Ultim Tri Macif round the world in solo

Yes, your picture explains more or less what the righting arm is. Thanks Doug for your explanations.

 

Yes, and moreover, with average speed of 20 to 30 knots, an Ultim can go at the same speed as the front of a low and so takes advantage of it during a long time.

During the last 24 h, average 30,4 knots and 4,1 h of sleeping time, amazing figures !!!

 

How Francois Gabart sleeps with a sheet in hand ready to ease, in 1:29 to 1:38 of the video :
http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/actus/bilan-de-premiere-semaine-de-mer/

 

After repairing a mainsail battens while progressing at 15 knots with 2 jibs (video here below), an average 33,6 Knots during the last 24h, 805,4 NM !!! With these Ultims, we really enter a new era.
http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/actus/reparation-a-bord-trimaran-macif-images/

 

At the moment I write it : 850,9 NM in the last 24h, so an average speed of 35,45 Knots.

 

Just moving this link further down the thread for my own convenience

 

In this video from 1:03 to 1:14, Francois Gabart shows on the screen the position of icebergs very north (blue points on the map) and J-Y Bernot his router explains that he should sail in a small corridor between a High and these icebergs, so leading to some jibing.
Émilien Lavigne also in this video is a PhD student of which theme is on-board electronics and especillay automatic pilot.

http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/actus/folle-journee-de-francois-gabart/

And the current cartography shows this tactic :
http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/cartographie

 

That is just way too cool.

 

Next challenge ahead : a Low with 50 knots wind and 10m wave heights, to avoid absolutely, even by slowing down the boat if necessary, see the meteo map on this video :
http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/actus/temps-de-sennuyer-a-bord-trimaran-macif/

Cartography :
Cartographie - Macif Course au Large http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/cartographie

About iceberg detection, how CLS (the company in charge) proceeds :
Responsible for racing projects at CLS, Sophie Besnard explains how this detection works:
"We did a first analysis of the situation before the departure by using satellite altimetry techniques which make it possible to calculate the average level of the seas and to see the obstacles on the sea, but also with optical sensors which locate some icebergs. Then, when we detect zones, we come to confirm them with a third type of satellite technology, the radar images, which must be programmed, which allow us, on a square 500 km by 500 usually, to identify icebergs of 80 to 100 meters minimum. It is therefore not possible (this would require a greater resolution of the image, therefore astronomical costs) to detect icebergs of less than 80 meters, hence a complementary technique, used during a record, which gives forecasts to 5- 6 days: "Once we have observed a large iceberg, we have a numerical model that simulates drift, melting and dislocation, taking into account winds, currents and sea state. That allows us to draw a circle around this iceberg including all the growlers it will swarm and thus delimit an area of risk to avoid."
Sailing - Adventure - Ice zone in approach - CLS https://www.cls.fr/en/sailing-adventure-ice-zone-in-approach/

 

FG is positioning his boat behind a Low in order to recover asap downwinds allowing to go fast again with an optimal VMG. Video of the day : first Albatros, some rough sea
Le récap' du 15ème jour du tour du monde en images - Macif Course au Large http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/actus/recap-15eme-jour-tour-monde-images/
Cartography :
Cartographie - Macif Course au Large http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/cartographie

 

Macif is currently in a quite tricky phase due to a complex meteo map moreover not evolving as expected by the simulations. Option was taken this week-end to go down South to join the direct orthodromy route instead of staying north of Kerguelen, by hoping for winds allowing more VMG with less sea state. But with the risk of icebergs on this route ...
Cartography, you can see the zig zag route since Good Hope longitude : Cartographie - Macif Course au Large https://www.macifcourseaularge.com/cartographie

 

Macif now again in a long run in an increasing wind, with the need to go fast enough to stay ahead of stronger wind and sea state (yellow zones of the meteo map showed by J-Y Bernot in this video) :
http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/actus/tour-monde-solitaire-on-partis-long-run-de-vitesse/

The cartography :
Cartographie - Macif Course au Large https://www.macifcourseaularge.com/cartographie

 

François Gabart last message about the gennaker lower manoeuver which almost did not work ! :

"I speedily run under a large sail and a large gennaker ... The wind is freshening (the air is already cool ... little more than 2-3 ° C ...) and is oriented towards the North . It's a good sign: the Low I'm coming for here, so close to Antarctica, is approaching. I will finally be able to regain speed and return to more human latitudes. It is time to drop this large gennaker to reduce sail.
I'm confident. It has been several hours since I repeat the maneuver in my head to achieve, I hope, a quick and efficient change of sail. I remove several cloth layers: there will be sports !
I start turning the cranks to roll the sail ... It's hard ... very hard ... well, am I so tired ?? A glance at the bow makes me understand that my arms are fine: the furling system has rolled up on itself! It's a shame, we ask it to furl, not to roll on itself !! I try again, in one direction, then in the other. Nothing ... My gennaker is at work and I do not really know how to lower it. It is that the sail is large, a few hundred square meters. It needs at least a tennis court area to be able to spread it all along. What I do not have naturally on my sailboat. Suddenly I find that the Low is approaching (too) quickly! My only escape downwind is a cul de sac towards the Antarctic ice floe, which also seems to be getting close (too!) quickly ...
I must find a solution. Either try to lower the sail without furling it, with all the difficulties that it represents, and the risk of losing the sail here if a small piece of canvas licks the surface of the icy water. Either find another furling system. It will be a sweet mix of both ...
After a few long minutes where doubts are chased by effort and action, I can somehow fall down a large part of the sail on the trampoline. The lower part of the sail attached to the furler at the bow is then under less tension. I can block it and try again to intervene on the furling system. It will take several attempts to remove the cursed rotations but the 3rd one is the good and I finally manage to put the system back operational. The continuation of the maneuver, classic, seems to me of a disconcerting ease with the rest of adrenaline in my blood and the relief of not having to leave a sail in the kingdom of the albatrosses."

Now back to over 30 Knots speed, current cartography :
Cartographie - Macif Course au Large https://www.macifcourseaularge.com/cartographie

PS : I asked Macif administrator site to propose English version of the news + an english video message of François when south of Australia - New Zeland.

 

Man, that could have been a disaster! Thanks for following his progress and for the updates...

 

Average 33+ knots speed during the last 24h, Macif is "surfing" the front of an area of strong winds (tomorrow expected 40 knots winds and 4 to 5m waves heights), hopes to go fast like this up to South Tasmania.
Video of the day with meteo map and ,if you fix the 00:56 image, you can see email exchanges about icebergs expected locations up the Horn (the word "sentinel" in the text is for the Sentinels constellation of earth/ocean observation satellites of the Copernicus programme) :
Tour du monde en solitaire: Le récap' du jour en images ! - Macif Course au Large http://www.macifcourseaularge.com/actus/tour-monde-solitaire-recap-jour-images-2/

Copernicus Sentinels : Sentinels http://www.copernicus.eu/main/sentinels
Iceberg detection : Iceberg - You are not alone anymore https://race.cls.fr/how-does-it-work/iceberg/

Cartography :
Cartographie - Macif Course au Large https://www.macifcourseaularge.com/cartographie