Barcelona World Race/ Open 60's

[Doug Lord]

Just started -estimated time around for this two handed race: 90 days.
Tonight Foncia is in the lead.....
Alex Thomson(?) skipper of Hugo Boss had a stroke of bad luck getting appendicitis two days before the start. From what I've read the entire Open 60 class voted to allow a substitute crew on board Hugo Boss until Alex recovers-in two to three weeks. What was reported as a unanimous vote has
degenerated into a protest against Hugo Boss for the substitution. Just when I was beginning that sportsmanship wasn't dead......
Some of the Open 60's are radically different than any before them so this will be more than just a race-it will be a technology demonstration of new trends in fast monohull design-or not.
Virbac-Paprec(Verdier/VPLP collaboration-currently in 11th place) is my favorite but I hate to see this protest*
Hope all stay safe and fast!

http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

Race Tracker: http://tracking.barcelonaworldrace.org/


also see this: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/open-60-using-curved-lifting-foils-35710.html
=============
*Another protest(!):

Protest from Virbac-Paprec 3

Jean-Pierre Dick sent the following mail to lodge a protest, specifying Groupe Bel, Foncia and Hugo Boss as boats he believes to have missed the November, which was a mark off the entrance to Barcelona Harbour specified in a rider to Article 10.8 of the Sailing Instructions.
" This email is to protest against Groupe Bel, Foncia and Hugo Boss that have not passed November Mark to starboard as stated in the Rider 1 of the sailing instruction."
" At least 1 other boat has not respected the mark but we have not been able to recognise it."
Jean Pierre Dick, skipper of Virbac Paprec 3

"We have informed the commitee trough channel 72 and P 1 as soon as we have seen this situation"

Pix:Virbac Paprec 3(curved foils) and Hugo Boss: (click on image)

[Doug Lord]

Virbac Paprec 3 has gained 7 places over night as the fleet works its way out of the Med. They are now 4th.....
tonight: back to 7th for Dick and Peyron......

[michael pierzga]

Sure would be interesting if you started an autopilot thread to explore the latest technology being used on the boats

[Doug Lord]

Sure would be interesting if you started an autopilot thread to explore the latest technology being used on the boats
===================
I don't know anything about modern auto pilots, do you?

[michael pierzga]

Only that they are the heart of the boat..Broken Autopilot, broken race.

I dont know how the Ocean Racers engineer their autopilots for extreme duty, reliability and low power consumption. Are they electro hydraulic ? Do they disconnect for hand steering ? Compass driven or wind angle driven ? NKE seems to be dominant. What other manufacturers ? Custom software ? Any photographs of Installations ?

Also be nice to know if the " Watt and Sea " Hydogenerators have proved to be reliable.

[Doug Lord]

Only that they are the heart of the boat..Broken Autopilot, broken race.

I dont know how the Ocean Racers engineer their autopilots for extreme duty, reliability and low power consumption. Are they electro hydraulic ? Do they disconnect for hand steering ? Compass driven or wind angle driven ? NKE seems to be dominant. What other manufacturers ? Custom software ? Any photographs of Installations ?

Also be nice to know if the " Watt and Sea " Hydogenerators have proved to be reliable.
===============
Go ahead and start a thread about it -plenty of people here could help...

[Doug Lord]

As of Sunday morning Foncia-(Desjoyeux and Gabart) and Virbac-Paprec 3-(Dick and Peyron) are first and second. The boats are still in the Med....


-UPDATE: as of 11:23 EST Virbac-Paprec 3(Verdier-VPLP design collaboration) is in first place. That is according to the rankings- the tracker still shows Foncia in the lead.......

[Doug Lord]

The protest, mentioned earlier, filed by Virbac-Paprec 3 was disallowed:


The protest of Virbac-Paprec 3 against Groupe Bel, Foncia and Hugo Boss has been dismissed as invalid by the International Jury.
Virbac-Paprec 3 alleged that the trio had passed to port of the November mark, off the entrance to Barcelona Harbour which was set as a starboard hand mark.

The International Jury dismissed the protest because Virbac-Paprec 3 failed to inform the three boats of her intention to protest as required by RRS 61.3, SI 15.2.1(a).

The protest is therefore declared invalid.
=========
And Virbac 3 is 14 miles ahead of the second boat-Foncia! Go 3!

[Doug Lord]

First race trophy goes to Virbac Paprec 3: (almost in the Atlantic)

The first prize of the Barcelona World RACE 2010-2011 has been won by race title holder Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), sailing with Loick Peyron (FRA) on Virbac Paprec 3.


The pair have claimed the North to South Mediterranean Trophy by becoming the first team to the reach the longitude of 05 37W, having best overcome the capricious light winds and strong tides faced by the fleet on the 540-mile first leg stage of the non-stop race from Barcelona across the Western Mediterranean.

The 2010 VPLP-Verdier designed IMOCA 60 crossed the gate this evening at 1955hrs (UTC), having set off from Barcelona 3 days, 7 hours and 55 minutes previously – knocking nearly 7 hours off Dick’s own previous record time from the first edition of the Barcelona World RACE, set in November 2007 at 3 days, 14 hours and 25 minutes.


Behind the race leader, Foncia and Estrella Damm were separated by just two miles at this evening’s latest position update, and are expected to cross the Straits in a tight duel.

=====================
==================
From Scuttlebutt tonight:

MIRABAUD: Dominque Wavre (SUI) and Michèle Paret (FRA) have reported that their IMOCA Open 60 Mirabaud had been boarded on Monday by Moroccan customs officials. Approximately 48 miles east of the entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar and 30 miles off the Moroccan coast, officials searched the boat over a period of around 35 minutes, opening many of the couple's vacuum sealed bags of food and equipment. After receiving a radio call the customs officials left the IMOCA Open 60 Mirabaud without any further explanation.
================

Tues Update: Virbac 3 18 miles ahead of Foncia and the rest of the fleet in the Atlantic. Go 3!


click on image:

[Doug Lord]

Virbac 3-the boys with the curved lifting foils-have opened up a lead of 73 miles(!) over the next boat Foncia that also has angled lifting foils. Virbac 3 was 11 miles in the lead yesterday.
It is probably too early to say the technology is having any effect at all-or is it? Go 3!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: 1/5/11-The Virbac 3 lead has been cut to 44 miles by Foncia.......
UPDATE: 1/6/11- Virbac 3 down to a 28mile lead over Foncia.......
UPDATE: 1/6/11(late)-Virbac 3 26.1 mile lead.......
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/open-60-using-curved-lifting-foils-35710.html

click on image:

[Doug Lord]

Foncia has cut Virbac 3's lead to 15 miles-this is going to be a heck of a race.
Go 3!

UPDATE:1/7/11 (late) V3 has started to climb away from Foncia again adding a couple of miles-Go3!

[Doug Lord]

From the Race site:

Trade Winds for Sunday

Last night it was Madeira which was the challenge to the leaders, tonight it the light airs just to the north and east of the Canary Islands which see Virbac-Paprec 3 and Foncia taking a more westerly course. Their breeze has lifted them and dropped.
For them the NE'ly trade winds beckon just 170 miles to the south of them. From there the fast lane opens up and the difficult stop start rhythm of today will be left behind to be replaced by fast reaching and a regular, almost monotonous routine.
It's a case of double jeopardy for the duo behind, they have been much more pressed to the west to avoid the light winds to their left, but this slant and timing is driving them closer to the high pressure ridge from the west. So we will surely see the leaders stretch over the next 36 hours, and beyond.
In fact the higher angles, heated up and moving away from the lighter airs have been good for the likes of President and Estrella Damm who are quicker now, between 9 and 10 knots, better than they have in the early afternoon and evening.

[Doug Lord]

V3 has been passed by Foncia and is now 8 miles behind her:

It is a day for the wealthy to accumulate still more gains. In fact Virbac-Paprec 3 and Foncia are already making 12-13 knots in NE'ly breezes this morning and have gained miles, almost 30 on the third group which is lead by Mapfre.

But as they roll down into building trade winds we can expect the speed dials to jump and this leading French duo will extend still further on their pursuers.
The top duo are clearing the latitiude of the most southerly of the Canary Islands, 110 miles west of Hierro, having last night passed 40 miles off La Palma island. What is interesting to note is that once again as they pass an island Michel Desjoyeaux* (FRA) and Francois Gabart* (FRA) have gained some small miles on the leaders by cutting inside the line of Virbac-Paprec 3.
The leaders are downwind in around 10 knots of NE'ly wind but can expect to run down to something closer to 20kts.

Go V3!

*Foncia

[Doug Lord]

More from the race headquaters:

Different lanes, same motorway south.

Foncia have extended slightly over the last ranking period of Saturday, now 16.9 miles ahead of Virbac-Paprec 3 which is now on the same gybe as their main rival but positioned some 66 miles further to the west. Both are now averaging more than 14 knots.
Behind them the duels and tussles continue absolutely unabated. There is just ten miles of difference in terms of DTF between Mirabaud and Estrella Damm, and then there is nine miles between Mapfre who are still holding off Président.
Groupe Bel have extended slightly over Neutrogena.
And behind the next group have to make their decisions as to how they will line up through the Canary Islands.
In 12th Central Lechera Asturiana have overtaken FMC, not the present that Gérard Marín was hoping for on his birthday!

But though my guys(V3) are now a bit more behind the good news is that the "foilers" are still way ahead of most everybody else....

[Doug Lord]

Wow! V3 that was almost 17 miles behind Foncia yesterday has turned it around and is now 35 miles in front and leading the race again. Way to go guys!
http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

A simple equation in the trade winds

Invest in the west, gain to the south. That is the maxim as the leaders of the Barcelona World RACE enjoy brisk downwind trade wind sailing some 390 miles out to the east of the Mauritanian coast.

Yesterday evening it was the turn of Foncia to be on the more westerly gybe, for around 80 miles or the equivalent of about 5 hours sailing time. During that time Virbac-Paprec 3 was tracking fast on the ‘making’ gybe, that which takes them south quicker towards the next theoretical waypoint. And so as they zig zag, gybing down the NE’ly trade winds, it is Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) and Loïck Peyron (FRA) back in the lead by a seemingly comfortable 33.7 miles this morning over Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) and François Gabart (FRA) on Foncia.
Virbac-Paprec 3 has been the quickest of the fleet overnight.

The leading duo, as predicted, have made a big gain on the third and fourth placed boats. Yesterday morning it was just over 100 miles back to the third, this morning it is 162 miles. But the same principle has prevailed in the duel for third and fourth, where Estrella Damm are now back up to third place, 11 miles up on Mirabaud and regaining the podium step they had five days ago before they got stuck on the exit of the Mediterranean.

[Doug Lord]

from race headquarters:

Président has lost its mast and is heading to Cape Verde

The team are safe and sound
Jean Le Cam reported to Race Direction of the Barcelona World Race at 1925hrs (UTC) this Monday evening that the IMOCA Open 60 President has lost its mast.
Jean Le Cam (FRA) and Spanish co-skipper Bruno Garcia are on board and both safe and healthy.


The incident occurred when the boat was positioned at around 18º 03 ' NR /26 º 14 ' W and was sailing at speeds of between 16 and 20 knots.

The boat is reported to have hit a wave and the mast broke.

Michel Olivier, the team’s technical manager and Race Direction are in permanent contact with the boat and have confirmed that neither skipper required assistance.

Both are on board and President is currently under engine to cover the 83 miles which separated them from San Antao, the most northerly island of the Cape Verde group.

The weather conditions currently are a North Easterly blowing at around 19 knots with a short sea

================
Alex Thompson who "missed the boat" due to an attack of appendicitis has found that his newborn child has a heart condition and has put off joining Hugo Boss..

===================

V3 is 68 miles ahead of Foncia......

===================

http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

[Doug Lord]

From Race Headquarters-Foncia Damaged:
Misfortunes, mishaps and Mapfre making miles

The strong trade winds and high speeds south from the Canary islands have taken a toll on the Barcelona World Race leading group as Jean Le Cam and Bruno Dubois head for the Cape Verde islands this afternoon after losing the mast of their IMOCA Open 60 Président 83 miles NW of Santo Antao at around 1930 last night. The duo lost the entire rig and had to cut sails free.


After hitting some type of floating object which has damaged the crash box on the bow of Foncia which they noticed on Sunday, Michel Desjoyeaux and Francois Gabart confirmed this morning that they are preparing to make a technical stop in Brasil, probably in Recife to repair or replace the sacrificial section which served its purpose, preventing damage to the hull.
Speeds have dropped now for the leaders who keep pressing hard down towards the Doldrums, but who will be taking the chance to re-group, to recharge their energies after three seemingly endless days and nights of on-the-edge sailing. For the leading duo the passage across the Doldrums looks to be relatively straightforward, and they will start to feel the effects of the convergence zone this evening. The slow-down for the leaders might be scarcely noticeable and last around 24-36 hours.
Leader Virbac-Paprec 3 might even expect to be sliding into the southern hemisphere, across the Equator by Wednesday evening around 1800-1900hrs.

The top half of the fleet have a time window of around 48 hours to get down to the Doldrums, but then as the Trade Winds in the north start to diminish, the light winds convergence zone spreads north and the later arrivals might lose up to another half a day or so, on the leading pack.

The technical stopover for Desjoyeaux and Gabart, expected to be in Recife this Friday, is expected to be relatively straightforward, and requires a detour which is not too far off the course considering the present position of the St Helena high pressure system which presses the fleet closer to the Brazilian coast. The ‘nose job’ procedure could take as little as four hours to complete with the boat required to be lifted out of the water.

[Doug Lord]

Trouble for V3:



Press release from BWR

Technical repair stop in Brasil for Barcelona World Race leader Virbac-Paprec 3

Barcelona World Race leaders Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron are preparing to make a technical stop in Brasil to make a repair to their main sheet track on Virbac-Paprec 3.
A length of around 2.50 metres of the track is reported to have been lifted away from the deck.
Virbac-Paprec 3 is sailing presently off the coast of Brasil in SE’ly winds of 15 knots under full main and Solent headsail.
The duo lead the race by approximately 50 miles from Foncia, Michel Desjoyeaux and Francois Gabart, who are also preparing for a stop in or near Récife, arriving between Friday night and Saturday.
Dick and co-skipper Loïck Peyron have made the decision to head for Récife, Brasil which is 434 miles to their SW, to repair this vital control. The duo are expecting to arrive in the Brasilian port in around 48 hours (Saturday) where their technical team will be waiting for them.
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), winner of the first edition of the Barcelona World Race contacted by phone said:
“I was outside when it happened. Loïck was sleeping. The mainsail track came away for 2.5 m. We can’t really trim the mainsail. It happened in the conditions which were bizarrely benign. There was a little choppy, 14-15 knots, nothing exceptional. It was an otherwise nondescript afternoon. There was not even great pressure on the track, we were under full mainsail and Solent. I don’t really know exactly what happened. We will head for Récife to repair it. It is better to have it happen, than in the South!”

[Doug Lord]

From the race website:

First in first out. Brasilian stop: over.

First in to Récife and first out, Foncia returned to the race course this evening after an 18 hours stopover to repair the sacrificial crash box on the bow of the VPLP/Verdier designed IMOCA Open 60.
Michel Desjoyeaux and François Gabart arrived at 2330hrs (UTC) last night and left the dock at 1740hrs (UTC).
According to the technical team repairs went well. The foam was largely intact and so required some new carbon and lamination, effectively with a new nose ready to take on the race course again.
Foncia is reported to have set off again in winds of around 12 knots, ready to take on their next challenge, the Saint Helena anticyclone. Desjoyeaux and Gabart restart in fifth position more than 160 miles behind race leader Estrella Damm.

The Virbac-Paprec team were expecting to be heading back to the race course around 2015hrs (UTC). Their repairs were reported to have gone well although some supplementary work was required to repair damage to the bracing support for the main sheet track caused by the jury mainsheet anchoring set up by Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron.
“ Work went well in spite of the additional work caused by the fortune set up by JP and Loïck which sheared the support for the carbon sheet track. Julien and Philippe repaired that but the resin does not dry well in the humid equatorial climate. Jean-Yves, Bruno and I replaced the new track. Jean-Pierre and Loïck left to rest before heading back out to sea around the start of the evening.” Said shore team member Nicolas

Estrella Damm leads into the third Sunday of the race by 118 miles from MAPFRE.
In eighth GAES Centros Auditivos is less than 2 miles ahead of Renault ZE Sailing Team. They have Neutrogena 34.7 miles ahead, but Hugo Boss is now 84 niles behind them.

Go V3!

[Doug Lord]

Well, this is an interesting race with the fleet bunching up just before they all have to head east. Not sure the position reports are accurate given the big changes that will happen as everybody heads in the general direction of SA fairly soon.
The V3 guys(curved lifting foils) have exercised their "ghost" option a feature of the race where a Team can drop off the chart becoming invisible for 24 hours(I think). She was in 5th with Foncia back in 9th when she dropped off. This is a great race demonstrating new monohull design technology with some great sailors. Go V3!


http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

[Doug Lord]

Well, two of the three "foilers" are back in the lead: Foncia first and my guys, V3 in second(and faster at the moment). Here is more from race headquarters:

21.01.2011
A wild ride from the west

Three weeks since they set off, the Barcelona World RACE fleet has taken a new shape. Yesterday evening Foncia surged into first place, and this morning Virbac Paprec 3 joined them at the head of the race in second place.



Together the pair, which each stopped in Recife, Brazil have maintained a samba pace since leaving the South American coast. Today they have been enjoying a fast ride on their journey back from the western frontiers of the course, both averaging over 20 knots of boat speed in solid northerlies. In the past 24 hours the French duo covered over 400 miles – on average 150 miles more than the boats on the east of the course.

Michel Desjoyeauxand Francois Gabart (FRA) were first to reclaim their place at the front of the leaderboard, arriving in first place yesterday evening ahead of Estrella Damm, who had led the fleet for the previous six days. Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes (ESP) exited the light winds zone yesterday, but in moderate easterly breezes their speed has leveled out at around 11 knots. This has allowed the other western rebels on Virbac Paprec 3, riding ahead of the same low pressure system as Foncia, through into second place overall this morning.

In fourth place Kito de Pavant and Sebastien Audigane (FRA) on Groupe Bel have stuck close to Estrella Damm. However, the next potential threat to the status quo could come from MAPFRE, who also struck out on an independent course and are currently the most westerly boat on the track in fifth. Some 200 miles further north than Virbac Paprec 3, the 49er pairing of Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (ESP) don’t have quite the same white-knuckle conditions as the new leaders, but at the edge of the low pressure system they are still making 16 knots average speed and may well be able to maintain this momentum into third place.

Although the low pressure system seems to be moving more rapidly south-east than previously predicted, if the westerly boats are able to stay ahead of the front their advantage will continue to extend to Gough Island, with the first boat likely to reach this remote Atlantic waypoint on Sunday. Meanwhile, with two high pressure zones set to merge across the southern Atlantic over the next two days, the boats on the easterly side of the track will need to find a route south if they are to remain in contention.

As Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) explained: “We are sailing with two digits of boatspeed and the first digit is a ‘two’ so it’s good news, but on board it is a little shaky. Fortunately we’re under the coach roof so we can be protected. With the weather that is set to arrive it’s better to be in front because you have more options.”
=============
Michel Desjoyeaux's "fond" description of the guys on the light blue V3 relentlessly catching him: “We have our “Smurfette” on our tail making life difficult for us but it’s a good thing as it’s motivating.” From Race Headquarters: The blue ‘Smurfettes’, as he refers to Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron (FRA) on Virbac Paprec 3 have been piling on the pressure, and have reduced the gap to the leaders to under 45 miles in this evening’s 2000hrs update. Currently the fastest boat on the course, Virbac Paprec 3 has averaged over a knot faster than their French rivals this afternoon and have also topped 450 miles in the past 24 hours.

[Doug Lord]

My chosen Team- V3- was 45 miles behind Foncia yesterday and are 27.9(Update 12:15 EST-now only 19 back) miles back today-Go V3!
From a sailboat design perspective one of the most interesting facts about this race is that three of the boats are using lifting foils-daggeboards that also create a little vertical lift. V3 is using curved foils like the big trimarans and Mapre and Foncia are using relatively straight angled foils. Well, for the first time in this race the "foilers" are lined up 1-2-3 with the first two doing 20 knots which will allow the foils to make a significant contribution. This really is an important development in monohull keelboat design and incredibly interesting.

http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php


Lighting the blue touchpaper

Consistently covering over 500 miles in 24-hours, Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron (FRA) are setting the pace in the Barcelona World Race.
The Virbac Paprec 3 duo’s total mileage peaked earlier today at 516.37 nautical miles, achieved between 0900hrs (UTC) yesterday morning and 0900 today. Sailng at an average of 21.51 knots this potentially sets a new 24-hour record for 60ft monohulls, depending on ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).

This would replace the previous record set by Hugo Boss in the first edition of the Barcelona World Race in 2007, which stands at 501.3 miles with an average speed of 20.88 knots over 24 hours by Alex Thomson (GBR) and Andrew Cape (AUS).

The ‘Schtroumpfettes’, as Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) has nicknamed the duo, are surely the fastest Smurfs in the west. Currently in second place, Virbac Paprec 3 continues to maintain 20-plus knot average speeds since this morning’s position update, whilst race leader Desjoyeaux and Francois Gabart (FRA) on Foncia have dropped a knot slower. The blue Verdier-VPLP boat is also gaining on the front-runner, and now less than 20 miles behind.

Fonciaand Virbac Paprec 3 have been experiencing record-breaking conditions sailing ahead of a clearly developed front which has produced consistent north-westerly winds in the high 20s, with occasional gusts topping 30 knots. Together with moderate waves of around 2-3 metres from the same direction this is allowing for high average boat speeds for the front two boats as they sail high to the waypoint of Gough Island. Foncia and Virbac Paprec 3 may be able to keep pace with the front throughout for another 12 hours or so, but as they approach Gough Island can expect to see substantial wind shifts to lighter southerly breezes. The first boat is anticipated at the Atlantic waypoint of Gough Island tomorrow afternoon.

By contrast, MAPFRE in third place are under the influence of the same low pressure system, but at the northern edge of it have been sailing 2-3 knots slower for the past 24 hours and this afternoon have dropped to less than half the leaders’ pace. While Virbac Paprec 3 gains, Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (ESP) are now 350 miles behind Foncia – a loss of around 70 miles since they gained the third podium place in the small hours of this morning.

[Doug Lord]

V3 has made up 30 miles+ overnight and is now back in the lead-10 miles ahead of Foncia! For those who wonder if the lifting foils are used only on a beat here is a video of V3 with her leeboard all the way down on a screaming reach. These boards can generate a lot of vertical lift with the boat at a small degree of heel.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DfoBCIPfJY&feature=player_embedded

[Doug Lord]

Foncia caught up to within 5 miles of V3 but then V3 accelerated away in just the last few hours as Foncia emerged from her "ghost" mode where all tracking is turned off for 24 hours. Here is more from race headquarters:

Virbac-Paprec resist the attack of Foncia

Virbac-Paprec 3 and Foncia are riding the leading edge of the low pressure’s front and should manage to stay with it, making around 18-20 knots and we should maybe see them gybe later this afternoon or this evening to line up for the SW’lies as the front passes over them.
For the leading duo especially it is pedal to the metal time, trying to stay aboard this fast moving express for as long as possible. Foncia were first to satisfy the first gate, at around

They will ride the SW’lies south but then the key strategy now is how and when to respect the succession of security gates, dipping south and looping back north to satisfy the gates, passing to the north of the gate at one point on its length, whilst utilising the successive low pressure systems and their associated fronts. What is important is not to end up in the N-NW’ly breeze trying to get north to complete the gate, so timing the transitions is vital but is not at all easy tracking these fast moving systems.

MAPFRE have been towards the back edge of the low and so will drop off the system first and into the lighter breezes behind, but will be best placed for the second system which should come through later Wednesday. But in general the fleet behind them will find it increasingly difficult to escape from the Saint Helena high which will return to haunt them, especially the tail of the fleet. It is proving especially complex for them to find enough breeze to get clear. For example they will initially get NW’ly breeze and so will find it hard to get west towards the strongest and best pressure generated by the next, second low system. So in fact they from around the ninth placed GAES Centros Auditivos will likely have to keep working south and may even miss the ride on the second low. And so during Wednesday and into Thursday the fleet can be on three different weather systems.

Virbac-Paprec 3 lead by 28.3 miles this morning, extending slightly with more speed and wind pressure 25 miles or so to the south of the course taken by Foncia.

[Doug Lord]

In a stunning development Foncia has lost her mast and retired fom the race.
Here is their description of what happened:

Foncia describe their mast break and retire from the Barcelona World Race.
The report was sent from Foncia’s Michel Desjoyeaux and François Gabart at 0659hrs this Wedenesday morning.

“ On January 26th 2011 at 0240hrs UTC positioned at 41°12,6 S and 8°59,8 E Foncia was sailing a course of 115 degrees at an average of 18 knots under Solent and one reef with the wind at 140 degree blowing at 25-30 knots, wind swell, and had the same conditions for around eight hours.
The mast broke above the solent hound, in other words around 25 metres above the deck (27.3m long tube). The rigging is still up held in place by the lower shrouds, the runners, the staysail stay and main jib stay. The broken sectiont is hanging down at 20m up and is still held in place by the halyards. The solent, unfurled, because in use when the damage occurred was twisted around the whole mast.
The mainsail is held by its halyard at the third reef. Everything has stayed on board, nothing lost overboard. I can’t hide our disappointment, but we are healthy except I have a little pain in my right thumb which I got when I was trying to get the Solent under control.
We do not ask for any assistance. We are currently trying to head for Cape Town under sail, around 600 miles off. Our current speed is 11 knots course 76 deg. The forecasts for the next few days show no risk (today 25 to 30 knots from the S, weakening and clocking W). In two days the passage of the anticyclone (bringing light winds). If the seas are slight then maybe we will have the chance to climb the mast to recover the pieces and to be able to drop the mainsail. After that we should see 20-25 knots from the SE in to Cape Town.

Our ETA Cape Town then should be 30th or 31st January. We retire from the Barcelona World Race.”
-----
http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php I'm sure sorry to see this! It was a hell of a match race with V3!

[Doug Lord]

V3 is now 587 miles in front of the fleet with the retirement of Foncia.From the race website:

A test of nerves

The combination of a dynamic weather pattern right through into the early part of next week, and the succession of ice gates which effectively restrict how far south the fleet can go and so constrain their tactical options look set to present a set of interesting challenges for race leader Virbac-Paprec 3.

Looking ahead to Sunday 30th and Monday 31st the high pressure ridge which will develop south of South Africa will break off and to block the progress of the leading boat. There will be some incremental gains to the leaders before then as they continue to ride the top edge of the frontal system, but the need to stay north for the gates - rather than the usual strategy of riding the low pressure as long as possible, is compromised as they need to step off the conveyor belt to adhere to the gates.

As Virbac-Paprec 3 slow, the high pressure moving east and south, set to take up station over the Kerguelen Islands, moves with them close to the centre of it. And meantime it looks like MAPFRE especially will be making rapid inroads, in 30 knots of W'ly and possibly making 460-480 mile days, which could bring them gains of 180-200 miles on the leaders who have 579 miles on MAPFRE on this morning's 0900hrs sked. In short it looks like a great opportunity for MAPFRE, Estrella Damm, Groupe Bel and Renault ZE Sailing Team to catch up.

The requirements of the gates means that the passage across the South Indian Ocean, at least, has the propensity to become punctuated by constant fast, slow. That will make it especially hard for the leaders' nerves.

[Doug Lord]

V3 is 592 miles ahead of second place Mapfre but Mapfre is the fastest boat in the fleet today. V3, Foncia(retired ,at least temporarily) and Mapfre are all using foils that generate vertical lift and are the only boats in the fleet doing so(as best I can tell).
-------
UPDATE-2/4/11: Not much has changed-Mapfre has shaved 200m off of V3's lead but V3 is ahead by 400+ miles....

[Doug Lord]

V3 is 617 miles ahead of the second place boat!
---------
UPDATE,2/7/11: V3 now 781 miles in front!

[Doug Lord]

From race headquarters:

Under the land down under

Virbac-Paprec 3 are now within 65 miles of the longitude of Cape Leeuwin, Australia this morning. They are in the free area between the two safety barriers though have only strayed six miles south of the line between them. Jean Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron appear to have about 15kts of SW'ly breeze and they have slowed back to a more modest 12-13 knots.

Approaching the first Australian safety barrier is MAPFRE, with some 380 miles to sail. Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez have Estrella Damm now just 25 miles behind them, both sailing in around 40kts of WNW'ly and making around 17.5-18kts.

Estrella Damm has been slightly quicker overnight, gaining just over four miles, but you can imagine that if these two Spanish rivals and good friends get closer to each other armed with near identical boats, they will push each other even harder. Groupe Bel is slightly faster them, quickest in the fleet this morning but is still 100 miles behind. Renault Z.E. Sailing Team have 35-40 knots of wind and are sailing NE, 80 miles to the north and west of the 'three musketeers'.

Mirabaud in sixth have some 150 miles to make the Amsterdam Gate and are making good speed, now 25 miles ahead of Neutrogena, both sailing in WSW winds of 30kts.

Hugo Boss have caught up to within 70 miles of GAES Centros Auditivos. The girls on GAES have had something of a slower night, in the transition between the low pressure systems. But both should be fully into stronger NW winds by late this afternoon.
Forum Maritim Catala have 550 miles to sail to make the Crozet Gate, with We Are Water 200 miles behind and Central Lechera Asturiana another 200 miles behind Jaume Mumbru and Cali Sanmarti
========
V3 at speed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anTb2eN0kug&feature=player_embedded
========
curved lifting foil on V3-click on image:

[Doug Lord]

From Scuttlebutt Europe:

"MAPFRE" Back On Track After Daggerboard Repairs

The IMOCA Open 60 skippered by Olympic champions Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez in the Barcelona World Race, "MAPFRE", is back with one foot firmly on the gas, fighting harder than ever to defend second place in the overall general rankings, the position now hers for the fifteenth consecutive day of racing.

This morning the double Olympic champions revealed details of the exhausting situation experienced on board over a period of four tough days, having broken the port side daggerboard. This is a part weighing some 100 kg and measuring over four metres in length that the Basque sailors managed to repair on board, using the limited resources available and with 20 knots of breeze blowing.

Five days ago Iker and Xabi collided with an object which they were not able to identify, but which damaged one of the daggerboards, a metre to a metre and a half from the tip. "The bow end was more damaged whereas main structure had withstood the impact better, with the deepest part now the rudder stock, totally uncovered," explained the skipper from Hondarribia (Guipuzcoa).

The situation put the "MAPFRE" skippers in a spot of bother: "Without a daggerboard you can survive without dropping back too much as far as Cape Horn, but after that, forget it," commented an honest Iker Martinez.

After four days of hard work, Iker Martinez described the feelings in detail in his email: "We decided to try to put it in place as soon as the wind dropped below 20 knots. We prepared everything, hung the daggerboard from a halyard and in a calmer spot we slowed the boat right down and got down to it," said Martinez, both exhausted and satisfied.

"The operation went quite well and we had the daggerboard in position - what satisfaction! We were both exhausted, dead on our feet, drained and that's when we got the report that "Estrella Damm" was just over 10 miles to our stern. We'd managed to carry out the repairs without them overtaking us, so we were over the moon! It was like going a set up!" he added.

The entire email sent by Iker Martinez with details of the daggerboard repair can be found at www.iker-xabi.com/en/logbook

General Rankings Day 41 - 09:00 GMT.

1. Virbac-Paprec 3 (Jean Pierre Dick - Loick Peyron) FRA, 13,432 miles from finish
2. MAPFRE (Iker Martinez - Xabi Fernandez) ESP, +489.7 miles
3. Estrella Damm Sailing Team (Alex Pella - Pepe Ribes) ESP, +521.5 miles
4. Groupe Bel (Kito de Pavant - Sebastien Audigane) FRA, +723.2 miles
5. Renault Z. E. (Pachi Rivero - Antonio Piris) ESP, +1,132.4 miles
6. Mirabaud (Dominique Wavre - Michele Paret) SUI, +1,603.5 miles
7. Neutrogena Formula Noruega (Boris Herrmann - Ryan Breymaier) NOR, +1,713.2 miles
8. Gaes Centros Auditivos (Dee Caffari - Anna Corbella) GBR/ESP, +2,198.2 miles
9. Hugo Boss (Wouter Verbraak - Andy Meiklejohn) GBR, +2,205.9 miles
10. Forum Maritim Catala (Gerard Marin - Ludovic Aglaor) ESP, +3,319 miles
11. We Are Water (Jaume Mumbru - Cali Sanmarti) ESP, +3,488.4 miles
12. Central Lechera Asturiana (Juan Merediz - Fran Palacio) ESP, +3,512.8 miles
** President (Jean le Cam - Bruno Garcia) FRA/ESP, Race Abandoned 12th January.
** Foncia (Michel Desjoyeaux - Francois Gabart) FRA, Race Abandoned 26th January.

www.iker-xabi.com
barcelonaworldrace.com

[Doug Lord]

From Scuttlebutt Europe today:

Out of the Grey and Into the Blue

After a tough weekend Barcelona World Race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 are now making good speed north east toward the Cook Straits.

This afternoon they passed the latitude of the tip of the South Island, 280 miles off Cape Providence, and for the leaders this ascent of the Tasman and through the straits will not be without its challenges, but it promises to be one of the most memorable stages for Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron.

The duo have their lead at 504 miles this afternoon over MAPFRE who crossed into the Pacific this morning, and Estrella Damm who passed from the Indian at 1420hrs UTC this afternoon.

There have been glimpses of sunshine and often benign conditions in the south, but after three weeks in the high latitudes - spirits and moods will climb as the typically grey southern oceans vista, chill temperatures and drizzle gives way to the vibrant colours, blues and greens, and summer temperatures of New Zealand in its pomp.

For Dick and Peyron's it will be their first sight of land since their technical stop in Brasil on 15th-16th January, for MAPFRE and Estrella Damm probably since leaving the Mediterranean five weeks ago.

Virbac-Paprec 3 are still expected to start their passage of the Straits on Wednesday afternoon/evening. Their arrival to the northern corner looks set to become increasingly slowed by the light winds of the high pressure.

Saturday the crews of Estrella Damm and MAPFRE reported unusually big waves at around 47 degrees south, in strong SW'ly winds, waves which were significantly bigger than those suggested on the weather forecasts for the area.

These formations happen occasionally driven by a range of different factors, sometimes what Anglo Saxons call 'freak' waves, but are usually the result of the aggregation of different swells and wind waves.

The weather scenario still looks generally favourable for the top three boats for their approach to the Cook Strait.Rankings at 1400hrs UTC Sunday 13th February

1. Virbac-Paprec, 12162 nm to finish
2. Mapfre, 504 nm to leader
3. Estrella Damm Sailing Team, 627
4. Groupe Bel, 908
5. Renault Z.E, 1471
6. Mirabaud, 1796
7. Neutrogena, 1796
8. Hugo Boss, 2091
9. Gaes Centros Auditivos, 2189
10. Forum Maritim Catala, 3651
11. Central Lechera Asturiana, 3981
12. We Are Water, 4057
RTD FONCIA
RTD PRESIDENT

www.barcelonaworldrace.org

[Doug Lord]

From the race site:

Welcome to the spectacular Cook Straits

The most dramatic stage of the course is fast approaching for Barcelona World Race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3, as Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron (FRA) approach the northerly tip of New Zealand’s South Island and prepare to cross the Cook Straits.

Leading the Barcelona World Race by over 540 miles, the short passage through the Cook Straits – which separate the North and South Islands by just 20 miles at their narrowest point – will be something of a victorious homecoming for Virbac-Paprec 3. The latest generation IMOCA 60 was built in New Zealand at the Cookson yard in Auckland.

For skipper Jean-Pierre Dick this will also be the second time he has led the Barcelona World Race through the iconic stage of the course: after doing so in 2007 (see pictured above) following 44 days and 32 minutes of racing he went on to win the inaugural double-handed round the world race.

The high pressure system which has lodged itself either side of the South Island has had less effect on the leaders’ progress than anticipated, and the French pair were just 5.6 miles off Farewell Point, making 9.7 knots of boat speed at 1730 (UTC) this afternoon. They are anticipated to pass Wellington around 0800hrs in the morning of Wednesday February 16 (Barcelona time, the equivalent of Wednesday evening in New Zealand which is 12 hours ahead of the Spanish start city).

“It's faster than expected,”wrote Jean-Pierre Dick to race organisers this afternoon. “In six or seven hours we’ll pass Farewell Point, at about 1900hrs (GMT, 2000hrs UTC) and then we have about 90 nautical miles of beating upwind into a north-westerly with lots of tacks which will take us around 12 hours. So that means we’ll be at Wellington around 0700hrs (GMT, 0800hrs UTC) on the 16th, so around 2000hrs local time (we might be on time to be on the news with Claire Chazal!)”

Just how close they were to landfall was evident a few hours later when Jean-Pierre Dick again emailed from just off Farewell Point to say could smell a nearby farm: “No, I’m not dreaming, it really does smell of cows here! In the flesh and blood too! After so many few weeks at sea, it's weird but strangely pleasant.”

[Doug Lord]

From the race site:


Virbac-Paprec 3 have this evening announced an 11th-hour pit-stop into Wellington, New Zealand.

At 2005hrs (UTC) this evening, Tuesday February 15, Virbac-Paprec 3 skipper Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) contacted Denis Horeau, Race Director of the Barcelona World Race, to report that he and co-skipper Loick Peyron (FRA) wished to make a technical stop in Wellington, having broken two mainsail batten cars in the previous hour as they reefed the mainsail.

The batten cars are an essential part on the IMOCA 60, holding the mainsail to the mast. Virbac-Paprec 3 report that they have already used their other spare batten car to repair a breakage shortly after Recife, where the team first made a technical stop to fix damage to the mainsheet track. They will also take the opportunity to work on some other wear and tear incurred during the race.

The stopover is unscheduled and Virbac-Paprec 3 have no technical support crew in Wellington. The only team member present in New Zealand is team manager Luc Talbourdet who was there to greet the crew during their anticipated passage close to shore. However Luc Bartissol, who was the technical manager for the build of their previous boat, Paprec-Virbac 2, lives in New Zealand and will be assisting with the repair. Other suppliers who were involved in the build of Virbac-Paprec 3 will also be called in to help.

The race rules state that any stopover after 140 degrees East must be for a minimum duration of 48 hours once the boat arrives at the dock. This is unlike Virbac-Paprec 3’s previous stopover in South America, after which they were able to depart and resume racing as soon as the repairs had been made good.

The current Barcelona World Race leaders had rounded the top of Farewell Spit at the north-eastern edge of New Zealand’s South Island at 1815hrs this evening, en route to Cook Strait, a compulsory leg of the course which takes the fleet past the capital city, Wellington.

Virbac-Paprec 3 are expected to arrive in Wellington at some point over the course of tonight (European time, equivalent to the during the day of Wednesday 16 February, New Zealand local time).

Jean-Pierre Dick spoke to his team by telephone this evening, saying: "We replaced the two broken pieces late this afternoon. We have no more spares to finish the race and have no confidence in the replacements. So we have a sword of Damocles over our heads because they are indispensible for us to complete the second half of the circumnavigation. Without them, we cannot sail. To continue is to take a big risk. Stopping is the best solution even if it's a tough decision because it means a 48-hour time penalty. We need to restart at virtually the same time as our pursuers. It's a new race that starts then, just as we have known in Recife! We won’t give up...”

[Doug Lord]

V3 is on her way again still 150 miles ahead of second after 48hrs dead stopped! Go V3!

At 1111hrs on the dot, or 2311 in Wellington, Virbac Paprec-3 left the dock under engine.

The team reported that Jean-Pierre Dick took the helm while Loïck Peyron prepared to hoist the mainsail – in less than an hour, they would be sailing in the Pacific Ocean.

Virbac-Paprec 3 restarts the Barcelona World Race around 150 miles ahead of second-placed MAPFRE, who are currently nearing the top of Farewell Point, on New Zealand’s South Island

[Doug Lord]

Mapfre, another "foiler"(angled foils* for a small amount of vertical lift) has decided not to stop in NZ since they are relatively closer to V3 (161 miles) than they have been since the race start and because they are 221 or so miles ahead of Estrella.....

* top of board outboard-opposite of the traditional daggerboards on Open 60's.

http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php


CNN International story on the race: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2011/02/17/main.sail.feb.2011.bk.a.cnn

[Doug Lord]

Estrella Damm has broken their forestay just a few miles from Wellington,NZ:

Damm will stop in Wellington
Estrella Damm have confirmed this morning that they will make a technical stopover in Wellington after their forestay is reported to have broken and their Solent furling drum.

“We were 15 miles from the southerly point of Cook with Bel five miles behind when the forestay broke. The mast stayed up because of the staysail and the Code Zero stays. The Solent furling drum is also in two pieces. It is impossible to repair this with the material we have on board, we have to make a stop in Wellington to repair and to be able to continue. It is a big disappointment to us. We will also benefit from the stop to repair and make sure the boat is in a state for what is to follow.”
Reported Alex Pella to Race Direction this morning.

The incident happened around 2100hrs last night (and is clearly visible on the tracking).

This morning Estrella Damm was sailing in just under 11kts of breeze, making upwind and are around 70 miles from Wellington. When the problem happened they are reported to have been sailing in 18kts breeze, sailing upwind, making around 10kts of boat speed.

Clearly the two Barcelona skippers are disappointed but they will also consider that the incident happened close to Wellington and not in the deep south.

Groupe Bel, who are around four miles ahead of Estrella Damm, gave an ETA for Wellington of around 2000hrs UTC this evening.

[Doug Lord]

Uh Oh: V3 is only about 86 miles ahead of Mapfre and Mapfre is still going
slightly faster.....
--
Update 2/22:

Head to head drag race in the Pacific

And still MAPFRE squeeze into Virbac-Paprec 3, the miles between the two leading boats tumbling this morning to just less than 75. This trend will continue until the two IMOCA Open 60’s are into similar wind conditions. Then it will be a straight head-to-head drag race, who is fastest wins the battle at least until the middle of the Pacific.
The leading duo still look to be unaffected by any new or different weather features for the time being and will be on very much the same course up to the next ice-gate and beyond.One weather feature which is a concern, but unpredictable for its timing is the tropical cyclone Atu which is hovering to the NW of New Zealand and will accelerate SE. That rate of speed increase is hard to model at the moment.

[Doug Lord]

From race headquarters:

Mapfre at max speed!

MAPFRE’s challenge for the leadership of the Barcelona World Race continues this evening, with Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (ESP) just 31 miles behind Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron (FRA) on Virbac-Paprec 3.


Fast reaching conditions have turned this stage of the track into a speed trial between the two as they head on a parallel north-easterly course towards the Western Pacific Gate. At this evening’s 2000hrs update Virbac-Paprec 3 had the edge, at 17.7 knots to MAPFRE’s 17.4, but over the course of the afternoon the Spanish duo averaged a full knot faster than their rivals, also making them the fastest on course, prompting Xabi Fernández to comment this afternoon: “We are now in the same waters with the same wind... and I'm not sure if they don't have a problem to be honest. It's almost as if they are sailing with a smaller jib...”

He added: “We'll get to the gate tomorrow and in theory we'll be hoisting the spinnaker this afternoon and we should have another couple of days downwind with 25 knots or so. We'll see, but the good thing is that since we are so close it won't be a case of them catching different breeze to us and getting away. If they go a bit faster they'll get a bit further away and if we go a bit faster we'll catch up with them. I hope that we can keep up the pace until Cape Horn.”


Go V3!!

[Doug Lord]

from the race site: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

Passing time? 2/24/11

At 16 miles from Virbac-Paprec 3 this morning and holding a continued speed advantage over the long time leaders, might we see the French duo Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron overtaken at the head of the Barcelona World Race fleet for the first time since 23rd January when Dick and Peyron passed Foncia?
And it looks like on GAES Centros Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella might also be poised to pass Hugo Boss, the two teams locked on the same miles to finish this morning.

Virbac-Paprec 3 and MAPFRE are passing the second ice gate this morning and we should see them gybe and head to the south again which may see the speed differential even out under spinnakers? Meantime the Spanish Olympic medallists have made 492 miles in the last 24 hours to 0400hrs UTC.

Go V3!!!


UPDATE: 2/24/11

The Empire Strikes Back

And the advantage swings back to Virbac-Paprec 3 as speeds climb again between the two leading IMOCA Open 60's opening out the gap to the pack which is now slowed by a high pressure slowing them to single figure speeds. Virbac Paprec 3 has been quickest gaining a couple of miles on their Spanish counteparts
. Together they now have a lead of over one thousand miles over third placed Renault Z.E Sailing Team, with around 2500 miles of the Pacific left to Cape Horn. In fact tomorrow they will be approximately mid way from Wellington to Cape Horn.
Light winds are still affecting third to seventh places.

[Doug Lord]

Both the leaders(V3 and Mapfre) are doing 18.8 knots in a spectacular Southern ocean drag race. These two "foilers"* are over a thousand miles ahead of the rest of the fleet and just 12 miles apart with V3 still in the lead.

*Mapfre using angled boards for some vertical lift; V3 uses curved boards for the same reason.

UPDATE: late 2/26/11- V3 back up to 19.2 miles ahead....


http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/ranking/

[Doug Lord]

from the site:

At the front of the fleet, the five-hourly averages are even higher, with race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 maintaining a 19.9 knot pace over the course of the afternoon. After problems with their tracker transmission systems saw MAPFRE sailing without position reports for 15 hours, the Spanish duo of Iker Martínez and Xabi Fernández have this evening reappeared back on record at 50.5 miles behind the first boat – double the distance of yesterday.

UPDATE: 3/1/11- V3 now 79.7 miles ahead of Mapfre.

[Doug Lord]

The third boat to lose its mast:

The third dismasting occurred Tuesday evening as the IMOCA Open 60 Central
Lechera Asturiana was approximately 160 miles west of Cape Farewell,
heading for the Cook Strait and lying in 11th place. No injuries reported,
with the co-skippers now heading for Wellington which was 290 miles from
their reported position.

Race Tracker: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/ranking/

http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/actualite/breves/detail/central-lechera-asturiana-break-their-mast-in-the-tasman-and-are-heading-for-wellington-0-14226

[Doug Lord]

V3 passes Cape Horn

At 1020hrs UTC this morning Virbac-Paprec 3, the leader of the Barcelona World Race passed Cape Horn. The elapsed time of the fleet’s pacemaking duo Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron since leaving Barcelona on 31st December at midday UTC is 61days 22hours 20 minutes.
Virbac-Paprec 3 leaves the Pacific in their wake, just ahead of a strong depression which is set to bring even stronger winds to the Horn. Some 55 miles behind at the time of their passage was the second placed duo Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez on MAPFRE.

In 2008, en route to winning the first edition of the race, Jean Pierre Dick passed Cape Horn after 59 days, 18 hours, and 20 minutes. The course for this edition is approximately 600 miles longer because of the ice and safety gates and Virbac-Paprec 3 stopped in Recife, Brazil for 13 hours to make repairs to their mainsheet track, and then a further 48 hours in Wellington to make repairs to their mainsail batten cars.

Dick said: “It is always a magical day to pass Cape Horn, and it as you would expect it to be, especially good to be passing in first place. It is brilliant, magical. And especially for the two of us, Loïck and I both gave up our Vendée Globe races before we got here, so there is a certain sense of revenge. And passing here is a recognition for the sailor, passing out of the south, having made it to this point.We will maybe have a small glass of Coke or Champagne, Loïck Coke and me champagne."


UPDATE: V3 91 miles ahead of Mapfre and gaining....Mapfre has veered off course for a couple of hours and then returned to the right heading at much slower speed-8-10 knots while V3 is doing 19....No report from Mapfre of any trouble.


Go V3!

[Doug Lord]

From race headquarters:

MAPFRE takes refuge for halyard repairs

Second placed MAPFRE has had to find shelter to fix a halyards problem. The Spanish Olympic medallists have just set a race record for the Pacific stage from the longitude of Wellington to Cape Horn today.
After a tough night with very violent winds in excess of 50 knots Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez on the MOCA Open 60 MAPFRE have reported that they have had to spend a period sailing under mainsail only due to a halyard problem. Co-skippers Martínez informed the shore team tonight that "in view of the circumstances we go to Isla Nueva to anchor, to lower the mainsail and to repair the damage on our own without outside assistance, and our objective is to start again as soon as possible.

http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

[Doug Lord]

from the race site:

Mapfre back on track, but lost distance to leaders

After stopping last night at Isla Nueva to make their halyard repair MAPFRE appear to be back on course but still are not back up to full speed. They have been making just nine knots compared with Virbac-Paprec 3’s 18 knits and so Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez have seen their deficit grow and this morning at 0400hrs they were 270 miles behind the leaders. And they made just 27 nm through the night.
Virbac-Paprec 3 have made 330 miles since Cape Horn and are on a route which is taking them east of the Falklands. Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron have around 25kts of W’ly wind and are in a low pressure circulation. MAPFRE’s breeze remains a little more irregular so it is hard to guage the exact situation on board with the Spanish Olympic medallists.
----
more:

Serious Pursuit

After their detour and four hours halt to try and sort out a halyards issue MAPFRE have clearly channelled their frustration and disappointment into simply pressing the accelerator pedal back to the floor as they immediately try to make up the 200 miles that they lost to Barcelona World Race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 yesterday night and this morning.

Since getting back on course and up to race speed Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez have already clawed back nearly 20 miles on the race leaders Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron.

In fact the leaders, seeing the fate of their pursuers, and the size of the margin which was opened so quickly after Cape Horn, might just have given themselves a few hours of much needed respite to recharge their energies after a very fast Pacific since Wellington and a robust passage of the Cape.

Seeing the Spanish duo get back into racing shape, Dick and Peyron responded over the later part of this afternoon’s schedule and Virbac-Paprec 3 was the quickest of the fleet on the 1400hrs ranking.

The loss will be felt deeply by Martinez and Fernandez especially after such a promising rounding yesterday, pulling miles back on the leaders on the approach to the Horn, but the repairs which included a difficult mast climb in building wind and fading light for Iker, add another dimension to the duo’s transition from highly supported Olympic and Volvo athletes, to the demanding self sufficiency of solo and short handed IMOCA Open 60 racing.

They had to find a quiet location, between Lennox and Neuva islands at the entrance to the Beagle Channel, slowed or stopped for close to four hours, while they managed to get themselves one useable halyard.

Martinez reported today: “Of course it's sad that we got so close and then this happened, but the distance now is by no means irretrievable. If we get back to 100 miles away from them, we'll be able to start thinking about that again, but if we don't, we won't be able to think about that. Also there may be the possibility that we'd have to stop over at a port for repairs and as we said before, if it's not absolutely necessary for safety reasons, we don't want to make technical stopovers and incur 48 hour penalties.

“We already knew that if we didn't stop in New Zealand that this sort of thing could happen, because you check over all of these things on land, but our aim is still a Barcelona World Race with no stopovers.”

From leading by 77 miles at Cape Horn yesterday Virbac-Paprec 3 have stripped out a margin on MAPFRE of 252 miles.
---
still more on Mapfre's recovery and

28-metre challenge

MAPFRE are back up to speed this evening after Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez’s (ESP) successful halyard repairs last night. The pair can take heart from having successfully dealt with one of the most difficult challenges to face a short-handed sailor: a problem at the top of the 28m-high IMOCA 60 mast.
In fact MAPFRE became the fastest boat as this evening’s 2000hrs update was taken, at 20.6 knots, and taking 4 miles off race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 this afternoon. However the French team are maintaining high average speeds, clocking 18.6 knots between updates this evening to lead to 247 miles. For the Spanish duo on MAPFRE the distance will be galling, but they were determined not to give up the fight. “Of course it's sad that we got so close, but the distance now is by no means irretrievable,” commented Iker Martinez today.

Solving seemingly irretrievable problems is a key skill of the solo sailor, and a problem at the top of the rig is amongst them. An IMOCA 60 carries both masthead and fractional halyards, allowing different sails to be hoisted to different points of the mast. Masthead halyards are used to fly the Code Zeros and largest spinnakers, usually held in place once hoisted by halyard locks which are designed to withstand around 6 tonnes of load.

Generally speaking if you have a problem with one, then you can use the spare to ascend the mast and sort out the issue – the added complication for Iker and Xabi yesterday was that both masthead halyards jammed, so even if one of them was to climb up using a fractional halyard, they wouldn’t be able to reach the problem.

Climbing an IMOCA 60 rig is no simple matter in itself: MAPFRE’s is over 91ft above the water. After donning a climbing harness the options include attaching yourself to one of the working halyards – usually with a spare as a ‘safety line’ despite the fact that the ropes themselves are capable of supporting around two and a half tones. On a crewed or doublehanded boat your team mate can winch you up using the pedestal grinders and winch to raise you to the top. Singlehanded sailors use ‘ascenders’, geared pulleys which sailors can hoist themselves incrementally up a halyard, a serious physical workout to both arms and legs. The most challenging method of all is to free climb the mast, using the spreaders, and other parts of the rigging to hoist yourself up, tied to another line for safety.

“To start with we thought we would fix it in a short time and that it was a small problem, but quickly we realised we had no means to climb the mast because we did not have a halyard to pull me up. But fortunately 12 days ago when we were off New Zealand we had moused an extra halyard guide, so we decided that I would climb the mast myself and Xabi would not pull me up and would use the guide for safety,” explains Iker.

Of course, once they reach the top, the hard work has only just begun. The mast sways a huge amount in even the smallest waves, and if they let go being swung back against it can cause serious injuries and bruising, which is why race skippers carry body armour and helmets for the task.

[Doug Lord]

from race headquarters:

Having fought hard to reduce Virbac-Paprec 3’s advantage to just 202 miles yesterday evening, Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (ESP) have struggled to hold onto the French duo for periods of the day. Despite being faster than them by over a knot of average speed this afternoon at 16.9 knots the gap to MAPFRE has grown to 271 miles.


http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

[Doug Lord]

from the site:

Staying together

Virbac-Paprec 3 hold the upper hand as they close progressively towards the centre of the high pressure system. They will be monitoring its track carefully and have the option all the time today to sail a deeper angle, make further east so maintain better pressure, or perhaps even gybe out.
MAPFRE have clearly chosen the easterly route just now and will be expecting to compress all the time to the race leaders until Virbac-Paprec 3 start to emerge into the stronger wind on the north side of the high.

In direct, straight line terms the distance between Virbac 3 and MAPFRE is closer to 315 miles, but there will a lot of compression from here. We have already seen a further nine miles cut by MAPFRE this morning, averaging fiver knots quicker than the leaders and that differential will likely continue today. The high is developing, ridging more east, getting more difficult for both.

[Doug Lord]

From the race site:

Sweet and sour

It is a painful but crucial morning for second placed MAPFRE and perhaps decisive moments to savour for Virbac-Paprec 3, but in effect one of the more difficult scenarios to take in any race. Life is sweet for the leaders, but sour for the second placed duo.

The leader has emerged into the new breeze and is stripping away miles with a speed differential of over 10 knots and you are trapped with 5 knots - or less - of breeze.
Every hour you are crawling towards the exit door of the high pressure is another 10 miles to be fought back.
Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez's overnight losses amount to 86 miles, their deficit to Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron at 243.6 miles this morning, Virbac Paprec 3 making nearly 14 knots and MAPFRE stalled at less than 2 and having made just 20 miles overnight. And for the leaders it is plain sailing in SE'ly winds of around 15 kts. Could this be the final big weather feature to be negotiated before the finish

UPDATE: V3 leads by 347 miles at 1:54 Eastern. She is going four times as fast as Mapfre right now(16 vs 4).
----V3 leads by 414 miles @ 6pm Eastern.....still going about 3.5 times as fast with Mapfre stuck near the center of the high.

UPDATE: 3/11/11, 8:40AM Eastern- V3 ahead by 526 miles.

UPDATE: 3/11/11, 5:38 pm Eastern-Mapfre is now back in it going faster than V3....

Go V3!!

[Doug Lord]

from race headquarters:

“Our round-the-world ends at the far end of the world” Kito de Pavant and Seb Audigane forced to retire from the Barcelona World Race

After arriving in Ushuaia on Wednesday evening Kito de Pavant and Sébastien Audigane and their team completed the full assessment of Groupe Bel’s keel damage The appendage itself and surrounding areas inside the hull are too damaged to allow any safe chance to repair them on site and resume racing.
And so the duo has decided to abandon the Barcelona World Race and officially informed the race management this Friday at 1736hrs UTC.
The Groupe Bel Team is now organizing the return of the IMOCA Open 60 to Europe by cargo ship.
“Our round-the-world ends at the far end of the world”, said De Pavant, “an unfortunate end after two months of racing, three oceans crossed and the rounding of three capes. Stopping the race is obviously as heartbreaking for us sailors, as it is for those who share their adventures every day through what they have written and their pictures. This difficult decision was made with the support of Bel Group, which puts the safety of its men first.

[Doug Lord]

Mapfre is now going 50% faster than V3! They've whittled down V3's lead to
390 miles.....

UPDATE-3/14/11: V3 is much faster today but total separation is now down to 368 and going up...

[Doug Lord]

Mirabaud Dismasted!

Currently racing in sixth place Mirabaud was dismasted today shortly after 1600hrs UTC. At the time, the boat was sailing in difficult conditions with very rough seas. Thankfully the crew are unharmed and are currently securing the different sections of mast.
Race Direction of Barcelona World Race in Barcelona were informed of the dismasting of the IMOCA Open 60 Mirabaud at 1646 UTChrs this evening.
The yacht skippered by Dominque Wavre (SUI) and Michèle Paret (FRA) had been racing in difficult conditions since this morning, with strong headwinds and rough seas. During his daily radio transmission at 2pm, Dominique Wavre stated that the wind was strong (but not storm force) and the seas were making life very difficult.
At 1640hrs UTC he informed his shore team of the breakage during a very brief radio transmission made under extremely difficult conditions.

“We are not injured,” he reassured the head of his shore team, Magali Paret, before returning on deck to secure the different sections of the broken spar; at the time of writing this operation is still underway.
Mirabaud’s position was 650 nautical miles east of Argentina and 450 miles north of the Falkland Isles.

First reports are that mast broke above the third set of spreaders. The duo were trying to lower the sails and secure the rig as best as possible.

The weather outlook is unfavourable as the duo were starting to deal with a deep low pressure system expected over the coming hours.
Race Director Denis Horeau, has informed the MRCC (Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center) of the incident and the rescue services are closely following Mirabaud’s situation.

[Doug Lord]

from the race site: (Mapfre 456 miles behind)

Status quo

MAPFRE this morning remain in their more headed course, Virbac-Paprec 3 are more lifted and sailing faster on a more direct N’ly route and so we can expect to see their margin grow a little today perhaps. For their passage between about 16 deg S and 13 deg S it looks like MAPFRE will be slower relative to the same stretch for the race leader, but they will be starting to get into the Doldrums proper.
At present the Doldrums do look active and quite complex, with signs that they might move south a little as the SE’ly trade winds fold a little more in the south.

MAPFRE need to keep getting north as quick as possible as the Cabo Frio low moves away and skews the tradew winds more northerly.

The Doldrums are quite active with no wind to the south and the winds are almost due North to the north of the zine so there is quite a large area of no wind, if anything pushing south, nothing in way of wind to push it back north

===============
6:19pm Eastern:

Halt!

And, as predicted, the first sniff of the Doldrums, or rather the decaying trade winds, sees Virbac-Paprec 3 slow to three knots this evening and the balance once again tips back towards the 2004 Olympic champions.
Virbac-Paprec 3 makes under five knots and MAPFRE hold their speeds at over 11 knots for the moment.

Is there are option for Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez to do something different?
Iker said today:
“We've spent a few days now working out how to negotiate the area, because it will influence the ideal route further ahead. It's clear that if the distances with the entries behind stick at the current level, the climb up the Atlantic may give us the opportunity to take some risks, so we've also been looking at those possibilities for the past few days too."

“We are preparing as best we can to get through the Doldrums over the next few days and here we are, with light wind, but slowly and surely moving forward, without stopping, which is what matters," added Xabi. “We are preparing as best we can to get through the Doldrums over the next few days."
“We'll see how ‘Virbac Paprec 3’ deals with it over the next two or three days"It's also important to keep the yachts behind us at the distance they are now, and that will give us the peace of mind to finish without having too push too hard.

[Doug Lord]

V3 over 200m ahead-both Mapfre and V3 out of the doldrums, V3 .5k faster this morning:

"Only Virbac-Paprec 3 and MAPFRE currently appear to have a straightforward future, sailing upwind towards the Cape Verde islands. Their next hurdle will come as they get ever closer to the North African coastline, but for now, straight line speed is king. Over the course of the morning their pace has been just 0.5* knots different, with Virbac-Paprec 3’s advantage stretching by less than four miles, to 220."

* updated
============
3/23/11 ---from Scuttlebutt:

OPPORTUNITY AHEAD

(March 23, 2011, Day 81) - The tension of looking behind was also evident
for race leaders Virbac Paprec 3 today, as Loick Peyron (FRA) admitted to
"pleading in front of the computer like a muppet!" every time a position
report came in. The French leading duo have added just 17 miles to their
advantage over MAPFRE in the past 24 hours, as Iker Martinez and Xabi
Fernandez (ESP) pile on the pressure.

But when it comes to their planned strategy for shaking off the Spanish
pair around an imminent high pressure system, Peyron would not be drawn,
wryly commenting: "We all know there are two ways to pass a high pressure,
or two sides I should say, and we have to choose one side, in a few days,
but you are not going to know what side we're going to choose, that's for
sure!" -- Event website: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.comRace Tracker: http://tracking.barcelonaworldrace.org

Standings (top 5 of 14 as of 20:01:03)
1. Virbac-Paprec 3, Jean Pierre Dick/Loick Peyron (FRA/FRA), 2089 nm DTF
2. Mapfre, Iker Martinez/Xabi Fernandez (ESP/ESP), 249.8 nm DTL
3. Renault, Pachi Rivero/Antonio Piris (ESP/ESP), 1071.3 nm DTL
4. Estrella Damm Sailing Team,Alex Pella/Pepe Rives (ESP/ESP),1220.8 nm DTL
5. Neutrogena, Boris Herrmann/Ryan Breymaier (GER/USA), 1258.8 nm DTL

Full Rankings: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/ranking

BACKGROUND: This is the second edition of the non-stop Barcelona World
Race, the only double-handed race around the world. Fourteen teams are
competing on Open 60s which started December 31st and is expected to finish
by late March. The 25,000 nautical mile course is from Barcelona to
Barcelona via three capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn, Cook Strait,
putting Antarctica to starboard. Race website:
http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org

[Doug Lord]

from the race site:

Let’s play!

Loick Peyron and Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) have never been ones to shy away from a little psychological game-playing, and this morning was no exception as they announced that Virbac-Paprec 3 will be going into ghost mode this morning.


After teasingly explaining in yesterday’s video conference that “We all know there are two ways to pass a high pressure, and we have to choose one side in a few days, but you are not going to know what side we’re going to choose, that’s for sure!” the leaders have ensured that no-one, least of all their nearest rival MAPFRE will be able to see which tactic they opt for as they approach an expanding high pressure system en route to the Canary Islands.

Virbac-Paprec 3 notified Race Direction that they will be in ghost mode from 1000hrs (UTC) this morning, enabling them to conceal their position on the water in all rankings and position reports for 36 hours, reappearing in the results at 2000hrs tomorrow. In an email from the boat they wrote: “We’ve engaged ghost mode as of the next classification because the Atlantic Ocean is such a large playing field… so let's play!”

UPDATE: as of early 3/25/11 both Mapfre and V3 are in ghost mode-no position reports-trying to fake each other out.....

[Doug Lord]

V3 is out of ghost mode but her stats mean nothing until Mapfre comes "out" later today.
From a design standpoint it is interesting to note that the two leaders, each using a daggerboard that develops vertical lift along with lateral resistance, are approx. 800 miles ahead of third place...
V3 uses curved lifting foils originally pioneered in multihulls and Mapfre uses angled boards-angled exactly opposite of the angle used in the past: on older boats the boards were angled so that they were more or less vertical when the boat was at "X" angle of heel. On Mapfre, the opposite is the case: the boards are angled a bit more toward the horizontal allowing more vertical lift as the boat heels.

[Doug Lord]

from the site: (V3 ahead by 211 miles)

A long beat to Barcelona

Second placed MAPFRE emerged from ghost mode this afternoon having made a net gain of some 33 miles on Barcelona World Race leaders Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron.

The French duo are still very much in a controlling position on what promises to be a long windward leg to the Straits of Gibraltar, but it is the Azores high pressure which is still dictating terms to the leaders, forcing them east and on the wind.

As they approach the Canary Islands from the west, even Virbac-Paprec 3’s Loïck Peyron sounded slightly wearied today, hardly inspired by the prospect of six more days at least of windward sailing in moderate breezes, but the duo will be content to have their Spanish adversaries back ‘in vision’ this afternoon.

And while Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez may have gained a few miles as the leaders flirted closer to the centre of the prevailing anticyclone, slowed in lighter breezes, now it will be their turn to stretch slightly as they sail east, theoretically into more wind pressure.

Peyron would not be drawn on their best estimate for Gibraltar, but it looks likely for early on 1st April. With just under 1600 miles to go and a VMG of under eight knots, the final days will be a test of patience as much as skill, guile and boat speed.

MAPFRE was making east on a parallel track to Virbac-Paprec 3 this afternoon, taking each wind shift or extra pressure that they could, making at least two or three short tacks over the course of today as they step north then east, their raw boat speed slightly down on Virbac-Paprec 3 sailing in slightly lighter NE’ly trade winds.

UPDATE: 3/27/11 V3 is 242 miles in front and stretching a bit...

[Doug Lord]

from the race site: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

One Last Blast

Sounding slightly anxious this morning Jean-Pierre Dick admitted that he and Loïck Peyron have one last blast of strong winds and agitated seas to pass through before the challenges of Gibraltar, where the 2007-8 Barcelona World Race winning skipper confirms that he expects to pass during the night of Thursday 31st March to Friday 1st April. He is leaving nothing to chance, and will be remaining extra vigilant through the spell of strong winds which are set to top 40 knots, Virbac-Paprec 3 closing directly towards Essaouira on the Moroccan coast.

Today Dick and Peyron passed under the 1000 miles to the finish mark, but with the boat slamming in the short seas, and the winds set to build, the French duo were in conservation mode, perhaps paying little heed to the fact that their lead to MAPFRE increased to over 310(325.7 dl) miles this afternoon while the Spanish duo Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez were slowed as they approached the Canary Islands, setting up to pass to the south of La Palma, but losing speed in the shifty, more unsettled breezes. MAPFRE average this afternoon had dropped to 5.4 knots compared with Virbac-Paprec 3 just under 10 knots.

While Dick and Peyron were getting to grips with the prospect of their final gale, their 24 hours distance record set on January 22nd was ratified today by the WSSRC at 506.33 miles.

Jean-Pierre sounds his note of anxiety and caution:
“We are a bit anxious. We feel a bit vulnerable and the seas let you know that, but these are the dangers of the course, and so we lift the pressure a little and try not to break anything at this stage.”

For both of the leaders the wind prospects still show headwinds all the way through the Straits of Gibraltar, with a possible reprise of the strong Easterly Levante wind which slowed Paprec-Virbac 2 en route to triumph in February 2008.

[Doug Lord]

From Scuttlebutt tonight:

The World Sailing Speed Record Council has ratified a new 60 ft monohull
24 hour distance record. The new record, set by co-skippers Jean Pierre
Dick/Loick Peyron (FRA/FRA) on the Open 60 Virbac-Paprec 3 while competing
in the Barcelona World Race on January 21-22, is now 506.333 nm for an
average speed of 21.1 kts. The previous record of 501.3 nm/20.9kts was set
in 2007 by Alex Thompson/Andrew Cape (GBR/GBR) on the Open 60Hugo Boss. --

http://tinyurl.com/WSSRC-032911

[Doug Lord]

V3, 296.2 miles ahead, is about to enter the Med. From the race site:

Constant Craving

Upwind, upwind, upwind. That’s the constant, groundhog day, reality for Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron on Virbac-Paprec 3 with the prospect of an accelerated Levante, E’ly breeze for their passage of Gibraltar Straits tonight. With the addition of a strong west-east current, wind against current, it is likely to be quite an unpleasant and consistently testing passage for the French duo. Winds could top 30-35 knots at times.

But in fact at, compared to the lottery which the Med can serve up in spring and summer, the duo would probably gladly settle for the penance of a predictable slog where they can direct their efforts to prudence and vigilance rather than, after 89 days at sea, grappling with the unknown and unpredictable.

So as it stands just now Virbac-Paprec 3 will tack again back to the Moroccan coast this afternoon to make sure they are approaching the Strait hard along the coast, rather than finding themselves directly downwind of the entrance. So Virbac-Paprec 3 remain on schedule to be leaving the Strait by around 0300hrs UTC tomorrow morning. Still it looks like they will remain upwind to the latitude of Ibiza and that will be probably Sunday early morning, which keeps the finish line ETA still Monday morning, probably in very light breezes.

[Doug Lord]

from the race site:

the Gates of Enlightenment

Across his two combined Barcelona World Races French skipper Jean Pierre Dick has only ever passed the magnificent Pillars of Hercules – the 426 metres Rock of Gibraltar to the north and Morocco’s 851 metre high Jebel Musa to the south, the iconic rock monoliths which guard the narrow gateway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean in one position. First.

Eighty seven days ago on Monday January 3rd , Dick and Loïck Peyron lead the 14 boat fleet second edition of the Barcelona World Race out into the Atlantic on the blue hulled Virbac-Paprec 3. Tonight the French duo will pass back through the magnificent gates with a comfortable lead. The duo passed out into the Atlantic not knowing what their first circumnavigation together would hold for them, their minds collectively and individually a churning mix of anticipation, focus, uncertainty and anticipation.

Myth has it that the giant Atlas was given the task of supporting the weight of the World at the Pillars of Hercules, it would be fair to say Dick and Peyron will be unburdened by many of their concerns and fears once finally back into the same sea as the finish line.

As they pass back into the Mediterranean tonight, they will have earned many of their answers already, some gained weeks ago, some more recently but Peyron and Dick still have the challenge of a final 550 miles: first and foremost the busy shipping traffic funnelling through the narrow gap and awkward seas in the Strait, then the Alboran Sea and ahead of that, and the as yet undefined but almost certainly fickle breezes between the Balearics and Barcelona.

Virbac-Paprec 3is expected to pass the longitude 5 deg 37 W at around 0300hrs GMT Friday morning, with up to 35 knots of Levante wind and difficult, short, steep choppy seas kicked up by the constant current produced by the Atlantic refilling the evaporating Mediterranean.

If nothing else, the duo have also endured a new upwind marathon since the Equator, Dick confirming today to a Paris Visio-Conference that neither he nor his vastly experience co-skipper have ever spent as long on one upwind stretch. And their final tacks off the Moroccan coast this afternoon are certainly not going to be their last together, with some weather models showing windward sailing all the way to the finish line! Current ETA still has Virbac-Paprec 3 finishing Monday morning.

Dick and Peyron have a lead of 284 miles this afternoon, enough to ensure that they do not need to press the foot unnecessarily hard on the accelerator. MAPFRE’s Iker Martinez said today that they expect to be passing Gibraltar on Saturday with the prospect a reaching and downwind approach.

[Doug Lord]

The following is brought to you by Scuttlebutt Europe on April First, 2011( http://scuttlebutteurope.com/ ):

Virbac-Paprec 3 Dismasted at Gibraltar
Loick Peyron, photo by Virbac Paprec 3. Click on image to enlarge.

In a stunning development in the Barcelona World Race, Virbac-Paprec 3, skippered by Loick Peyron and Jean-Pierre Dick, has dismasted at the straits of Gibraltar, just after passing the Pillars of Hercules. Both crewmen are unharmed, but had to cut the rig free and have little left to create a jury rig for the final 600 miles to go to the finish.

Jean-Pierre Dick: "I'm just shattered by this. We were so close, and we've led this race since day one. But we're not done yet. We've got a bit of a stump of mast, and a lot of line, I swear if we have to sail naked to Barcelona and use all our clothing as sails we'll do it."

Loick Peyron was a bit more philosophical in a live radio interview with race HQ: "F*****g bloody god**** piece of s*** f*****g spar. I can't wait to get back to port and find the as***** engineer who f*****g built this thing. F*** if I will lose this to those Spaniards, I'll put a painter in my teeth and f*****g tow this piece of s*** 600 miles. I'll tear up the f*****g deck and turn pieces of it into oars god**** it. There's nothing in the rulebook that says we have to finish under sail. And I may have found a loophole in the rules about using the engine. It states that we cannot use the engine to make forward progress. I'll put the f*****g thing in reverse and back this craptacular floating piece of s*** all the way to Barcelona...

Closing in on the beleagured Frenchmen are Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez aboard MAPFRE, now within 200 miles of the leader.

"Our hearts go out to our friends Jean-Pierre and Loick", said Martinez. "Xabi and I both talked this over this morning, and we're prepared to just drop anchor and let the deserving winners of this race get to Barcelona under jury rig.... NOT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA.... Sweet revenge for Peninsular War of 1808, here's hoping that sawed-off frog Napoleon is turning in his grave. I've ALWAYS hated the French..."

Fernandez added "we'll be sure to sail right past them, literally and figuratively within spitting distance. I already know what I'll shout to them. It's from Monty Python... 'I fart in your general direction'.

Yes, it must be April First in England.... if in the mood,please direct your outrage to: http://scuttlebutteurope.com/
www.barcelonaworldrace.org

[Doug Lord]

from the race site:

Less ahead, more behind.

In any race, any sport, one moment of security arrives when the leader is closer to the finish than the next rival is behind them. That point should arrive this morning for Virbac-Paprec 3. Light conditions now for Virbac-Paprec 3 as Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron diverge away from the coast of Almeria after their coastal hopping through the bays of yesterday afternoon and evening. The Barcelona World Race leaders twice tacked only two miles off the coast yesterday but today the French duo are pursuing the slightly stronger southerly breeze which is further offshore
This early morning Dick and Peyron look to only have a light NE’ly breeze but are still making 10 knots with 305 miles to sail to Barcelona’s finish line (at 0400hrs GMT). And so this morning the leaders should pass what some consider an important psychological milestone, when they will be closer to the finish than their nearest opposition MAPFRE are to them.

With 32 miles to Gibraltar this morning Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez on MAPFRE are making 9-10 knots and appear to be upwind in easterly breezes which will remain light until this afternoon or evening.

[Doug Lord]

from the race site(12:36pm Eastern):

MAPFRE in the Mediterranean

MAPFRE crossed the longitude of Gibraltar this morning at 0740hrs, 1 day 6 hours and 5 minutes after Virbac-Paprec 3.
There is some discrepancy between the European and US models for the area of the western Mediterranean and the final routing for the race leaders as the easterly breeze diverges at the Balearics and so to some extent the question for Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron is how far they go east to find the additional pressure.
A very shallow low sets up over the Iberian peninsula later today and that will make for the SE’ly expiring a bit and very light, variable conditions overnight and then especially up from the Balearics, but as it stands just now the ETA for Virbac-Paprec 3 thus falls into the range between 1800hrs Sunday evening and 0700hrs Monday morning, with the likelihood being greater of mid to late Sunday evening.
The high pressure in the west of the peninsula does become increasingly established Sunday which will mean mainly upwind conditions tomorrow for Iker and Xabi
For now MAPFRE are looking at a residual squirt of Levant Easterly in their face, up to 20 knots for the Straits but then it is likely to be much lighter as they breach the Alboran and for much of today and this afternoon. And so through this morning and afternoon we will likely see the lead of Virbac-Paprec 3 mount up again.

[Doug Lord]

from the race site 3:00PM Eastern today:

scorchio!

Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron may be on track to win the second edition of the Barcelona World Race but the French duo this afternoon were experiencing the other extreme of the Mediterranean in Spring.

Only hours after slamming upwind through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea in a combination of sea and wind conditions which were considered by the skippers, and – from a distance – the co-designer of the successful IMOCA Open 60 – as potentially boat damaging.

“I have to say I was a bit stressed by the weather yesterday, and so were they apparently. It was perfect for breaking the boat at the last moment and that would have been so unfair.” Commented Guillaume Verdier, of the partnership between VPLP/Verdier which designed the Virbac-Paprec 3.

On what should be their penultimate afternoon together on board, with some 265 miles to go to the finish, in place of Friday’s final gale and the short slamming seas was an almost millpond like calm, gently slatting sails and fierce, warm sunshine. Some forty miles off Murcia’s Cartagena were truly scotched, or double scotched, stuck to the sea, polled at 0.4 of a knot (‘almost backwards according to Peyron).

The new sixty foot 24 hour world speed record holders made a sedentary 3.3 miles over the five hours to 1400hrs UTC this afternoon. Winning is as much about being able to cope with the extremes. With a lead of 217 miles over second placed MAPFRE and 263.4 miles to the finish Peyron – who should be in the throes of winning his first round the world race – took a cooling swim in the Med.

Virbac-Paprec 3 are expected in Barcelona between 1800hrs Sunday night and 0700hrs Monday morning.

Of his second Barcelona World Race Dick said:

“ The competition was tougher this time with a rival from the start in Foncia and then starting from New Zealand we tussled with MAPFRE and with them through to the end. This race was more difficult, I think. I had the feeling we could be beaten at any times. In the Indian we were isolated a little bit. As for the course it had changed a bit. What changed are the safety gates for the ice which were a bit high. And that changed the complexion of the race. The weather was warm in the Indian.

Loïck was bare chested at the helm at in the South at 46 deg S, with Damian we went down to 54 deg S. And the other difference was the presence of Loïck. Between the Latin character of Loïck and the Anglo-Saxon of Damian there are obviously differences, though both are very cool. They are two beautiful experiences.”

In fact it seems likely that the duo will still be struggling in light winds this evening when the race record of 92 days and 9 hours, which was set by Dick and Damian Foxall, passes around 1900hrs UTC. Other than the aggregate 66 hours which Virbac-Paprec 3 was stopped by technical issues in Recife and Wellington, the theoretical course for this second edition is 520 miles longer.

Second placed MAPFRE passed the longitude of Gibraltar at 0740hrs this morning ready to experience their own Med slow-down as they approached light winds in the Alboaran Sea, but despite the close to ideal course and 13 knots speed made today by Renault Z.E Sailing Team , which has held third place since passing Wellington on 21st February , Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris remain 728 miles behind the Spanish Olympic medallists.

[Doug Lord]

from the race site:

Sunday afternoon could shape arrival time?

For Virbac-Paprec 3 and their final miles to Barcelona today really the last of the SE;ly wind band is at the Balearics just now and then it more or less disappears. North of Mallorca it is really light so it seems Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron will be very slow through Sunday afternoon today.
As the high moves slowly across the new NE’ly Gregal which is always stronger in Girona and Cape Creus, building to the NE of Barcelona, but it often struggles to get as far down the coast as Barcelona.

But, according to the race’s meteo guru Marcel van Triest, the NE’ly will be what gets Virbac-Paprec 3 across the finish line and should prevent a driftathon 40 miles or so off the coast in absolutely nothing. But this NE’ly is still likely to diminish overnight and be killed more, perhaps, by the early morning drainage breeze.

The key period which will really define what the finish time window actually is will be through the early and middle part of this afternoon. If they can keep moving north at even small knots that could be enough to bring them in during the early part of the ETA range, whereas if they are scotched again, stuck to the spot, for any length of time then it will be later in the forecasted range.

In second place MAPFRE are really no quicker than the leaders and are still at least 48 hours out from finishing. It will be light for Iker and Xabi through the morning but then the new NE’ly gets down to them, but really for them no big chance for the Spanish Olympians to get in at speed. When they do get the breeze it will be upwind for them.

[Doug Lord]

from the race site:

For One Night Only

Just as tomorrow morning should be just part of the reward for a job well done, so their last night at sea together will be one to savour and reflect for Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron.

In terms of the total course distance, 25,200 miles and their 93 days since leaving Barcelona, the final 89 miles which the French duo had to still complete at 1400hrs UTC is but the blink of an eye, but Dick and Peyron with a lead of 247 miles to second place will enjoy a serene final night at sea anticipating the huge release the finish line will bring and the frenzy which inevitably follows.

Nicoise skipper Dick has a better idea of what awaits having enjoyed the warm welcome from the Catalan capital which he received in February 2008 when he won the first edition of the race with Damian Foxall, but for Peyron – despite dozens of accolades and honours offshore and inshore – it will be his first round-the-world triumph in an ocean racing career spanning more than 30 years.

He claimed today that one of his plans for the final 24 hours was to sleep as much as he can, while Dick – who has admitted in the past that he is something of a hard driving perfectionist who struggles to ease off – looked much more relaxed today, knowing that their three month marathon is all but over with the main goal nearly completed.

“ MAPFRE is a respectable distance behind and so I think we can say we have almost won. We can touch victory!” smiled Dick.

After a slow passage north of the Balearics this afternoon the duo are now expected to break the finish line at around breakfast time Monday morning
==========================
==========================
UPDATE: 12:57AM EDT Monday

Barcelona waits......

Making their final miles north towards glory Virbac-Paprec 3 have had a slow but steady final night at sea, averaging aroind 5-7kts, but latest reports had the boat slowing down progressively. Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron reported this morning that they have a very light NE'ly breeze and at 0430hrs UTC/0630hrs local Barcelona were still 25 miles from the finish.



LIVE COVERAGE OF THE FINISH OF THE FIRST BOAT INTO BARCELONA WILL BEGIN AT +30 MINS BEFORE THE FINISH LINE.

Check the site here: http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/index.php

Earliest finish about 5AM Monday-likely finish between 5AM-7AM Monday EDT

[Doug Lord]

The first monohull keelboat using curved lifting foils to win a round the world race is Virbac-Paprec 3! From the race site:

to victory

Breaking the finish line this Monday morning at 10hrs 20mins 36 seconds (UTC) Jean-Pierre Dick (45) and Loïck Peyron (51) have won the second edition of the Barcelona World Race on Virbac-Paprec 3, completing the 25,200 miles round the world race in 93 days, 22 hours, 20 mins and 36 seconds at an average speed of 11.18 knots.

For Jean-Pierre Dick the victory repeats his 2007-08 triumph in the inaugural edition of the round the world race for crews of two, when he won with Irish co-skipper Damian Foxall. Today’s win also adds an elusive round the world victory to Peyron’s two previous podium finishes, each ten years apart - second in 1989-90 in the inaugural Vendée Globe solo round the world race, and second in The Race in 2000, for fully crewed giant multihulls.

The French duo highlighted their drive and pace when they set a new 24-hour speed record for IMOCA Open 60-footers of 506.33 miles on January 22nd (average speed 21.1kts)

Without doubt the success of their proven partnership amounts to more than the sum of its parts, even given Peyron’s 30 years of ocean racing successes and Dick’s incredible durability, his appetite for short handed and solo racing, his meticulous, scientific approach and delivery, and his remarkable trajectory towards the top of this exacting and demanding sailing discipline.

Their partnership has never been beaten on the oceans, winning the Transat Jacques Vabre together in 2005 when Dick defended the title he won with Nicolas Abiven. Dick, previously a full time business director who only really turned ‘professional’ in 2002, has joined the elite ranks of Michel Desjoyeaux and Bernard Stamm as the only skippers to have won two solo or two-handed round the world races.

Their winning course displays all the polished hallmarks of a near perfect execution. Their meteo and navigation strategy in each sea and each ocean, around the classic course, which takes in the three great Capes – Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn but which, uniquely for the genre, climbs from the south Pacific through the Cook Strait before descending just as quickly back to the hostile ocean – has been almost faultless.

The raw speed of Dick’s newest generation VPLP/designed IMOCA Open 60, launched in May last year in Auckland and with which he plans to challenge for the 2012 Vendée Globe, is now proven. As is the duo’s skill to sail it at the limit for long periods when pressed, but so too is their ability to sail defensively, maintaining high averages to preserve themselves and the boat in more extreme conditions.

Such attributes are underpinned by both skippers sharing the same bitter experience of retiring from the 2008-09 Vendée Globe with damage, both leading at different stages. Peyron spent more time in the lead than anyone before his mast broke, and Dick led in the Indian Ocean before sustaining rudder damage.

Though they made two technical stops for repairs, amounting to a time-out total of 63 hours in Brazil and Wellington, New Zealand, the Virbac-Paprec 3 pair stayed the course to fulfil their ranking as one of the pre-race favourites. Of the 14 IMOCA Open 60s which started off Barcelona on 31st December, four of which were otherwise considered potential winners or podium contenders, Président, Foncia, Groupe Bel and Mirabuad all retired with mast or keel failures.

Dick and Peyron led the race out through the Straits of Gibraltar on January 3rd and after re-taking the lead on January 23rd were never passed. The thrilling duel with Michel Desjoyeaux and Francois Gabart, which forced the red line higher and higher, came to an end when Foncia broke their topmast early on the morning of 25th January.

But Spain’s double Olympic 49er medallists Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez in their first ever IMOCA Open 60 race as a duo had been second since Foncia withdrew. From Virbac-Paprec 3’s largest lead of 781 miles over MAPFRE on February 7, the Spanish pair pressed the leaders relentlessly, getting to within 8.3 miles of Dick and Peyron in the Pacific on 25th February. But, with a beautifully precise 30-mile hitch to the east to set up early in the South Atlantic high pressure system, the winners avoided the very worst of the light winds and made the better passage of the dominant anticyclone.

Though their difficult return through the Doldrums was as long, slow and challenging as either Dick or Peyron could recall over their careers, Virbac-Paprec 3 emerged with an advantage to build on over a final 16-day marathon upwind slog to lead back into Gibraltar.

Speaking on the boat immediately after the finish, Jean-Pierre Dick commented: “This round the world race has been a mixture of lots of little things. We already knew each other a little and it was the joint experience of both of us skippers as individuals which was key to winning.

“There are a number of different images that will stay with me from the race. Cape Horn in particular, I have never been that close to it and we could really experience it directly being so close to land. Patagonia is magical – that is my most special moment.

“We are in good shape after the whole three months, and adapted to Loick’s pace. With Damian it was a lot stricter – in Anglo Saxon style!”

Co-skipper Loïck Peyron added: “It has been exceptional. My third round the world race. The first time was solo, the second with a team and this third time double-handed. And we have won – we led the race in spite of some tough competition. It was a fantastic experience and it is a fabulous feeling to finish and finish so well.

“Success comes from true cohesion – and we are both complementary. The savoir – faire of the solo sailing world means you really trust the other person. Success is also about having a good machine at your feet. We made a mistake last night – it was probably us relaxing a little before the arrival, but we did a good job.

“My most important memories are of the albatross – they are quite unique in the world and that part of the planet and we were lucky enough to see them.

“It has been a real example of team work by the ‘family’. It is a beautiful example of unity and I am delighted to have had the chance to experience it.”

[Doug Lord]

from the race site:

word from the winners


First quotes from Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron as Virbac-Paprec 3 cross the finish line and arrive on the dock as Barcelona World Race winners...

Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA):

"[I feel] a lot of emotions, quite indescribable, I am so happy to be here. I had my objective and today it has been satisfied. It is magical the way we won it together. Thanks Loïck for doing this race with me and putting up with me, magical to live three months among nature around the world, living our passion, and technologically it’s quite special. Thank-you and thank-you Barcelona for this race, it is ideal. Double handed around the world is fantastic. Thank-you also to my sponsors, I am very proud to have these people with me.”

“This round the world race has been a mixture of lots of little things. We already knew each other and it was the joint experience of both of us skippers as individuals which was key to winning.

“We have a really good team, mutual understanding and great respect. We have known each other for a long time and it is for me a huge privilege to have been able to sail around the world with Loïck. A wonderful experience. We both wanted to win of course and our cohesion was focused on this victory.”

Asked if he would consider a third race: “I love Barcelona but I want to celebrate this first and then we will see. The Barcelona World Race is a magical race, it is a wonderful concept: double handed, with sunsets, whales, albatross – to be able to share this natural experience when you are passionate about the sea and can live this passion it is amazing."

The (winning) difference: a new boat, the return delivery from New Zealand. The boat is very new but it is very powerful and reliable. The timings, the schedule was good, and that is the key. We also had a bit of luck it should be said.”

“It is a great moment for me after three years of not winning; it was quite frustrating having to abandon the Vendée Globe when ahead, and then there was a year and a half wait whilst the boat was being built. To be successful and have fulfilled my objective iswonderful.

“There are a number of different images that will stay with me from the race. Cape Horn in particular, I have never been that close to it and we could really experience it directly being so close to land. Patagonia is magical – that is my most special moment.”

Loïck Peyron (FRA):

“It has been exceptional. My third round the world race. The first time was solo, the second with a team and this third time double-handed. And we have won – we led the race in spite of some tough competition. It was a fantastic experience and it is a fabulous feeling to finish and finish so well.

“Success comes from true cohesion – and we are both complementary. The savoir-faire of the solo sailing world means you really trust the other person. Success is also about having a good machine at your feet. We made a mistake last night – it was probably us relaxing a little before the arrival, but we did a good job.

“My most important memories are of the albatross – they are quite unique in the world and that part of the planet and we were lucky enough to see them.

“It has been a real example of teamwork by the ‘family’. It is a beautiful example of unity and I am delighted to have had the chance to experience it.

“It is magical to be in Barcelona again. The last time was with The Race and it is wonderful to be back again and this time with another beautiful story.”

click on image:

[Doug Lord]

from Scuttlebutt Europe this morning:

Are the Barcelona Rules a Threat to Safety?

As the leaders of the Barcelona World Race finish their circumnavigation, the tail end yacht is half the world behind and perilously isolated in the Southern Ocean. It has highlighted a serious loophole in the race rules that threatens to undermine the event's safety, one the race director agrees needs to be changed.

Yesterday Fran Palacio and Juan Merediz on Central Lechera Asturiana reported 60 knots of wind and a huge sea state as they battled their way back to New Zealand with a broken ring frame. It follows 25 days in port in Wellington in March as the pair had their broken mast rebuilt by Southern Spars and made other major repairs.

This lengthy stop left them nearly 5,000 miles behind the next placed boat and saw them returning to the Southern Ocean dangerously late in its autumn season.

Renewed pressure is being put on the pair to retire from the race. Race director Denis Horeau told me: "It's a nonsense. It puts everybody in a bad situation: the competitors and the organisers."

The rules of the Barcelona World Race state that yachts making a stop for repairs after Tasmania must take a 48-hour time penalty, but nowhere do they refer to a maximum time in port. It was simply never envisaged that a crew would spend almost a month carrying out a mini refit, although in hindsight the option was going to appeal most to tailenders whose victory is in finishing the course.

This situation underlines several serious anomalies in the race rules, and a continued blurring of the concept of self-sufficiency. Asked if he thinks the rules need to be changed, Denis Horeau replies: "Yes, they must change, absolutely. It is very bad."

He takes out a ring binder with the Notice of Race and points to rule number 1.2, which clearly states that the Barcelona World Race is 'a non-stop round the world race, without assistance'. Yet elsewhere, stops are allowed for and assistance permitted...

... Quite apart from the obvious safety implications, this is puzzling to the public and appears to put commercial considerations above safety.

Full editorial by Elaine Bunting on her blog:
www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/

[Doug Lord]

From Scuttlebutt Europe today:

History Made For Two

Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella sailed into the record books this morning when their Owen Clarke designed IMOCA Open 60 GAES Centros Auditivos broke the finish line of the Barcelona World Race in sixth place, stopping the clock at 07.17.18hrs UTC for an elapsed time of 102 days, 19 hours, 17 minutes and 18 seconds.

The morning was chill with dark grey clouds hanging low over the Barcelona skyline as the GAES Chicas sailed their final miles upwind, but their smiles radiated their sheer happiness from several miles before the line: "We were unable to sleep last night because of the nerves and emotions." Confessed Anna Corbella this morning, jubilant to have completed the Barcelona World Race.

Caffari,who has more experience of such race and record finishes, was nonetheless rendered almost speechless by the warmth of the welcome offered her by Corbella's home city.

Corbella becomes the first Spanish woman ever to sail and race non stop around the world, while the unstoppable Caffari maintains her remarkable record in the extreme discipline of short-handed and solo ocean racing, by completing her fourth circumnavigation since she first went all the way around the globe in 2004-5. No other sailor in the world has sailed around the world more often in the last six years!

Dee Caffari extends her world record to become the only woman ever to have completed four circumnavigations, adding a second non-stop eastabouts racing passage to her sixth place in the epic 2008-9 Vendee Globe. And she returns to Barcelona a much more balanced individual having sailed twice westabouts, upwind against the prevailing winds and current, and now twice ' the right way' eastbouts - Cape of Good Hope to Cape Leeuwin to Cape Horn and back to Barcelona. And Caffari has her sights absolutely set on a fifth, as she targets the 2012-13 Vendee Globe.

Since her 2004-5 Global Challenge race, Caffari's record has been incredible especially considering she made a quick transition to the IMOCA Open 60 only in 2007, a complete culture change from her 178 days solo against the winds and current record of 2005-6.

GAES Centros Auditivos crossed the finish line to complete their Barcelona World Race at 07.17.18hrs UTC on Monday April 13th. Their elapsed time for the course was 102 days, 19 hours, 17 minutes and 18 seconds, an average speed for the course of 10.219kts for the 25,200 miles theoretical course. They sailed an actual course of 28,653 miles, at an average 11.61 knots.
www.barcelonaworldrace.org

[Doug Lord]

From Scuttlebutt tonight:

CLOSURE


A story in Scuttlebutt 3318 by Elaine Bunting (Don't Leave The Lights On
For Tailenders) noted how the rules of the Barcelona World Race make note
of minimum time penalties for teams that stop for repairs, but not maximum
time penalties. It was simply never envisaged that a crew would spend
almost a month carrying out a mini refit, although in hindsight the option
was going to appeal most to tailenders whose victory is in finishing the
course.

But that's what happened when the last place team of Fran Palacio and Juan
Merediz on Central Lechera went to port in Wellington (NZL) to have their
broken mast rebuilt and major hull structure repairs made. Other than the
race officials seeking to conclude a race that saw its first finisher on
April 4th, there was nothing to keep this team from sailing two more months
toward the finish. But then Mother Nature spoke.

In New Zealand, the Spanish team now confirms their retirement because of
safety fears if they were to repair and carry on. While their damage could
be repaired by the team, the onset of Southern winter in the Pacific
crossing and especially for a Cape Horn passage would be extremely tough
and is considered much too risky. -- http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en

INTERESTING: It should be noted that an experienced doublehanded team
decided this stretch of ocean was too dangerous, while nearly a year ago
the young solo sailor Abby Sunderland did not. Sunderland, who was seeking
to be the youngest person to complete a circumnavigation, needed to be
rescued last June when winter storms in the Indian Ocean broke her mast and
required the abandonment of her boat. Did I mention that this week Abby is
now promoting her book on the adventure? -- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt
editor

[Doug Lord]

from Scuttlebutt tonight:

* With the completion of the Barcelona World Race, the 2010 rankings in the
IMOCA Open 60 class find Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) on top. Each
year, the IMOCA class draws up its rankings based on the results of the
previous two years, with these rankings using the results from the 2009
Istanbul Europa Race, the 2009 Transat Jacques Vabre, the 2010 Route du
Rhum and the 2010 Barcelona World Race. Full report:
http://tinyurl.com/IMOCA-042811