Vendée Globe 2020

.. and the video of Sébastien Simon showing the damage and the water inside. He is going North with its storm jib to catch more easy weather and sea state and try a repair.
Actualités - Vendée Globe https://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/actualites

 

Another UFO victim, Sam Davies / Initiatives Coeur....! In the last Vendée Globe 2016, there were 5 abandons + Hugo Boss loss of a foil due to UFO, presently we have already 4 victims and not the least : Charal, Hugo Boss, Arkea Paprec and Initiatives Coeur ! In Brest Atlantiques 2019, 3 / 4 Ultims were hitted. In the present Trophée Jules Verne, Gitana 17 stopped its tentattive due to an UFO.
News - Sam Davies' Initiatives Coeur Has Hit A Floating Object And Is Heading North - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

Sam Davies "That was a violent impact on the keel" :
News - Sam Davies, 'It was violent' - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

I have to wonder what they are all hitting.I doubt that they are all finding containers or that they are all giving whales a headache.I have seen a few boats that had small transparent panels embedded in the hull for inspecting keel and rudder fouling,would such a thing be of benefit to an IMOCA 60 or would it be covered with fouling quite quickly in tropical water temperatures?

 

I think they are mostly hitting soft goods like nets and lines. But don't rule out fish. I hit a big sawfish once and was thrown forward of the mast onto the foredeck and nearly off the bow. It was rather pissed, and after about 15 seconds it turned back on me and attacked the boat. And I recall an Atlantic sailing record attempt that had to unstick a Mola Mola that had gotten folded around it's keel. Hitting 5000 pounds of fish at 25 knots will get your attention. Hitting 600 pound turtles wouldn't do foils much good, either.

 

This morning successful recovery of Kevin Escoffier by the French Frigate Nivose, Jean Le Cam again in solo in the race :
Actualités - Débarquement réussi pour Kevin Escoffier - Vendée Globe https://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/actualites/20833/debarquement-reussi-pour-kevin-escoffier
First gybe of the leader Apivia to take advantage of the N-W wind , still with more than 200 NM on the followers Linkedout and Bureau Vallée which had auto pilot problem to solve. Occitane is unfortunately glued in light winds at Cap Good Hope level, loosing the benefice of its on progress come back.
Tracking : Cartographie - Vendée Globe https://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/cartographie

 

And there's film -

 

Louis Burton seems blocked in his too South option, beautiful consistence of Isabelle Joschke, Occitane / Armel Tripon try to go as fast as possible to avoid the Low coming from Africa with can means upwind for his followers :
Race analysis : News - Choice Not Chance - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

A great text of Pip Hare on how she solved a broken tack line problem and safed that :
News - Pip Hare 'Fear Cannot Take Control.' - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Leader Charlie Dalin soon in stormy winds.
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

what impressed during the last days and weeks was Armel Tripon's charge from the back of the fleet after his technical issues.
he was doing the most miles over 24 hrs for a couple of days and has caught up on other foilers (even if older boats) and left them in his wake.

Dolfiman, philSweet:
that was my virtual boat before hitting storm Theta around the 12 th of Nov in pos 323... ;-)

 

Capt vimes, great to have hitted a 323 ranking in the virtual race, I put you and PhilSweet (Philip17) on my display(my virtual being Dolfisud) , you are the two boats with a green tag in the picture, you are doing better than me, being presently far behind you in light winds :


Occitane / Armel Tripon has a favorable meteo situation of which she could catch all the benefice thanks to its speed and his effort. Is that sufficient to see him back in the game through joining the top 12 ? too early to say that. I would like also to highlight the performance of OMIA Water Family / Benjamin Dutreux, probably one of the lowest budget of the fleet, he just could buy some new sails in September at the last minute. And now ranking 5th at a mere 315 NM behind the leader Apivia, that'great !
About benjamin Dutreux and his "old" boat : Benjamin DUTREUX - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Tracking : Cartographie - Vendée Globe (vendeeglobe.org)

 

I have polopolo, with the correct rating, located 200 miles NNW of you, Dolfiman.

 

I understand that capt vimes (Austria) is the virtual boat of capt vimes , presently about 100 NM in front of you, Philsweet. Polopolo is a swiss boat. I am right ?

 

I misunderstood the screen grab. It shows polopolo on the ribbon, but that was apparently the lead boat at the time, not capt vimes.

 

Apivia seems to have a loss of speed during its current starboard tack.
Tracking : Cartographie - Vendée Globe https://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/cartographie