TJV: No Let Up

Roland Jourdain and Jean-Luc Nelias on board Veolia Environnement. Image copyright B. Stichelbaut.

by Régis Lerat

As yet the conditions for the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet overnight have been simply unpleasant. Big, confused seas and winds of just over 30 knots have been reported by skippers early this morning but the worst, as they have said, is to come.

Seb Josse and Jeff Curzon maintain their small leading margin with the group who have chosen to stay further north in the IMOCA Open 60 fleet. BT's lead early this morning was just over 8 miles as they bounced upwind at around 12 knots, with Veolia Environnemet and Safran pacing each other slightly to windward and well astern, co-skipper Roland Jourdain commenting this morning that he had seen Safran to his leeward.

The northerly cluster, BT, Veolia Environnement, Safran, Mike Golding Yacht Racing, Groupe Bel and Aviva are computed to have the upper hand at the moment, sailing closer to the optimum route, whilst those who have plunged south whilst the option existed are looking to make their gains in the longer term.

British skipper Alex Thomson and co-skipper Ross Daniel have remained resolutely furthest north on Hugo Boss. Moving up to sixth this morning, Thomson is content with their positioning but described the very variable, gusty winds they are seeing this morning – anything from 17 to 40 knots – as a ‘pain in the backside'. As they go through the front later this afternoon he anticipates moving in a more southerly direction.

Mike Golding Yacht Racing, with the new English-Spanish partnership of Golding and Javier Sanso, lies fourth this morning, racing among the northerly pack with a margin of 23.2 miles behind BT.

Michel Desjoyeaux and Jérémie Beyou on Foncia have continued their track to the south east, now converging towards the Portuguese coast, spending more than 200 miles against the leaders to get there. Akena Verandas (Arnaud Boissières and 2004 Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou) have invested in the southerly option too, but were consolidating this morning on a course north of west lying in tenth place.

In the Multi50 fleet Crepes Whaou have seen their lead trimmed to just less than 80 miles as they, too, position themselves well to the south.

Sébastien Josse (FRA), BT:
“It's bouncy on BT! We have between 30 and 35 knots and a sea which is pretty confused, but it has been worse. It will get stronger with about 40 knots or something like that as we go through the front, but that should not last too long.

"We are pretty happy all in all, and have not changed much since the beginning, least of all our rhythm simply because we have not been very rigid in that sense since the start. We have eaten well, having double rations as we prepared for this period when we were still off the wind. We are on our option but there is no one solution, just because Michel goes south does not mean that is the one option, and the options took different shapes for everyone. What is important is the whole thing, we are in the group, and not alone and that's what is important.”

Roland Jourdain (FRA), Veolia Environnement:
“We are getting into the business part of it, we have seen more than 30 knots now, so we are passing from the frying pan into the fire. But in a way the good thing is that we are getting what is forecast. In fact the night was not too unpleasant. There was a ceiling of stars and we profited as we transitioned from downwind to upwind.

"The forecast is for it is to rise a little. I don't see us making more northing at the moment, but we can't say for sure because we have not got this morning's weather files. I hope we won't have the 38-40 knots which is forecast.

"I think we have one boat to leeward, in the NE, probably Safran. The coming days will be difficult because there is another depression hard on the heels of this one. After this I hope we'll be able to get down south smoothly.

"But there are plenty of questions and Jean-Luc looks after the majority of the weather problems, he is the meteo specialist. But we talk about it and look at the strategies together.

"We try to be disciplined and respect fixed times, to eat not least because the first day was not so great, but now we are well under way and in the rhythm.”

Alex Thomson (GBR), Hugo Boss:
“The routing for me is the same as it has been since the English Channel, staying to the north and we've hung on to that. To be honest I'd prefer to be closer to the fleet. But we are where we are. It is like and Artemis Transat routing, you reach into the low, tack on to a beat and as the breeze lifts you reach towards the destination.

To be honest, the routings for those to the south says they should be doing the same thing, reaching up and come back down but it looks like they are hard on the breeze in a more westerly wind.

“The breeze should increase though in the south they will be more headed, we should carry on in SW'ly towards the centre and then routing has us tacking around 5pm depending on where the low is.

“The nasty bit will be coming out, when we will see 50 gusting 60.

“I have not looked at Foncia's route and have stopped getting weather for that area, but at the back of my mind I can't help feeling Mich will pull something out of the bag.

“We are both good, concentrating on eating and sleeping, and being as diligent as possible, knowing even a small screw up can be pretty horrible out here.”

Transat Jacques Vabre