VENDÉE GLOBE
Vendée Globe: Full attack
redazione
An exchange by VHF radio last night between leaders Gabart and Le Cléac’h when they were less than a couple of miles apart is another small insight into the enduring relationship between the top two Vendée Globe skippers. Now racing slanted hard to the SE, at 55 degrees south, they may have been virtually side-by-side for 20 days now, fighting toe to toe for every small metre gain here and there, constantly monitoring each other’s progress, but the brothers-in-arms also have huge respect for each other. There was a humorous warning yesterday evening when he was behind from Gabart to his rival in front to make sure one did not run into the other. But so too there will be a very definite sense of solidarity and shared safety as they approach Cape Horn together where ice is being reported within 50 miles of the cape. Dick’s last gate Having had to retire from the last race with rudder damage, into New Zealand, Jean-Pierre Dick will be quietly satisfied to have checked off the final ice gate of the course, Pacific East, now and is also making excellent speed towards his sixth rounding of Cape Horn. JP is the quickest in the fleet this morning at 19kts and with a 431 miles 24-hour run has also covered the greatest distance. His margin to the leaders is 352 miles this morning but he continues on a more direct course while the top two plunge more south. In fourth Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) is 581 miles behind Dick, 1.5 days at current speeds. Around 1000 miles astern Jean Le Cam (SynerCiel) is preparing to make the Pacific West gate which is 160 miles in front of him. The other duel which is playing out in the fleet is that between the ‘senior’ skippers Mike Golding (Gamesa) and Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud). Swiss skipper Wavre had closed to within seven miles of the Briton yesterday morning (in terms of distance to finish) but since their split on to opposite gybes for the early part of yesterday, it is Golding who is managing to re-establish the miles he lost, now restored to 30 miles ahead of Wavre this morning. Both are on port gybe in the same modest 15kts breeze. And behind them Javier ‘Bubi’ Sanso has a better wind angle than them and is fighting back hard after his mainsail headboard car repair cost him miles. Since rejoining the race course two days ago Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) has been progressively building speed on his powerful Juan Kouyoumdjian design and is making progress in his quest to catch Arnaud Boissières (Akena Verandas). The Swiss skipper made a spectacular comeback in the last race, albeit ill fated. After hitting a cargo ship on the first night in November 2008, Stamm restarted five days after the fleet had left Les Sables d’Olonne and was up to 12th place of the 30 starters when his race ended in the Kerguelen Islands when his boat ran aground whilst trying to anchor in a 45 knots gale. With a back catalogue of ill luck on this Vendée Globe, Stamm has fire in his belly and is 85 miles behind Boissières but nearly two knots faster. Photo JESUS RENEDO
On the prowl
30/12/2012 18:14:00 © riproduzione riservata
Tweet
ARTICOLICORRELATI
I PIU' LETTIDELLA SETTIMANA
Tanti Vaurien italiani ai mondiali sul Mar Baltico
Dal 20 al 24 luglio la Travemünder Woche è una delle più leggendarie manifestazioni veliche al mondo. Vela in purezza alla quale dà un contributo la classe italiana dei Vaurien
ILCA 6: belle prove degli Azzurrini a Salonicco
ILCA 6 Youth Europei: gli azzurri protagonisti a Salonicco, Murri sale sul podio provvisorio e Berteotti guida tra le Under 17
Un nuovo Imoca per Paul Meilhat e Mariana Lobato
The Ocean Race: nasce "United by the Ocean", Paul Meilhat e Mariana Lobato lanciano la sfida per il 2026 e il giro del mondo 2027
I forti venti previsti a Lanzarote rappresentano la prossima sfida per la 52 SUPER SERIES
Al Marina Rubicon di Lanzarote il team da battere è Sled, il team di Takashi Okura, recentemente incoronato campione del mondo
DRHEAM-CUP, Rosetti sfiora il podio nella Class40
Per la vela italiana il bilancio è positivo. Il quarto posto di Rosetti conferma la competitività del progetto Maccaferri Futura, mentre Sericano e Fornaro proseguono il loro percorso di crescita in una classe molto competitiva
Europei Giovanili ILCA 6: Italia protagonista a Salonicco
Murri sale al secondo posto e Berteotti consolida la leadership Under 17
Un mese al via della Palermo-Montecarlo
Aumentano gli iscritti, arrivano barche importanti e protagonisti prestigiosi. La sfida dell’86 piedi Marta 07 con Furio Benussi e la figlia Marta con i guidoni dello Yacht Club de Monaco e del Circolo della Vela Sicilia
ILCA 6: Oro a Salonicco per Sofia Berteotti
Grande soddisfazione anche per Marina Murri, protagonista di un campionato estremamente regolare che le vale la medaglia d'argento nella classifica europea femminile e per Manuel Henk Vos, che conquista uno splendido secondo posto assoluto
A Malcesine "Rosa" vince l'Act4 della RS21 Cup
A soli 17 anni Gabriele Antoniazzi vincel l’ACT 4 Open della RS21 Cup - Nei Corinthian si conferma "Magique et Terrible” di Malika Bellomi
52 Super Series 2027: practice race a Lanzarote
La practice race del Marina Rubicón Lanzarote 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week ha visto in mare 13 team di 11 nazionalità che inaugureranno domai la prima tappa del circuito nelle acque delle Isole Canarie