Vendée Globe 2020

philSweet,
No, I was thinking of the post that preceded mine:

 

Great achievement for Maître Coq IV / Yannick Bestaven first at Cape Horn, he did it without flinching and at an incredible speed, averaging 18,7 Knots for the last 24h, despite these strong conditions. I suppose that kind of speed can be possible on long and regular enough waves, even of height 8 m and wind 45 Knots as he reported, it is stunning anyway !
News - Deliverance! Yannick Bestaven First At Cape Horn - Vendée Globe - En https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/21436/deliverance-yannick-bestaven-first-at-cape-horn
In French but with the on board video :
Actualités - Maître CoQ IV en tête au cap Horn ! - Vendée Globe https://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/actualites/21432/maitre-coq-iv-en-tete-au-cap-horn
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/tracking-map

 

I am awestruck by how close the pack from 3rd to 10th remain after so much racing.Simply sailing non-stop around the globe is pretty epic,to do so in racing conditions and to maintain this level of performance is phenomenal.I think we should be thankful for the level of technology that keeps us informed of how well the boats are doing and relaying high quality video and audio to keep observers informed.Its just unfortunate that some of the rudder angle indicators are a bit less reliable.That has to be something to work on before the next edition .

 

I have just read the report about Isabelle Joschke having problems with her keel tilting mechanism.Really an unfortunate blow to her chances as she was doing outstandingly well in the last few days.It seems to be safe for her to continue,but I suppose she will be vulnerable to the chasing boats.

 

Yes, really sad for Isabelle, she was in a beautiful 5th position when it occured. She could no longer tilt its keel, she hopes that with its long foil bringing righting moment, she could be less penalised that with a non foiler boat but to stay in the top ten can be now very difficult :
News - Keel hydraulic ram problem for Isabelle Joschke - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Boris Herrman succeeded in the repair of his mainsail. All the boats are now worn by the last days of strong winds and sea and other such concerns could arise. This leg of the race offshore Argentina-Brasil coasts is a real puzzle with all these shifting calm zones, no evident optimal route. The two leaders are presently at 6 and 3 knots respectively !

Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

I have to be impressed by any sailor that can sail an IMOCA 60 round the world.That won't be changing.It has also been enlightening to see how significant the race is in French eyes;I watch the short updates each night on TV5 and enjoyed the thirty minute summary on Sunday.That Thalassa had a twenty minute minute lot devoted to Clarisse Cremer was a surprise.It isn't hard to see how these sailors can beco.me significant figures in such an environment and I wish the phenomenon would spread.Its good to see sailing having such an impact.

 

I have to say that what I was able to find out about these canting keel systems, the actual keel spar, rams, and crosshead supports all looked very well engineered and of the highest quality. But the hydraulic supply systems on some of these boats are a joke. It seems like about half the fleet have suffered a major hydraulic issue of some sort. Several have reported hydraulic oil spraying the entire interior of the boat. At least one has had that happen twice. They have no way to deal with that onboard. Hydraulic oil containment provisions should be part of the IMOCA 60 specification. This is a massive safety issue.

Leak containment, automatic leak detection, and all-toolless zero-leak connections should be mandatory. Supply lines must be fitted with flow sensing auto shut off valves. Return lines with check valves. One way flow in all pipes. There is no reason to loose more than a couple ounces of hydraulic oil, and that should be 100% contained in a hose sleeve and routed to a collection tank. The ram cylinder should connect to the keel head. The keel wetbox bellows should seal the cylinder, not the shaft. The cylinder shaft seal and all connections lie outside the wetbox. Now install a second set of bellows over the shaft and cylinder to contain any seal failure. Mechanically secure the keel after a swing and unload the hydraulics.

I have a nasty, sneaking suspicion that they are trying to use the main ram(s) as damper assemblies too. That is a terrible idea. Okay, it's not a terrible idea, it just won't work. And it means they are holding the keel purely with hydraulic pressure and forcing the ram to make tiny, micron sized slides in the seal for days at a time. Seals don't like that.

I haven't heard of any passive mechanical load holding systems on swing keels, such as Bear Loc rod lock. Anybody know if they are using anything other than POCVs to hold the keel between swings? Several boats have mentioned locking the keel on center, so evidently they have some kind of linkage for doing that. But I'm wondering about normal ops.

 

From 2014, the class rules requires standardized parts : for the mast, the keel and its swinging system. Hydraulic system is provided by HYDROEM company. Here below in this link (in French) is outlined the system components and use to swing the keel, which includes (I translated) "...a mechanical security in case of problem. This allows the keel to be locked in the central position, this arm is always at position ready to operate. It is a rod that slides, so as not to interfere with the operation of the cylinder, but thanks to a slot in this rod, the skipper can slide a pin to prevent slipping in the event of major problems on his cylinder. This locking pin is made of titanium, but when the keel is loose, you will have to aim just to put it in place ..."
Comment la quille d'un IMOCA bascule-t-elle ? (bateaux.com)
Hydroem – Hydraulique marine et industrielle

 

Pip Hare is facing a rudder failure, she has to change it for the spare one she has on board, but very difficult to do in the current sea state (20 knots and waves 5 m reported in the last tracking release) :
News - Rudder problem for Pip Hare on Medallia - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

She did it !
News - Hare’s Remarkable Rudder Replacement Keeps Medallia Rolling Towards Cape Horn - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
The top ten are still in the zig (i.e. towards East) or the zag (i.e. towards West) to sneak between the Lows and Highs. Beautiful leading position but not a definitive break for Maitre Coq / Yannick Bestaven. Still about 36 h of strong winds and waves for the ones in the Pacific, before the Horn as a reward.
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

Further failure of the keel canting system forces MACSF / Isabelle Joschke to abandon : the keel is no longer held centered by the false ram put in place days ago, but free to rotate. Isabelle did a great race, demonstrating that she can be able to follow the rythm of the leaders. More details in :
News - Additional keel ram damage for Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) who has abandoned her Vendée Globe - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Light wind for the leader Yannick Bestaven, the followers with more wind have an opportunity to reduce the gap. Still strong winds and sea state for the ones in the Pacific, in particular Time For oceans / Stephane Le Diraison reporting gusts at 60 Knots and waves 6-8 m with breakings (some in his cockpit), even a snowstorm, and so during hours and days as he moves at the same speed than the ridge.
News - Stephane Le Diraison, having a real tough Pacific - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

Key moment, 5 boats quite on the same line, who will catch the good wind which will allow to catch the trade winds ?
Wind in the West side, but from ~ North, ligth wind in the East side but from ~ East :

 

Pip Hare at Cap Horn, the closest passage I think :
Vidéo du bord - Pip HARE | MEDALLIA - 12.01 (2) - Vidéo Dailymotion https://dai.ly/x7ymk2o
Vidéo du bord - Pip HARE | MEDALLIA - 12.01 (1) - Vidéo Dailymotion https://dai.ly/x7ymk2r

 

Now the top 9 boats are within 100 NM ! really unique situation at this stage of the race in the story of the Vendée Globe, and still 1000 NM up to the tip East of the Brazil coast :

Analysis of the race : News - The Road From Rio - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)

 

Apivia / Dalin and Bureau Vallée / Burton are now leading (Bureau vallée is the boat previously named Banque populaire winner in 2017 of the Vendée Globe), but they are still 6 within 100 NM and the road towards Recife is not yet the trade winds highway :
News - Dalin and Burton Match Up - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Isabelle Joschke is now in a better sea state and wait the wind which can allow her to head to a Brazilian harbour :
News - Update on Isabelle Joschke - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)
Tracking : Tracking map - Vendée Globe - En (vendeeglobe.org)