom to walk, to run, to go outside the 60 foot radius I was limited to. I am loving being with the family, and to see people and talk to them face to face rather than over a scratchy phone line. I am absolutely amazed to go to a shop and see a cornucopia of goodies that I was not able to have for so long; fresh milk - just go and pick it up, vegetables - take what I wish, chocolate - which flavour would I like? I am relishing listening to the radio, picking up a newspaper, going to the cinema, walking on grass, seeing the first daffodils appear. It’s all new and fresh to me.

"Do I miss those last few weeks and days of the race, being stressed and covered in hydraulic oil, coaxing Bahrain Team Pindar to the finish line to keep 5th place? Not really.

"Do I miss the Southern Ocean, the warm trade winds, the purity of the sea? Yes, I have been immensely privileged to see it once again, to live in that world for so long, to really understand we do live on a blue planet, wrapped by the sea. I am sure I will be back, hopefully in another Vendée, perhaps on another speed record attempt, and then one day cruising and showing the kids this wonderful world that we are entrusted with. I will never forget the finish of course, it was the most amazing experience, the most perfect morning to bring the circle to a close."

His comments brought back memories for me of a 43-day voyage across the southern ocean to New Zealand. His experience must have been far more acute because of the length of time at sea, the constant fight to stay in the race and the denial of normal social contact. As he points out, radio messages are not quite the same as meeting people in the flesh.

Such experiences lend a sharpness and clarity to the things that otherwise we might easily take for granted. This sharpness fades very quickly and so do the bad memories, which probably explains why so many sailors need to go back.

I remember that I adjusted so comfortably to life on board our boat that I was reluctant to step foot ashore. I enjoyed the cheering welcome but found the whole thing overwhelming. Most of my crew mates had family members to greet them but mine were on the other side of the world and I missed them.

The other thing I recall was a tremendous feeling of wellness. I had never felt better in my life. Whether it was because my body had been purged of alcohol and additives, or whether it was because the muscles had become toned by the constant movement, I have no idea.

Brian is a very grounded individual, a professional racing sailor who has spent hundreds of days at sea, so it's interesting to see that he too notices the differences of daily life. I wish these people who complain because of the colour of their steak or an inconvenient set of roadworks, would take time out occasionally to count their blessings. Sometimes when we go without for some time, it can helps us appreciate the things that really matter in life.

The stuff of dreams

2009-02-26T01:49:00.000-08:00

Whichever way you look at it the Vendee Globe is the craziest* of races. You would never gather together a bunch of fell runners and point them at Mount Everest with a prize for first back to base camp (at least I hope not).

But the Vendee is the ocean equivalent of mountaineering extremes undertaken as a race. It's an open book of human endeavour with drama on every page. This year's Vendee has delivered everything - from early retirements, technical failures, rescues at sea and high speed challenges that collapsed in mid-charge.

A few reputations have suffered but most have been enhanced and few more so than that of Steve White who sails in to Les Sables d'Olonne today in eighth place. White deserves a big welcome because here is someone who put everything on the line for his dream. Updating the blog, I'm reading that thousands have turned out to cheer him in.

He is not a wealthy man and has spent almost everything he has on this race. A sponsorship deal fell through and within a few days of the start he was unsure of a race sponsor until a private individual came forward with the funds. I don't who this individual is but I applaud their willingness to show faith in White's indomitable spirit.

Before this race, White was barely known in UK yacht racing. He didn't have a background in sailing but came to it in his twenties. There's no pedigree of dinghy competition or Olympic-class sailing in his past. But there is enormous ambition and the the kind of grit you see only too rarely these days.

Today he will sail in to Les Sables, having achieved a feat that defeated 19 of his heavily-sponsored fellow starters. It's the kind of story book finish you normally find in film scripts. I cannot imagine that he entertained hopes of a top 10 finish at the start but here he is, a round-the-world sailor at the end of the world's most gruelling single-handed yacht race.

Whatever else he does in life, that's one hell of an achievement to remember in long winter nights with the grandkids. But somehow I don't think White will rest on his laurels. His boat is called Toe in the Water but it's full immersion from here on in. There may be bigger things ahead for him, but, however long he lives, I cannot think there will be a sweeter moment than coming home today. I hope he enjoys it as much as those who have followed the race have been inspired by his example.

As he sailed in today, someone in the crowd had a placard that said it all: "Thanks Steve, you have made us dream."

* With the possible exception of the Volvo Ocean Race, arguably crazier still.

First yachts home inside two days on Caribbean 600

2009-02-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Royal Ocean Racing Club for having the guts to extend its stable of races at a difficult time for the yachting industry.

First over the line of the first Caribbean 600 was the trimaran, Guadeloupe Region, in 40 hours, 11 minutes, while ICAP Leopard, the 100ft British super maxi, was the first single-hulled yacht to finish, completing the course in 44 hours, 5 minutes, the 12th race record achieved by the yacht since its launch in 2007.

Mike Slade, owner of ICAP Leopard and Chief Executive of Helical Bar PLC, gave the race his stamp of approval: "The Caribbean 600 has been a really challenging race which deserves to be a classic, as it fits well with the Fastnet and the Sydney Hobart," he said.

The race, over a roughly triangular course, starts and finishes off Antigua’s English Harbour. RORC Caribbean 600 hopes become an annual fixture in the Caribbean racing season.

Brian Thompson, Earthwatch ambassador

2009-02-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

One thing I forgot to mention in my Vendee Globe reports was the work undertaken by Brian Thompson as he was racing, making water temperature readings and reporting wildlife sightings for Earthwatch.

Earthwatch is an environmental charity that deals with science at the coal face where it's needed. Earthwatch scientists are not sitting in university offices but spend much of their time out in the field where hundreds of Earthwatch volunteers join them every year helping to collect data.

Who are Earthwatch volunteers? Well they are just like me and you, people who want to go out and do something. Some get the chance to go on expeditions through supporting employers such as HSBC. Others sign up for an Earthwatch study as an alternative to lazing on a beach during their vacation. Yes, you're paying to work and what a fantastic experience it is, learning about our world through dusty boots, not the sterile pages of a book.

I have written about their expeditions here and here. Don't confuse this with eco-tourism. At Earthwatch you're handling crunchy, robust science, discovering the stuff that makes a difference to our world.

As an Earthwatch ambassador, Thompson carried the charity's logo on his mast, a sponsorship slot donated by Bahrain Team Pindar. It's great that sporting competitors are joining forces with charities in this way. I'm a trustee of the charity and would be very happy to tell you more if you need it but don't expect an unbiased opinion. Earthwatch will change your view of the world. It changed mine.

Cookson boat yard out of work

2009-02-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

I was chatting with a yacht broker in London the other day who was telling me about boatyards in Germany and Sweden going in to moth balls due to a worldwide recession in the yacht market.

Now Auckland-based Cookson Boats - one of the world's leading racing boat builders - is doing the same once its current projects are finished. Faced with a blank order book it will have to lay off its 62-strong workforce.

Cookson was responsible for Team New Zealand's America's Cup boats, Steve Fossett's Playstation (renamed Cheyenne) and Larry Ellison's Sayonara, winner of four world maxi championships.

Sales for big yachts have dried up as potential buyers hang back due to the economic downturn in their respective businesses. The project-based nature of yacht-building, however, means that yards will be able to gear themselves up again when economies recover. The danger for existing yards is that some skilled builders will have moved on to other things, possibly starting their own small businesses. But that's the , nature of evolution or what the economist Joseph Schumpeter called "creative destruction."

French 1-2-3 as British trio back in port

2009-02-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

The Vendee Globe rankings board now shows six finishers as Sam Davies, Marc Guillemot, Brian Thompson and Dee Caffari all came in to Les Sables d'Olonne in the past three days.

Davies was first among the group but had to relinquish third place to Guillemot, who pipped her by less than two hours with the time in hand he was granted for helping out Yann Elies earlier in the race. It was a great finish by both sailors but Guillemot deserved his place after pushing his boat without a keel during the run in.

Thompson was relieved to nurse Bahrain Team Pindar over the line after struggling with keel problems for the last part of the race. He looked, from photographs, as if he would be ready to sleep for a week.

Andrew Pindar, the Scarborough businessman who sponsors the team, had invited me to join him at the finish. But I had just gone for a couple of days to the River Tweed in the hope of a spring salmon. It was a shame as it would have been good to see the boats in.

It's easy to forget that this west to east solo circumnavigation was a first for all four finishers. For Dee Caffari, it means that she has the unique distinction of being the first woman to solo the world in both directions.

If that first solo circumnavigation brought Caffari recognition as an adventurer, her Vendee performance must establish her as a genuine racer, capable of handling and looking after a state-of-the-art racing yacht in the most extreme conditions. It's easy to forget that, in spite of her excellent sponsorship package with Aviva, she is relatively new to full-on ocean racing with less experience than Davies who learned her skills with the elite French squad.

Thompson too will have learned much, not least about the future potential of Bahrain Team Pindar for future solo round-the-world voyages. Is this powerful yacht too much of a beast for a single skipper? Certainly Davies was able to show it the way home on her much older, if well proven, yacht, Roxy (formerly two-times Vendee winner PRB).

When the last boats have finished the British sailors should get together and discuss their future prospects. For all the British achievements, it is French skippers who occupy the first three places and that will be no surprise to anyone in ocean racing.

If other nations, including the UK, are to groom sailors good enough to challenge the best French skippers in the Vendee, they will need to emulate the French squad system and engage in the Figaro series. While talented individuals such as Mike Golding and Ellen MacArthur have come close in the past, no other nation has succeeded yet in breaking the French strangle-hold on this event. It's no coincidence that Britain's highest placed skipper in this race, Sam Davies, came through the French system.

Drunk in charge of the fleet

2009-02-12T03:10:00.000-08:00

The UK is to introduce drink-driving laws for sailors, similar to those applied to motorists. Howard Pridding of the British Marine Federation says: "We don't believe that there is a widespread problem of alcohol afloat." Of course, there are exceptions. Who could forget the immortal Tommy Woodroffe?

Vendee fight to the finish

2009-02-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

While first and second places are settled in the Vendee Globe after Armel Le Cleac'h finished at the weekend, yet another dramatic change of fortune means that Sam Davies, the highest British entrant has a chance of snatching third place.

Her nearest rival Marc Guillemot on Safran has lost his keel, a similar failure to that suffered a week earlier by Roland Jourdain. With less than 1,000 miles to the finish, Guillemot is sailing on under three reefs. Although he is now in fourth place on the water he has a cushion of more than two days in redress after standing by while the injured Yann Elies was rescued in December.

That may be just enough to stay ahead of Davies on Roxy, but he cannot afford to take too many risks while Davies may be emboldened by the chance to effectively leapfrog two places as third place is to be shared jointly with Vincent Riou, already granted his position through redress. She and her shore crew will have been doing their sums. At present she is expected to finish later this week. Now she has everything to sail for.

Fifth place would be a marvellous result for Davies in a boat that is much older than the newer designs of those sailed by Brian Thompson and Dee Caffari in her wake. Third place would be remarkable. Meanwhile Caffari knows she has a fighting chance of overtaking Thompson's Bahrain Team Pindar which is unable to sail under full power due to problems with the hydraulic rams that operate its canting keel.

There is every chance now the only two women to have entered the race will be the highest placed British competitors - another shot in the arm for women's sailing in the UK.

So near and yet.....

2009-02-02T06:25:00.000-08:00

Facing 50 mph winds ahead of him tomorrow, Roland Jourdain has decided to withdraw from the Vendee Globe with just 1,200 miles to go. The risk of capsize is too great, sailing his boat Veolia Environnement without its keel bulb. He is putting in to Sao Miguel in the Azores this afternoon

"Once the decision was taken, that was it," he said. "I would have found it more difficult to come to this decision if the forecasts had indicated light winds, but it’s the exact opposite. For 3rd February, they are talking about 50-knot winds with a ten metre swell. I’ve been lucky to have come this far without capsizing, particularly in yesterday’s storm, so I’m not going to push my luck. I have gambled enough. It’s no use now and it would be unreasonable to continue."

It's the right decision. He and his boat will survive to fight another day.

Desjoyeaux wins Vendee in record time

2009-02-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

Michel Desjoyeaux crossed the finish line at 15:11 GMT today to win the Vendee Globe for the second time in a record time of 84 days (three days ahead of the previous record), averaging 13.2 kts over 28,000 miles, and accompanied in to port by a small armada of well wishers.

Looking at the boat on a live stream from Les Sables des L'Onnes, it's a big, broad triangular saucer with a mast. It's easy to forget when following this race that the participants are undertaking something which for part of my lifetime had never been done before.

It's easy to be blase about this, comparing boat speeds all the time, but the whole undertaking - keeping awake, dealing with solitude, undertaking repairs, trimming and all the rest is such a monumental task that anyone who gets to the end can feel justifiably proud of their achievement. To do all this at racing speeds while boat after boat crashes out of the race, is something else. This race is still one of the world's great adventures.

It must be an odd moment for all of those still at sea, particularly Raphael Dinelli and Norbert Sedlacek who are just about to round Cape Horn. They must be feeling a long way from home. But each of them will have their home-comings to savour and there can be nothing better.

Winners and losers

2009-01-31T07:34:00.000-08:00

As Michel Desjoyeaux begins to savour his Vendee triumph it might be an idea to assess the fortunes of other competitors as a race like this has many winners and losers when you look at its impact on their careers. For some it will not be evident yet since some changes will only occur in time. But here is my assessment of twenty of them. The rest either retired early or simply didn't register enough as racers:

Michel Desjoyeaux: an obvious winner, his reputation is enhanced and his future can only be defined by his remaining ambition.

Sam Davies: Another big winner, came to public attention in the UK, and popular with race followers, should help her get a a state of the art boat if she chooses to do the race next time.

Jonny Malbon: Failed to enhance his reputation and will leave a question mark for sponsors. Will Artemis stay with him in the long term? On the other hand he has built a good relationship with his sponsor who knows that his boat probably needed longer to establish itself.

Brian Thompson: Looked after his boat and enhanced his reputation as a reliable sailor. But does he have the potential to challenge the fastest French skippers in the long run?

Alex Thompson: Can he shake off the reputation of a "crash and burn" sailor? He needs to finish more often. While he came second in the Barcelona round the world race he was sailing with the immensely experienced Andrew Cape.

Mike Golding: Has nothing left to prove as a round the world sailor, but does he believe that? He knows what it is to be beaten by a Frenchman. Has it happened once too often? Sponsorship assured so he can go on as long as he feels.

Roland Jourdain: his already excellent reputation has not suffered, could easily have won and would have liked to have pushed Desjoyeaux harder in the later stages had he not suffered keel damage. Should be back next time.

Jean Le Cam: Will want to return one more time because he knows he can win it.

Yann Elies: Still young, will have learned a lot, will almost certainly want to come back. His retirement was cruel bad luck.

Marc Guillemot: A fine seaman, again with nothing to prove. A top five spot looks to be his. Again he may question whether he wants to come back in four years' time.

Loick Peyron: Knows he can win this race, still young enough, so I'm sure he'll be up for another go. Sponsors know they will get value for money.

Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty: Has youth on his side but needs to improve to keep his sponsors happy (and possibly to keep his sponsors).

Vincent Riou: A past winner, would have chased Desjoyeaux all the way to the line had he not damaged his boat going to the aid of Jean Le Cam. His reputation is secure and he will be back.

Steve White: Steve who? Some may have asked this before the race but not any more. He gambled everything on this race, scrambling together his entry at the last minute. If White set out on a wing and prayer that prayer must surely be answered with some solid sponsorship in future. He deserves it.

Dee Caffari: In spite of her previous circumnavigation she was one the least experienced skippers in the race at this level of competition but has done herself a lot of good, preserving her boat so far (if not her mainsail). Her sponsors should be happy.

Dominique Wavre: He was 53 when he set out. A fine sailor who acquitted himself well before his retirement, but will he want to return in four years time?

Sebastien Josse: Probably pushed too hard but will have learned much and should be back with confident sponsors. Could win this race next time.

Armel Le Cléac´h: This is a great result for Le Cleac'h who may yet secure second place in his first Vendee. In showing he can race fast and preserve his boat, he has to be a hot tip for the future.

Raphael Dinelli: Simply doesn't have the pace to win. Is it enough any more just to take part?

Bernard Stamm: Did enough to confirm his reputation as a solid performer. Will probably want and should get the sponsorship for another crack at the race.

Jonah talk

2009-01-30T06:43:00.001-08:00

Surely nothing can stop Michel Desjoyeaux now from claiming victory in the Vendee Globe? Well one or two things could - a collision with a whale or some other debris could take off his keel and capsize the boat although no heavy winds are forecast for his final few miles. Certainly it would need something of such catastrophic proportions to stop him now, and that looks unlikely.

Sadly it is second placed Roland Jourdain, now more than a thousand miles behind him, who is sailing gingerly just now after losing the bulb of his keel due, he thinks, to damage caused near the tip of South America when he collided with a sea mammal, most probably a whale.

If the weather forecasts look kind enough for Cape Finisterre and Biscay I think he will probably try to complete his circumnavigation. By the time he reaches the Azores he will have had time to assess the handling qualities of the boat in order to make a judgement about its seaworthiness.

As Desjoyeaux sails in to a rapturous French welcome on Sunday, spare a thought for Raphael Dinelli and Norbert Sedlacek who will be setting their boats to round Cape Horn. One of Dinelli's biggest worries just now is whether his supplies will last another three weeks. By the time they sale in to port, the crowds will have thinned somewhat but I'm sure the people of Les Sables d'Olonne will be there to greet them. The French respect their sailors.

Between first and last, however, we might see some jostling for position around fifth and sixth place. Jourdain will almost certainly lose his second place to Armel Le Cleac'h, so that would put him joint third with the already placed Vincent Rou (as a result of redress given earlier in the race).

More than a thousand miles behind Le Cleac'h is Sam Davies. She is about 300 miles ahead of Marc Guillemot but needs a much bigger margin (about 600 miles) since he was given redress for going to the aid of Yann Elies.

About 350 miles behind Davies is Brian Thompson on the powerful Bahrain Team Pindar. And only 90 miles behind Thompson is Dee Caffari. The question is whether Thompson will pull all the stops out to try and overhaul Davies.

He would dearly love to be the first Briton back but the challenge may be beyond him. There were some high expectations placed on his Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed boat before the race. It's the most powerful boat in the fleet with the biggest righting moment. But it is by no means nimble to manouevre for a loan yachtsman.

I was speaking with Juan K yesterday and he pointed out that the boat had been designed for crewed sailing. Many of Brian's posts have outlined difficulties he has experienced with various parts of the boat, such as the longitudinals, the alternator and the the big D3 sail that was damaged beyond repair at sea.

"All these repairs mean that I cannot be quite as on top of the sailing as I would like and I consequently end up reacting to events rather than anticipating them and taking best advantage of them," he said in one of his posts.

On the other hand, as Juan K pointed out, all the skippers have faced technical problems. Dee Caffari looked to be losing her deteriorating mainsail at one stage until drastic repairs contained the problem for a while (although the damage has revealed itself once more).

I've written a feature on the race for Saturday's Financial Times - a bit of a round up plus some discussion about boat design, given the high rates of equipment failure during the race.

For now, though, the race is still on. Thompson's big boat could be set up well for his 3,000 mile run to the finish. Could it be time to make a charge?

Jourdain heads for safe haven

2009-01-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

As if the Vendee Globe hadn't squeezed the last ounce of drama from this race, there was yet more today when Roland Jourdain discovered that the bulb on the end of Veolia Environnement's keel fin had disappeared.

The last keel bulb to go was that on Jean Le Cam's boat, VM Matériaux, just before it capsized in the Southern Ocean. Jourdain has made his boat as stable as possible and is sailing steadily towards the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores where he will be able to take stock. But with 1,700 miles of ocean still to cross, including the treacherous Bay of Biscay, the risk of capsize may be considered too great.

To retire at this late stage would be heartbreaking but no-one would want to experience the ordeal that befell Le Cam. Jourdain did not know at first just how bad the keel damage was but his shore team later confirmed that the bulb had gone. The support team will be doing their sums, working out whether sufficient ballast can be arranged to keep the boat stable enough at low speeds under limited sail. But it's going to be a tough call.

At least the Azores are on the route. Armel Le Cléach, just a day and a half behind him, will be gaining all the time. But it is not just second place that is looking fragile for Jourdain. He could be facing retirement. As it is he will need to nurse his boat through four days of delicate sailing. One good thing is that the Azores high pressure system should keep him away from heavy wind. The system that sailors normally do their utmost top avoid should allow him to maintain a margin of safety for the time being. But after that? We shall have to wait and see.

Boomless PUMA takes second place in Qingdao

2009-01-29T04:55:00.000-08:00

This is one of the first pictures taken of PUMA coming in to Qingdao today after recapturing second place, behind Telefonica Blue in the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, while sailing without a boom. The sail profile looks fine for reaching conditions, rigged to a pulley system to allow adjustments. It shows what can be done, even when a boom snaps.

Picture courtesy of the PUMA racing team.

All smoke and mirrors

2009-01-28T08:42:00.000-08:00

I understand that there are still people out there who believe the Volvo Ocean race is actually happening. As I think this clip demonstrates, it is becoming obvious that the whole event is being staged, probably in the same studio they used for the moon landings.

The macho-looking guys in their sailing suits are actors with a few Polish building workers brought on to the set as extras. Most of the water is dispensed from a bucket off camera and the spectacular-looking waves are achieved, using hydraulic ramps in the giant tank they used for Master and Commander. Add in a few sound effects and a wind machine, a bit of careful editing and you get this marvelously authentic-looking storm. Nice try Volvo, but you can't fool everyone.

Head case

2009-01-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

Puma and Ericsson 4 are still neck and neck for the second and third places in the Volvo fourth leg while Telefonica Blue's leading margin has been all but maintained, now 29 miles with just over 150 miles to go to Qingdao.

The last few miles have been an obstacle course for the boats as fishing nets are stretched sporadically for miles and sometimes cannot be avoided.

Flogging mainsails create a hazard in light winds, so crews deal with the problem by fastening the boom with a "preventer" rope. This clip of Anders Dahlsjo on Ericsson 3 shows what the preventer is trying to prevent and what it can no longer prevent if it snaps, as this did. Not for the squeamish.

Fighting to the finish in Volvo Qingdao leg

2009-01-28T02:19:00.000-08:00

With just over 200 miles - less than a day's fast sailing - left ahead of them as the surviving boats from the gruelling fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race close on Qingdao, the leaders have set up an exciting finish.

Every boat in the fleet has suffered damage in battering winds that have forced three retirements from the leg. Ericsson 4 is sailing without instruments while PUMA is sailing without a boom. Both boats are within a mile or two of each other and have been gaining on the race leader Telefonica Blue, still more than 30 miles ahead of them.

In fact as I have been writing this short note, PUMA has moved up in to second place! If Telefonica loses its wind before the finish as skipper Bouwe Bekking fears, anything could happen. As it stands Telefonica looks as if it will secure the win but if PUMA can hold on to its second place Ken Read and his crew can feel proud of their come back from such a serious breakage.

For full details, click on the Volvo link to the right where there are also links to the Vendee Globe race and Pete Goss's Cornish lugger voyage to Australia. There's plenty happening at sea just now.