- Renault Z.E Sailing Team into the reaching and downwind conditions
- No rest for Dick and Peyron
Virbac Paprec 3. Image copyright Yvan Zedda/Sea&Co.
Barcelona World Race media
Retaining or returning to the race rhythm is everything in the Atlantic as the challenging wind conditions settle to allow the Barcelona World Race peloton to re-focus on speed and favourable angles rather than simply battling the elements.
The impressive race of the more youthful duo Boris Herrmann and Ryan Breymaier on Neutrogena has seen them enhance their hold on fourth place after a solid passage through the worst of a malicious low pressure system off the River Plate. Breymaier and Herrmann were able to maintain high speeds through the later part of last night and this morning which has allowed the German-American partnership to open more than 100 miles on fifth placed Estrella Damm and claw back the same on third placed Renault Z.E Sailing Team. Herrmann and Breymaier have moved to within 208 miles of Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris.
Once again it is management of the key moments, the approach to and preparation for the strong winds system, which has been key to this interim success for Hermman and Breymaier on their 2004 build Lombard design. In essence the young Concarneau based duo have had a better angle through the system, further from the active centre in slightly less chaotic seas and so able to steadily press home their advantage.
In contrast Estrella Damm have had a more vigorous passage, closer to the low pressure centre in bigger winds, more unsettles angles and more confused seas. The Barcelona duo have been unable to sail with a headsail since the lashing on their staysail stay failed and dropped the sail in the water. Under four reefs, co-skipper Alex Pella said today:
“ The sea has been coming at us from all directions, as it has been pretty much since Mirabaud lost its mast. With the NW’ly wind we have faces of up to six metres and the boat slams violently which is like crashing into a wall constantly. We have some very violent slamming, and that threatens the boat a bit. Last night we were sailing with three reefs and the staysail in 30-35 knots of wind when the staysail hook broke and the sail went in the water. We picked it out again and it is good that it is not torn, and to repair the hook is quite simple but it does require a mast climb and that is too complicated and dangerous at the moment.
As we knew there was 40 knots coming and we did not really know how the boat would be with three reefs, we were worried without a forestay, so we put in the fourth reef to stop the mast inverting and have taken our foot off the gas a bit
We are sailing more steadily and slowly, about eight knots and without endangering ourselves or the boat.”
Now better able to settle to a faster rhythm, as their speed hike shows, are Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris who had another physical, tough night making a series of tacks to line up with the favourable reaching and downwind conditions after the best part of five days of upwind sailing. The Spanish duo have seen their lead over Neutrogena cut this afternoon and will be looking to escape into what the next low pressure system offers them first.
Alex Pella on board Estrella Damm. Image copyright Estrella Damm.
The trio which are chasing Virbac-Paprec 3 and MAPFRE will have a lane of favourable downwind breezes opening to them now as a low pressure system off Cabo Frio, a hundred miles or so north of Rio, moves SE and allows this trio a fast passage north.
Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella have been pushing hard to the north east on GAES Centros Auditivos, sailing the highest 24 hours run of the fleet, as they try to escape the clutches of the new high pressure system building to their west.
Even with a lead of 350 miles and 3725 miles to the finish Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron are not considering altering their rhythm, still always focusing on the fundamentals of making the boat fast and keeping it in tip-top shape: “I am very proud of having all our sails intact and will hopefully still have the full inventory when we reach Barcelona. We still have a few days up to the Doldrums and should pick up speed to 17 knots rather than 10-11 we have been doing. Five minutes ago I was looking at the meteo for the Doldrums and the bad news is that they are quite active, which is not good, but we will do our best to manage it and but of course there is always a luck factor which is unfortunately inevitable, and even if we are very careful, you can’t control everything.”
The French duo are looking at a complex Doldrums passage as the ITCZ remains quite active just now, while Dick admitted they are looking further up the track checking potential weather hazards between them and Barcelona
A Boris Herrmann speciality: stormy outlook from Neutrogena. Image copyright Boris Herrmann/Neutrogena.
Standings Monday 14th March at 1400hrs :
1 VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at 3725,9 miles from the finish
2 MAPFRE at 350,4 miles to the leader
3 RENAULT Z.E at 1525,1 miles
4 ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 1733,8 miles
5 NEUTROGENA at 1855,4 miles
6 MIRABAUD at 2306,5 miles
7 GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 2383,6 miles
8 HUGO BOSS at 2791 miles
9 FORUM MARITIM CATALA at 4645,1 miles
10 WE ARE WATER at 6648,8 milles
11 CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 7824,4 miles
RTD FONCIA
RTD PRESIDENT
RTD GROUPE BEL
Quotes
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) Virbac-Paprec 3: "We're not quite in Salvador de Bahia, but it's almost carnival time in Brazil.
It was a very long night because we had a lot of squalls extremely hard work but the sun has cleared the way now and we have a pretty decent trade wind now.
“ We try to sleep well and take some time for yourself when you can. I have seen lot of movies but I have not had time to read because the battle with MAPFRE is intense enough so that when we are awake we are pushing and we are careful and we do not have much time for us between food, the weather. But, then the idea is to finish first into Barcelona. Double-handed we sleep more, but when we are awake we are probably more proactive, there is more to do with the boat. And that is not always the case when you are solo. Once we are awake we are hard at it, and that is not always the case when you are solo, you do what you can humanly do.
The last two days have not exactly been monotonous. Last night there were plenty of things happening and we were not often on deck together. I am very proud of having all our sails intact and will hopefully still have the full inventory when we reach Barcelona. We still have a few days up to the Doldrums and should pick up speed to 17 knots rather than 10-11 we have been doing. Five minutes ago I was looking at the meteo for the Doldrums and the bad news is that they are quite active, which is not good, but we will do our best to manage it and but of course there is always a luck factor which is unfortunately inevitable, and even if we are very careful, you can’t control everything.
And after the Doldrums we look ahead to the weather patterns that will influence the date of our finish in Barcelona. And so I hope that the Mediterranean will be good to us.
I think that the battle will be to the finish line. There is pressure and we need to be able to deal with it, which is all good training for the next race.
Alex Pella (ESP)Estrella Damm:“The sea is very big and coming at us from all directions, as it has been pretty much since Mirabaud lost its mast. With the NW’ly wind we have faces of up to six metres and the boat slams violently which is like crashing into a wall constantly. We have some very violent slamming, and that threatens the boat a bit. Last night we were sailing with three reefs and the staysail in 30-35 knots of wind when the staysail hook broke and the sail went in the water. We picked it out again and it is good that it is not torn, and to repair the hook is quite simple but it does require a mast climb and that is too complicated and dangerous at the moment.
As we knew there was 40 knots coming and we did not really know how the boat would be with three reefs, we were worried without a forestay, so we put in the fourth reef to stop the mast inverting and have taken our foot off the gas a bit
We are sailing more steadily and slowly, about eight knots and without endangering ourselves or the boat. And at the moment we can’t put up any headsail because the storm jib uses the same hook and to use the Solent requires the breeze to come down to 30 knots or below, so we need to be a bit patient yet,
Every day my rib gets a little better. I am not taking any painkillers. Every time I make an effort I notice it, whereas before anything I did with my left arm was sore. Pepe is taking painkillers too and he is a little better, especially on his knee
We are fine physically. We rested last night, and it has been good. What happens is that we have again lost mile which we had caught up, so we need to do it again.
Ludovic Aglaor (FRA) Forum Maritim Catala: “It is true we get some information and we would little more, but primarily we need to be dealing with the sailing, so one is less up to date with current affairs, and there is certainly a delay in receiving information and we are not really on the same schedule as those on land. And so we learn things a little late, but I feel that this winter there has been a lot of thing going on in North Africa, the earthquake in new Zealand and now in Japan. It is always weird to be so cut off and remote from all these things.”
Xabi Fernandez (ESP) MAPFRE:“ Here we go, heading North. We are happy because the weather is better right now. We have had some squalls, especially during the night, that have made difficult to sail cause suddenly you are stopped and… that’s it!
Of course, we still have an eye on the leader and at the same time we feel better since the boats behind us are not so close as before anymore.
We have Northeasterly winds, 12-15 knots. After the St. Helena High you all know that we have some days quite windy that allowed us to sail fast again with a terrible sun above us.
As for Virbac-Paprec 3 they are not really far away at least. As much as trying to catch the French pair, what we have to avoid that the gap between them and us getting wider, so we are always stalking them. 400 nm is a distance that we still can make up, above all thinking that we still have all the North Atlantic, the Gibraltar Strait and the Mediterranean to sail… All we know how the Med is, so we are alive and pushing hard!!
Today is my daughter’s birthday. She is one! Time goes fast… I can’t see them but I have been able to speak with my wife Larraitz and my son Adur on the phone.
We are looking forward to see and be with them... 20 days more or so and we will be there.”
In French:
Obligations d'action
The wake of Virbac Paprec 3. Image copyright Virbac Paprec 3.
Investir, ne pas se laisser bercer par les sirènes d’une météo émolliente, tel pourrait être le mot d’ordre commun de tous les équipages en course dans l’Atlantique Sud. Car la tentation est grande de lâcher un peu la bonde, de récupérer des heures difficiles, de profiter de conditions nettement plus calmes. Et pourtant, c’est en maintenant un rythme élevé pendant quelques heures encore, que la plupart des équipages peut espérer recueillir des dividendes.
Une course se gagne ou se perd souvent sur la capacité de chaque équipage de gérer au mieux les moments clés. Paradoxalement, la sortie de la dépression qui affecte le gros du peloton depuis deux jours risque d’être déterminante pour la suite. La tentation serait grande, quand le vent est en train de mollir, de profiter pour reconstituer ses réserves, panser ses plaies.
L’OPA de Neutrogena
A ce petit jeu, les deux compères de Neutrogena sont en train de faire montre à la fois de l’énergie de leur jeunesse et d’un sens de l’opportunité digne de vieux routiers de la course au large. Fermement accrochés à leur quatrième place, ils ont réussi à creuser l’écart sur leurs poursuivants immédiats, tout en continuant de reprendre des milles à Pachi Rivero et Antonio Piris à bord de Renault Z.E. Derrière eux, Alex Pella et Pepe Ribes ne peuvent mener leur Estrella Damm au même rythme : non content d’accumuler les pépins physiques (entorse du genou pour Pepe, côte fêlée pour Alex), le tandem catalan déplore depuis cette nuit la rupture du hook de trinquette et doit naviguer sous grand-voile seule en attendant de pouvoir monter au mât pour réparer. Derrière ce trio, l’équipage de GAES Centros Auditivos cravache sur une route au nord-est pour échapper à l’anticyclone qui étend ses calmes sur une vaste zone, de l’archipel des Malouines au nord de la Terre de Feu. Calmes qui risquent de piéger durablement Hugo Boss mouillé dans le sound Adventure, au sud de ce que les Anglo-Saxons préfèrent nommer Falklands. Dee Caffari et Anna Corbella étaient d’ailleurs créditées de la meilleure progression ces dernières vingt-quatre heures.
En attendant le retour sur investissement
Car l’enjeu est de taille. Pour peu que le trio de chasse derrière les deux leaders puisse conserver une vitesse suffisante, il peut espérer se glisser dans l’ouest de la dépression qui s’est formée sur Cabo Frio, à une centaine de milles dans le nord de Rio de Janeiro. Ce petit centre orageux amorce en effet un mouvement vers l’est et libèrerait un passage aux allures portantes, le long de la côte brésilienne. Pouvoir faire route directe vers l’objectif et, qui plus est, poussé par les vents, est un luxe qu’il faut savoir saisir, dans cette zone baignée plus généralement par des régimes d’est, voire de nord-est.
Ce n’est pas non plus l’heure du repos à bord de Virbac-Paprec 3. Pour contenir les assauts d’Iker Martinez et Xabi Fernandez qui continuent de mener leur MAPFRE à vive allure, les leaders ont dû s’employer toute la nuit à changer de voiles et régler dans un vent encore très instable. Contrairement à une idée reçue, les alizés, s’ils garantissent le plus souvent une force de vent minimum, oscillent grandement en force comme en direction en fonction des nuages. Mais pour ces deux équipages, c’est bien le passage du Pot au Noir qui pourra se révéler le juge de paix avant d’entrer dans l’hémisphère nord. Un passage que Jean-Pierre Dick considérait comme très actif pour la saison.
Loin de toutes ces considérations, L’équipage de Forum Maritim Catala continue sa chevauchée pacifique. L’équipage franco-espagnol espérait bien franchir le rocher mythique aux alentours du 19 ou 20 mars. Si Ludovic Aglaor fêtera son troisième passage, ce sera une première pour Gerard Marin, son jeune équipier catalan. A Wellington, l’équipe de Central Lechera Asturiana n’a pas renoncé à repartir, mais il reste encore beaucoup de travail avant que le bateau ne soit paré à reprendre la mer.
Iker Martinez on board Mapfre. Image copyright Mapfre.
Classement du 14 mars à 15 heures (TU+1) :
1 VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 à 3725,9 milles de l’arrivée
2 MAPFRE à 350,4 milles du leader
3 RENAULT Z.E à 1525,1 milles
4 ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team à 1733,8 milles
5 NEUTROGENA à 1855,4 milles
6 MIRABAUD à 2306,5 milles
7 GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS à 2383,6 milles
8 HUGO BOSS à 2791 milles
9 FORUM MARITIM CATALA à 4645,1 milles
11 WE ARE WATER à 6648,8 milles
12 CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA à 7824,4 milles
ABN FONCIA
ABN PRESIDENT
ABN GROUPE BEL
Ils ont dit :
Jean-Pierre Dick, Virbac-Paprec 3 : « Cette nuit, était laborieuse, avec beaucoup de grains, mais le soleil a balayé tout ça et là nous avons un alizé assez peinard !
« En double, on dort plus. Une fois que nous sommes de veille, nous sommes plus actifs sur le bateau, ce qui n’est pas forcément le cas en solo où c’est difficile de tout faire. La nuit dernière, on n’était pas trop de deux sur le pont. Je suis très fier d’avoir toutes mes voiles à ce niveau de la course et peut être d’avoir l’inventaire complet, arrivé à Barcelone. Il y a cinq minutes, j’étais sur Internet pour regarder l’activité du Pot au Noir à l’heure actuelle et la mauvaise nouvelle c’est qu’il est très actif, mais j’espère que tout va bien se tramer. Malheureusement, il existe un facteur chance inévitable et même si nous sommes vigilants, il peut se passer plein de choses !»
Cali Sanmarti, We Are Water. Image copyright We Are Water.
Ludovic Aglaor, Forum Maritim Catala : « C’est vrai que nous sommes un peu décalés sur les informations et qu’on aimerait en avoir plus ! Mais on doit avant tout s’occuper de naviguer et de ce fait, on est moins au courant de ce qui se passe à terre. Il y a décalage entre la diffusion de l’information et le moment où on la reçoit. On n’est pas forcément dans les timings terrestres, donc on apprend les choses tard.
« On navigue, c’est un jeu, c’est pour le plaisir mais je trouve que cet hiver il s’est passé un paquet de chose avec les événements en Afrique du Nord, le séisme en Nouvelle-Zélande et maintenant au Japon. C’est toujours étrange d’être loin de tout ça, de savoir sans avoir l’impression de tout voir ! »
Alex Pella, Estrella Damm : «La mer est vraiment mauvaise depuis deux jours, quand Mirabaud a démâté. On a environ six mètres de creux et c’est comme des murs qu’on percute. La nuit dernière, on naviguait sous trinquette et trois ris, quand le hook de trinquette a lâché. La voile est partie à l’eau, mais on a réussi à la remonter à bord. La réparation est assez simple, mais elle suppose de devoir monter dans le mât, ce qui n’est pas possible actuellement. On navigue tranquillement, on ne peut pas mettre de voile d’avant. Quand le vent mollira, on enverra le solent. Sinon, mes côtes vont mieux de jour en jour. Je n’ai pas besoin de calmants. Pepe continue d’en prendre pour son genou.»
Barcelona World Race
