Friday, November 19, 2004
Have A Wetass Weekend II...: With this very cool Quicktime Virtual Reality panorama of Vendee leader Jean Le Cam's Open 60 Bonduelle. Once the picture loads, just hold the left mouse button down and drag the cursor to rotate the picture in any direction you want. Courtesy of Hans Nyberg and the wizards at Panoramas.dk...
Jean Le Cam Plants It: "Zut! Sometimes I wish I could sail this race in virtualy reality..."
Jean Le Cam Plants It: "Zut! Sometimes I wish I could sail this race in virtualy reality..."
Have A Wetass Weekend: And stay away from trees...
Vendee Wrapup--Charging South: The top eight boats are all in the southern hemisphere, and Bonduelle's Jean Le Cam is still leading the sprint toward the Southern Ocean. To get there they'll have to work their way around the South Atlantic High. Latest report here. Latest positions here.
While the lead boats are close reaching south, the middle of the fleet is just emerging from the purgatory of the Doldrums, which are characterized by windless holes, sudden squalls, and almost no sleep. Skandia's Nick Moloney reports that he is so tired he sometimes goes on deck, only to forget what he wanted to do.
Here are a few accounts from the boats, which give you just the barest sense of how miserable solo racing in the Doldrums can be.
First up, Conrad Humphreys on Hellomoto:
I was sailing alongside Nick yesterday morning, and it was the funniest thing in my sailing career; we were going into a squall, Nick was 2m to windward of me and this cloud is as black as can be. I thought I better put a reef in the mainsail, and I look over to see Nick has furled away his headsails, and I'm looking at him thinking does he really think it's that bad? Maybe I should put my staysail up? I look back again and see Nick has put 2 reefs in mainsail, and I'm thinking, no, it can't be that bad, surely, and so we sail into the squall and there's no wind in it at all! I took a few miles out of him then, but I found the whole thing quite extraordinary as I've always wondered how other sailors prepare for squalls, and find it amazing how differently we do it.
Typically, I'm sailing along under full main and genoa, the black rain cloud hits violently and you're on edge the whole time, then change sails from genoa to staysail, put 2 reefs in the mainsail, then finish tidying up the boat and go down to check the chart and promptly sail into a wind hole! So you shake it all out again, put all the sails back up, and in the meantime the boat has done a pirouette, there's not a breath of wind--if you're unlucky you have to do this 2 or 3 times, but last night I must have done this at least a dozen times.
Physically, my upper back, shoulders and arms are absolutely in tatters--I couldn't wind another winch right now! It takes 24hrs for your body to recover normally and you need to rest, but we don't get the opportunity. I seem to have a whole rogues' gallery of people's voices, which keep popping into my head. Like when I'm thinking about technical problems, I answer my questions but hear Marco's voice each time! [Ed: Marco is the French boatyard manager]. I couldn't face another night like that and I feel for Nick as he has endured an extra night of it unlike me--right now the last quarter of Vikki's fruit cake is in my sight and so I'm going to eat it as soon as I get off the phone!
Next up, TWC favorite Bruce Schwab, on Ocean Planet:
We are now in the dreaded "Doldrums," a vast area of HUGE thunderclouds with torrential rains, interspersed by agonizing light winds. In the massive thunderstorms, there is lightning to fear along with downdraft winds up to and over 40kts.
In a mere two days the area has fully lived up to its reputation. Yesterday, I went from careening at a high speed in a downdraft (until I was able to get the genniker rolled up, a story in itself), to beating upwind for hours in 25kt winds, in addition to two hours TOTALLY becalmed and slatting noisily in the leftover waves....all this before early afternoon.
Today has been a series of TORRENTIAL downpours along with the wind blasts. I get set up in my gear for the storm when I see them coming, then stay in the cockpit and trim the sails and autopilot while trying to make the most of the sudden burst of speed. I tend to reach way off and just try to cover as much ground (er, water) as possible as long as it's in the general direction we want to go.
I've had about two hours sleep total for the past two days, so I'm very tired, but will squeeze in some naps tonight..right after this update, I hope! But alas, more ominous towering clouds are headed this way....yikes!
You always hear about the Southern Ocean and the Roaring Forties, but it is the Doldrums that round-the-world sailors hate most...
Down In The Doldrums: The view from Hellomoto...
While the lead boats are close reaching south, the middle of the fleet is just emerging from the purgatory of the Doldrums, which are characterized by windless holes, sudden squalls, and almost no sleep. Skandia's Nick Moloney reports that he is so tired he sometimes goes on deck, only to forget what he wanted to do.
Here are a few accounts from the boats, which give you just the barest sense of how miserable solo racing in the Doldrums can be.
First up, Conrad Humphreys on Hellomoto:
I was sailing alongside Nick yesterday morning, and it was the funniest thing in my sailing career; we were going into a squall, Nick was 2m to windward of me and this cloud is as black as can be. I thought I better put a reef in the mainsail, and I look over to see Nick has furled away his headsails, and I'm looking at him thinking does he really think it's that bad? Maybe I should put my staysail up? I look back again and see Nick has put 2 reefs in mainsail, and I'm thinking, no, it can't be that bad, surely, and so we sail into the squall and there's no wind in it at all! I took a few miles out of him then, but I found the whole thing quite extraordinary as I've always wondered how other sailors prepare for squalls, and find it amazing how differently we do it.
Typically, I'm sailing along under full main and genoa, the black rain cloud hits violently and you're on edge the whole time, then change sails from genoa to staysail, put 2 reefs in the mainsail, then finish tidying up the boat and go down to check the chart and promptly sail into a wind hole! So you shake it all out again, put all the sails back up, and in the meantime the boat has done a pirouette, there's not a breath of wind--if you're unlucky you have to do this 2 or 3 times, but last night I must have done this at least a dozen times.
Physically, my upper back, shoulders and arms are absolutely in tatters--I couldn't wind another winch right now! It takes 24hrs for your body to recover normally and you need to rest, but we don't get the opportunity. I seem to have a whole rogues' gallery of people's voices, which keep popping into my head. Like when I'm thinking about technical problems, I answer my questions but hear Marco's voice each time! [Ed: Marco is the French boatyard manager]. I couldn't face another night like that and I feel for Nick as he has endured an extra night of it unlike me--right now the last quarter of Vikki's fruit cake is in my sight and so I'm going to eat it as soon as I get off the phone!
Next up, TWC favorite Bruce Schwab, on Ocean Planet:
We are now in the dreaded "Doldrums," a vast area of HUGE thunderclouds with torrential rains, interspersed by agonizing light winds. In the massive thunderstorms, there is lightning to fear along with downdraft winds up to and over 40kts.
In a mere two days the area has fully lived up to its reputation. Yesterday, I went from careening at a high speed in a downdraft (until I was able to get the genniker rolled up, a story in itself), to beating upwind for hours in 25kt winds, in addition to two hours TOTALLY becalmed and slatting noisily in the leftover waves....all this before early afternoon.
Today has been a series of TORRENTIAL downpours along with the wind blasts. I get set up in my gear for the storm when I see them coming, then stay in the cockpit and trim the sails and autopilot while trying to make the most of the sudden burst of speed. I tend to reach way off and just try to cover as much ground (er, water) as possible as long as it's in the general direction we want to go.
I've had about two hours sleep total for the past two days, so I'm very tired, but will squeeze in some naps tonight..right after this update, I hope! But alas, more ominous towering clouds are headed this way....yikes!
You always hear about the Southern Ocean and the Roaring Forties, but it is the Doldrums that round-the-world sailors hate most...
Down In The Doldrums: The view from Hellomoto...
Department Of Documentary--"Dust To Glory": If you liked filmmaker Dana Brown's surf epic "Step Into Liquid," you'll be glad to know he's been out filming again. But this time he's taken his cameras to the wastes of the Baja Peninsula, to chronicle the Baja 1000, a 32-hour race from Ensenada to La Paz. Brown first considered filming the desert drag race after his buddy (and racer) "Mouse" McCoy popped the idea on him. At first, he wasn't so hot on it, in part because his famous filmmaking father Bruce Brown had followed HIS surf masterpiece ("Endless Summer") with a motorcycle pic ("On Any Sunday"). And according to the LA Times' Ashley Powers:
Brown also fretted that a film about the Baja 1000 might come off as "ugly Americans ripping up someone's Third World country."
But after checking out the Baja 500 in June 2003, he recognized the hair-raising drama of bulked-up trucks, motorcycles and even Volkswagens gunning through mountains and deserts amid yahooing crowds. His worries about offending the locals subsided when he witnessed their zeal for the race.
"This is a big deal and they love it," he says.
After the fatiguing shoot, Brown stared at 250 hours of footage from which he would craft the race's story lines. Sifting through the characters, he settled on his friend McCoy--who finished, but came in far from first--to drive the narrative.
"Mouse staggering around heroically to the finish with snot coming out of his nose --I don't know why that strikes me as super-fantastic, but it is," Brown says. "Twelfth place for us was better than first; there was something about his journey."
In the desert light, snot always looks great on film. The movie is due out in April...
Meanwhile, in a companion piece the LA Times' Christopher Reynolds gives you a sneak preview of how much dirt the racers really eat (his story is accompanied by a great Flash photo gallery, and some thrill-packed video; I tried to rip it off, I mean snag it for you, but couldn't figure out how, so you'll have to go through the article):
Dave Ashley once ran Baja wired up to a machine that measures lateral and vertical G-forces. The results showed G-loads that shifted from positive 9--nine times the usual pull of gravity--to a heart-in-throat negative 5.
"And sometimes those reversals happen in less than a second," he says. "It's enough to where it knocks the air out of you sometimes." Vomit happens.
Well, there you have it. The perfect race slogan: "Vomit Happens"...
"Aww, c'mon, Dude! Any more of that and we're going to start calling this rig "Hurlin' Herb"...
Brown also fretted that a film about the Baja 1000 might come off as "ugly Americans ripping up someone's Third World country."
But after checking out the Baja 500 in June 2003, he recognized the hair-raising drama of bulked-up trucks, motorcycles and even Volkswagens gunning through mountains and deserts amid yahooing crowds. His worries about offending the locals subsided when he witnessed their zeal for the race.
"This is a big deal and they love it," he says.
After the fatiguing shoot, Brown stared at 250 hours of footage from which he would craft the race's story lines. Sifting through the characters, he settled on his friend McCoy--who finished, but came in far from first--to drive the narrative.
"Mouse staggering around heroically to the finish with snot coming out of his nose --I don't know why that strikes me as super-fantastic, but it is," Brown says. "Twelfth place for us was better than first; there was something about his journey."
In the desert light, snot always looks great on film. The movie is due out in April...
Meanwhile, in a companion piece the LA Times' Christopher Reynolds gives you a sneak preview of how much dirt the racers really eat (his story is accompanied by a great Flash photo gallery, and some thrill-packed video; I tried to rip it off, I mean snag it for you, but couldn't figure out how, so you'll have to go through the article):
Dave Ashley once ran Baja wired up to a machine that measures lateral and vertical G-forces. The results showed G-loads that shifted from positive 9--nine times the usual pull of gravity--to a heart-in-throat negative 5.
"And sometimes those reversals happen in less than a second," he says. "It's enough to where it knocks the air out of you sometimes." Vomit happens.
Well, there you have it. The perfect race slogan: "Vomit Happens"...
"Aww, c'mon, Dude! Any more of that and we're going to start calling this rig "Hurlin' Herb"...
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Transatlantic Record Bid Update--Fading Breeze, Fading Chances: At the moment, it looks as if PlayStation's outright east/west transatlantic record will survive Francis Joyon's solo assault in his 90-foot trimaran. This morning Joyon was 1,328 miles from the finish in San Salvador, meaning he has to average almost 18.5 knots straight down the track to beat the fully-crewed PlayStation's time. Possible, but not likely. Joyon is making a superhuman effort on almost no sleep, but he's fighting light winds, damage to his big Code 0 headsail, and a nasty seaway. The winds will fill eventually from the northeast, and when they come in they will come in strong. Tick. Tick. Tick. Stay tuned...
What Joyon Sees In His Dreams...
(Photo: F. Van Malleghem/Mer & Média)
What Joyon Sees In His Dreams...
(Photo: F. Van Malleghem/Mer & Média)
Finian Maynard At 46.82 Knots...: Here's the video of the record-breaking run. Here's Finian's viewing advice: "The speed is insane. Look what happens right at the red buoy…..mega charged 50-knot gust and the subsequent holding of it!!!!! And that is what delivered the record run completely on the edge and about to explode at any moment." I also liked the dramatic shot of the timer coming out of the dumpy-looking trailer to pump his fist and indicate that the record is broken. A lot of Finian fist-pumping ensues. And it's well-earned. These guys have been out there day after day, in the breeze, the wet and the cold, for more than a year (on and off). It's not like they just showed up, jumped on their boards and got lucky. Finian and his crew worked their asses off for this record.
If you are a geek, and want to see the exact breakdown of the speeds during the run, you can click through from this page.
Side note: Half a world away, the greatest threat to Finian's record--Macquarie Innovations--has crashed on the Sandy Point speed track. Here's an excerpt from the report team leader Tim Daddo sent to The Daily Sail:
"After nearly three months of patient waiting for our desired conditions, a very brief window opened up for us on Monday night. Conditions were pretty close to those that we have been waiting for and the entire team were looking forward to some pretty spectacular sailing. And spectacular it was, although sadly, not for the reasons for which we had hoped.
At 7:50pm on Monday night, Macquarie Innovation was half way through a record attempt run in 18-20 knot winds, when the craft suddenly and inexplicably veered off course and capsized. Both crew members were unhurt, although spent some time extracting themselves from the debris that used to be their crew pod.
Unfortunately, damage to the craft has been extensive and not repairable within the time frame of our allotted 2004 attempt period. Consequently, the team has been left with no choice other than to retire from this year's quest."
Looks like it will be a while before any sailing craft can challenge Finian and the windsurfers for the outright record (sorry, SailRocket, you're not even close yet)...
Finian Flying: "Those poor Macquarie chumps. Windsurfing is so much cheaper, simpler, and...FASTER. WOO-HOO!"
If you are a geek, and want to see the exact breakdown of the speeds during the run, you can click through from this page.
Side note: Half a world away, the greatest threat to Finian's record--Macquarie Innovations--has crashed on the Sandy Point speed track. Here's an excerpt from the report team leader Tim Daddo sent to The Daily Sail:
"After nearly three months of patient waiting for our desired conditions, a very brief window opened up for us on Monday night. Conditions were pretty close to those that we have been waiting for and the entire team were looking forward to some pretty spectacular sailing. And spectacular it was, although sadly, not for the reasons for which we had hoped.
At 7:50pm on Monday night, Macquarie Innovation was half way through a record attempt run in 18-20 knot winds, when the craft suddenly and inexplicably veered off course and capsized. Both crew members were unhurt, although spent some time extracting themselves from the debris that used to be their crew pod.
Unfortunately, damage to the craft has been extensive and not repairable within the time frame of our allotted 2004 attempt period. Consequently, the team has been left with no choice other than to retire from this year's quest."
Looks like it will be a while before any sailing craft can challenge Finian and the windsurfers for the outright record (sorry, SailRocket, you're not even close yet)...
Finian Flying: "Those poor Macquarie chumps. Windsurfing is so much cheaper, simpler, and...FASTER. WOO-HOO!"
Department Of Resurrections--Gypsy Moth IV To Sail Again: Francis Chichester's famously cranky 53-foot ketch--which took him solo around the world in 1966/1967, with just one stop--has just been craned out of her "tomb" at Greenwich. Thanks to a campaign by Yachting Monthly, Chichester's most famous boat will be saved from rot, and rebuilt to cruise the globe again. You can follow the project at YM's dedicated site, which has lots of good history about Chichester, the yacht, and his pathbreaking voyage...
"Hey, did you know Part 2 of this project is to crane old Francis out of his grave too...?"
"Hey, did you know Part 2 of this project is to crane old Francis out of his grave too...?"
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Wetass Video Of The Week: Sportboat sailing can be fun. Sheet on, stack 'em up at the back, and enjoy the spray. Click here to wish you weren't sitting at a desk right now...
In case you're wondering: It's a fookin' fast Phuket Sports 8...
(Video: Via Sportzboats USA)
In case you're wondering: It's a fookin' fast Phuket Sports 8...
(Video: Via Sportzboats USA)
Master Of Speed--Finian Tells All: New sailing speed champ Finian Maynard gives a blow-by-blow account of how he set a new outright record of 46.82 knots. The whole thing is well worth a read. But here's an excerpt:
"From what I had heard from Pascal, Christophe, Michel and Thierry the Mistral was a hard wind and hard to go fast in so 50-knots would probably have to wait. What arrived was beyond my wildest dreams and everyone else’s for that matter. There were stretches of wind that were almost hurricane strength with a bright blue sky! We had gotten the real Mistral, the true French wind that is so famous worldwide.
I was sharing the van with Erik and when we arrived at the beach at 9am on Saturday it was clear that it was going to be a good day. When we opened at 10am I went down the run with my big board (37.5 w/ 24 fin) and my 5.4. The time was 43.5 but I could already feel that this course was much harder than the SE and I wanted to get on smaller stuff immediately. I had to work so much more and the little gusts all the way down coming over the land were super tough. They are invisible basically so it is just a feeling and a hard-core one at that. The power surging that I felt last December 3rd when I beat 46-knots for the first time was tiddly-winks compared to this rugged North wind.
I switched down quickly to my 5.0 and tiny board (33) after several more runs that were between 43 and 44.5. I just wanted to get rid of as much surface area as I could because it was simply easier to hold down. Erik helped make a key change happen for me with my fins as I had too small of a fin in my little board that became nervous sometimes so we put a 24 in the 5.0 setup and instantly I gained directional stability and smoother average speeds.
For the first time I wore a GPS unit in my runs which was exciting and very useful to learn what was happening with my top speeds versus my average speeds. My times will be posted on www.gps-speedsurfing.com.
For those who are curious I have set a new unofficial GPS world record with a top speed of 49.3 knots!!! When I saw that and after Roger of gps-speedsurfing.com analyzed my run it was clear that I actually was averaging 48-49 knots for 400 meters of the run and I had a dip of 100 meters where I went down to 45 knots. As Erik puts it that is the ‘Mistral dip’ that happens just after the midpoint of the run so that is why my run ended up at 46.82. It was technically faster than that but that is the hard part of the ‘average’ speed calculations. One must maintain it over the full 500 meters...
It was pure gladiator fighting, the type of caveman uga-uga stuff that is hard on the mind and body. Our biggest problem was getting to the beginning of the run as there was a manageable 40-45 knots on the run but the start was freakin’ blowing 50-60…….it was insane. That is the only word that describes it. It was so hard to get up, even to get the feet in the straps, even to get the sail out of the water without it knocking you on the head super hard. The Canal was smoking with spray everywhere. It was incredible and unrideable with the gear I had. I tried pretty hard but I was tired already after the record run, which drained so much energy. I had a huge crash just before the start late in the afternoon and I got my bell rung mashing my body into the rig pretty hard. My GPS speed at the crash was 48-knots! After this I was more careful as I knew I had already broken the WR and I wanted to live to fight another day..."
Can't wait to see (and post) the video. These guys are now flirting with 50 knots, and it's getting dangerous. Let's see what happens when they get the smooth water on the French Trench that comes with a hard southeasterly....
Finian Start...
Finian Mid-run...
Finian Finish...
(Photos: Sandra Saxinger)
"From what I had heard from Pascal, Christophe, Michel and Thierry the Mistral was a hard wind and hard to go fast in so 50-knots would probably have to wait. What arrived was beyond my wildest dreams and everyone else’s for that matter. There were stretches of wind that were almost hurricane strength with a bright blue sky! We had gotten the real Mistral, the true French wind that is so famous worldwide.
I was sharing the van with Erik and when we arrived at the beach at 9am on Saturday it was clear that it was going to be a good day. When we opened at 10am I went down the run with my big board (37.5 w/ 24 fin) and my 5.4. The time was 43.5 but I could already feel that this course was much harder than the SE and I wanted to get on smaller stuff immediately. I had to work so much more and the little gusts all the way down coming over the land were super tough. They are invisible basically so it is just a feeling and a hard-core one at that. The power surging that I felt last December 3rd when I beat 46-knots for the first time was tiddly-winks compared to this rugged North wind.
I switched down quickly to my 5.0 and tiny board (33) after several more runs that were between 43 and 44.5. I just wanted to get rid of as much surface area as I could because it was simply easier to hold down. Erik helped make a key change happen for me with my fins as I had too small of a fin in my little board that became nervous sometimes so we put a 24 in the 5.0 setup and instantly I gained directional stability and smoother average speeds.
For the first time I wore a GPS unit in my runs which was exciting and very useful to learn what was happening with my top speeds versus my average speeds. My times will be posted on www.gps-speedsurfing.com.
For those who are curious I have set a new unofficial GPS world record with a top speed of 49.3 knots!!! When I saw that and after Roger of gps-speedsurfing.com analyzed my run it was clear that I actually was averaging 48-49 knots for 400 meters of the run and I had a dip of 100 meters where I went down to 45 knots. As Erik puts it that is the ‘Mistral dip’ that happens just after the midpoint of the run so that is why my run ended up at 46.82. It was technically faster than that but that is the hard part of the ‘average’ speed calculations. One must maintain it over the full 500 meters...
It was pure gladiator fighting, the type of caveman uga-uga stuff that is hard on the mind and body. Our biggest problem was getting to the beginning of the run as there was a manageable 40-45 knots on the run but the start was freakin’ blowing 50-60…….it was insane. That is the only word that describes it. It was so hard to get up, even to get the feet in the straps, even to get the sail out of the water without it knocking you on the head super hard. The Canal was smoking with spray everywhere. It was incredible and unrideable with the gear I had. I tried pretty hard but I was tired already after the record run, which drained so much energy. I had a huge crash just before the start late in the afternoon and I got my bell rung mashing my body into the rig pretty hard. My GPS speed at the crash was 48-knots! After this I was more careful as I knew I had already broken the WR and I wanted to live to fight another day..."
Can't wait to see (and post) the video. These guys are now flirting with 50 knots, and it's getting dangerous. Let's see what happens when they get the smooth water on the French Trench that comes with a hard southeasterly....
Finian Start...
Finian Mid-run...
Finian Finish...
(Photos: Sandra Saxinger)
Annals Of Underwater Archaeology--Saving Titanic: Undersea ubermensch Robert Ballard, who discovered the location of Titanic in 1985, went back to the wreck last spring and didn't like what he saw. Minisubs bringing tourists to view the sunken icon had damaged the deck, the bell and light on the mast are missing, and there is a gash on the bow where the name Titanic is written. More than 6,000 artifacts have been removed from the wreck, prompting Ballard to call for restrictions that will help prevent further damage and looting. "You don't go to Gettysburg with a shovel," he told the local Mystic newspaper, which has a provocative feature on Ballard's views. For example, Ballard wants to use underwater robots to repaint the hull, to combat rust. And he'd like to install remote cameras throughout the wreck, to allow web surfers to take a virtual tour. Ballard has just released a new National Geographic book, with stunning photos of the wreck then and now. And his return visit will be featured in a special on the National Geographic channel December 16. Balllard has profited more than anyone from the discovery and public interest in the Titanic, so his outrage has to be taken with a grain of salt. But the Old Girl deserves maximum protection and respect, so it doesn't matter a damn who the messenger is...
Before...
After...
Before...
After...
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Vendee Globe Update--Doldrums Lineup: King Jean Le Cam is still leading the fleet, and the top boats are all diving toward a Doldrums gate at about 26 degrees West longitude. Daily report here. Position report here. Feature of the day comes from Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss team. It's called "A Day In The Life Of A Vendee Racer," and it's for everyone who thinks the racers are having a nice cruise through the trade winds:
"Just before darkness set in last night, Alex was enjoying 20 - 25 knots of wind with spinnaker and full main flying. All of a sudden everything on board, including Alex was propelled from one side to the other as the pilots gybed the boat, leaving it completely on its side. Alex was left grabbing onto a winch as he realised the main sail was pinned down by the vang, and he considered how to right his boat. Fortunately he was quickly able to gybe the boat again and get it back upright. "It’s very extreme", he commented calmly."Everything crashes over to the opposite side and it takes a second or two to realise what's happening". Having righted the boat, Alex switched the pilots back on and did a quick inspection to ensure no obvious damage. But just moments later, the boat gybed again, this time leaving the kite wrapped around the mast. By this stage he was really having to hang on and began to worry about the miles he would be losing but somehow he managed to untangle the kite and right the boat once again. Determined to keep panic at bay, but with legs trembling all the same, Alex spoke with the shore crew and got the back-up pilots up and running.
With his confidence a little shot and the boat in chaos, Thomson decided that a cuppa and some food would be in order before tackling the tasks that faced him.He went below, boiled the kettle and then just as he was pouring the hot water into his delicious freeze-dried culinary delight of the day, the first squall hit, with gusts of 30 knots and upwards. The sudden jolt of the boat caused the boiling water to spill, scalding Alex's left hand. "It was really painful but I realised that was a lot going on outside and so my first priority had to be to sort the boat out." Alex came on deck to find HUGO BOSS not just in the middle of a huge squall with increasing winds, but also in the middle of an electrical storm which sent his wind instruments crazy. With his left hand pretty much useless, he rushed to the foredeck and pulled the spinnaker down. By this time, it was about 4am, and exhausted from the previous 9 hours adventure, Alex finally made it down below to get some well earned rest.
At 6.30am, having slept through his alarm, he awoke to find himself in 30 knots of wind but within a few minutes of being on deck, the wind speeds had leapt to 45 knots! Though the sleep had left him feeling a lot calmer, Alex decided to stay on deck and monitor the back-up pilots, his confidence in his equipment not yet fully restored. When asked about the condition of his hand, he said, "I have no doubt that the doctor at home would say with a burn of this nature, 'keep it clean, don't use the hand but most importantly don't get it wet'."
Amazingly, through all this Thomson actually managed to hold his third place, and even gain miles on the leaders. That hand could get very, very ugly though...
"Hmm. Don't think my burns will dry out anytime soon..."
"Just before darkness set in last night, Alex was enjoying 20 - 25 knots of wind with spinnaker and full main flying. All of a sudden everything on board, including Alex was propelled from one side to the other as the pilots gybed the boat, leaving it completely on its side. Alex was left grabbing onto a winch as he realised the main sail was pinned down by the vang, and he considered how to right his boat. Fortunately he was quickly able to gybe the boat again and get it back upright. "It’s very extreme", he commented calmly."Everything crashes over to the opposite side and it takes a second or two to realise what's happening". Having righted the boat, Alex switched the pilots back on and did a quick inspection to ensure no obvious damage. But just moments later, the boat gybed again, this time leaving the kite wrapped around the mast. By this stage he was really having to hang on and began to worry about the miles he would be losing but somehow he managed to untangle the kite and right the boat once again. Determined to keep panic at bay, but with legs trembling all the same, Alex spoke with the shore crew and got the back-up pilots up and running.
With his confidence a little shot and the boat in chaos, Thomson decided that a cuppa and some food would be in order before tackling the tasks that faced him.He went below, boiled the kettle and then just as he was pouring the hot water into his delicious freeze-dried culinary delight of the day, the first squall hit, with gusts of 30 knots and upwards. The sudden jolt of the boat caused the boiling water to spill, scalding Alex's left hand. "It was really painful but I realised that was a lot going on outside and so my first priority had to be to sort the boat out." Alex came on deck to find HUGO BOSS not just in the middle of a huge squall with increasing winds, but also in the middle of an electrical storm which sent his wind instruments crazy. With his left hand pretty much useless, he rushed to the foredeck and pulled the spinnaker down. By this time, it was about 4am, and exhausted from the previous 9 hours adventure, Alex finally made it down below to get some well earned rest.
At 6.30am, having slept through his alarm, he awoke to find himself in 30 knots of wind but within a few minutes of being on deck, the wind speeds had leapt to 45 knots! Though the sleep had left him feeling a lot calmer, Alex decided to stay on deck and monitor the back-up pilots, his confidence in his equipment not yet fully restored. When asked about the condition of his hand, he said, "I have no doubt that the doctor at home would say with a burn of this nature, 'keep it clean, don't use the hand but most importantly don't get it wet'."
Amazingly, through all this Thomson actually managed to hold his third place, and even gain miles on the leaders. That hand could get very, very ugly though...
"Hmm. Don't think my burns will dry out anytime soon..."
Tuesday Trash Dump: The special of the day is fantastic feats caught on video. Check 'em out...
Event 1: Rollerblade Tow And Launch
Event 2: Big Ass Backflip
Event 3: World's Most Unorthodox Soccer Save
Event 4: Foosball Trickery
"You guys are toast. Wait 'til you see the little scoring play we've worked up..."
Event 1: Rollerblade Tow And Launch
Event 2: Big Ass Backflip
Event 3: World's Most Unorthodox Soccer Save
Event 4: Foosball Trickery
"You guys are toast. Wait 'til you see the little scoring play we've worked up..."
Kickass Hall Of Fame--Takeru Kobayashi: He's slight of build, just 132 pounds, and looks as if he could use a good meal. But Kobayashi is a freak of nature, capable of shovelling food into his mouth and down his gullet at simply astounding speeds. He has won the Coney Island hot dog eating contest four years in a row (his current record: 53 and a half dogs), he has eaten 17.7 pounds of cow brains in 15 minutes, and he has consumed 20 pounds of rice balls in a mere 30 minutes. Pardon me a minute, I have to hurl. Okay, I'm back. Kobayashi's latest feat: this week he won a contest by eating 69 hamburgers in just eight minutes (and pocketing $10,000). For his eating prowess Kobayashi is a certified celebrity in his home country of Japan. In fact, Kobayashi has turned speed eating into a craze there, a controversial one because Kobayashi wannabes keep choking--and even dying--in their attempts to Be Like Takeru. So how does Kobayashi compare to all the other gorge maniacs out there? David Baer, of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, puts it bluntly: "Kobayashi is, without a doubt, the greatest eater ever to live upon planet Earth." What can I say? We have the pleasure of watching a living legend in action...
"Oh man, there's got to be a better way to get a Maalox endorsement deal..."
"Oh man, there's got to be a better way to get a Maalox endorsement deal..."
Monday, November 15, 2004
Vendee Monday...: King Jean (Le Cam) and the other leading boats (PRB, Hugo Boss, VMI, Sill) are lining up for the squally, wind-hole pocked Doldrums, which sit just north of the Equator. Best Doldrum passage looks to be at 24/25 degrees west. Daily report here. Position board here. Race favorite Mike Golding went west early to line up for the Doldrums, and paid a massive price as the Trade Winds filled slowly from east to west, dropping him into 6th place as all the boats to his east rocketed ahead. He's got the better sailing angle going south now, and is gaining some back. But he admits that Le Cam and Vincent Riou have sailed a perfect race so far. The key question is: what will the fleet order be across the Equator. This is the first real "gate" of the course, and is a critical snapshot of where the competitors are relative to one another. The next leg, following the Equator, is the race down the South Atlantic to the Roaring Forties. Whoever gets into the Southern Ocean first will have a big advantage. The Southern Ocean leader frequently wins this race, as long as the boat survives...
Leading Le Cam: "Heh-heh. It's easy to snag the lead when you've snuck some extra crew on board..."
Leading Le Cam: "Heh-heh. It's easy to snag the lead when you've snuck some extra crew on board..."
Joyon Halfway, Ellen On Ready To Be On Her Way: Solo sailor Francis Joyon is about halfway across the Atlantic in his attempt to break PlayStation's outright east/west Transatlantic record. You can find Joyon's positions here. Joyon has been speeding along nicely, keeping pace (sort of) with PlayStation, but the second half of the voyage will be tricky. Joyon is north of PlayStation's route, and a low pressure cell is about to cross his path, threatening light winds in the center or headwinds if he gets caught south of it. On the other hand, the backside of the system will bring strong north/northwesterlies, which could give Joyon a strong finishing kick on a route that normally sees light winds near the finish (PlayStation had light winds for the final hundred miles). We'll see what happens, and right now Joyon is projecting an arrival outside PlayStation's record time but inside Club Med's previous record time of 10 days 9 hours. Which would still be very impressive...
While Joyon is again out demolishing solo record times, and beating many a crewed time, Ellen MacArthur is now officially on standby to chase Joyon's superhuman solo round-the-world record of 72 days 22 hours. MacArthur's 75-foot trimaran B&Q is in Falmouth, waiting for a favorable weather window to set out from the English Channel. The best system for a slingshot across the Bay Of Biscay, and down into the Trade Winds on northerly winds, is a well-established high pressure system out in the Atlantic, and right now there's nothing obvious in the offing. But it will come.
Here's a little background on this record from MacArthur's site, which is the biggest, baddest solo sailing mark out there:
WHY IS THIS RECORD SO EXCEPTIONAL:
1800+ people have reached the summit of Everest...
450+ people have been in space...
12 astronauts have stepped on the moon...
5 solo sailors have attempted to race around the globe NON-STOP on MULTIHULLS (the fastest and most extreme boats to traverse the oceans)...
Only 1 succeeded to go the distance non-stop...
Francis Joyon, current solo round the world record holder, set off on 22.11.03 and finished 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds later on 3.2.04 to set a new world record. This is the time MacArthur has to beat [see below for other 5 solo round the world attempts on multihulls].
PREVIOUS MULTIHULL SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS:
Previous attempts to race solo non-stop around the world on a multihull:
1968-69 Nigel Tetley on board Victress (Golden Globe competitor, sank 1100 miles from the finish line off the English coast but Tetley had already crossed his outbound track thereby technically completed the first solo circumnavigation in a multihull)
1973-74 Alain Colas on board Manureva finished in 169 days (stopped to make repairs)
1986-87 Philippe Monnet on board Kriter finished in 129 days (stopped to make repairs)
1988-89 Olivier de Kersauson on board Un Autre Regard finished in 125 days (stopped to make repairs)
2003-04 Francis Joyon on board IDEC finished in 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 22 seconds (non-stop)
If MacArthur makes it non-stop she'll be guaranteed at least one record: fastest woman solo and non-stop. But anyone who knows MacArthur knows she doesn't give a damn about setting a woman's record. There's only one thing she cares about: beating every other sailor--man or woman--out there...
MacArthur Set To Chase: "Francis is really making my life difficult with his insistence on rewriting the record books. But damn he's good..."
(Photo: Benoit Stichelbaut/DPPI)
While Joyon is again out demolishing solo record times, and beating many a crewed time, Ellen MacArthur is now officially on standby to chase Joyon's superhuman solo round-the-world record of 72 days 22 hours. MacArthur's 75-foot trimaran B&Q is in Falmouth, waiting for a favorable weather window to set out from the English Channel. The best system for a slingshot across the Bay Of Biscay, and down into the Trade Winds on northerly winds, is a well-established high pressure system out in the Atlantic, and right now there's nothing obvious in the offing. But it will come.
Here's a little background on this record from MacArthur's site, which is the biggest, baddest solo sailing mark out there:
WHY IS THIS RECORD SO EXCEPTIONAL:
1800+ people have reached the summit of Everest...
450+ people have been in space...
12 astronauts have stepped on the moon...
5 solo sailors have attempted to race around the globe NON-STOP on MULTIHULLS (the fastest and most extreme boats to traverse the oceans)...
Only 1 succeeded to go the distance non-stop...
Francis Joyon, current solo round the world record holder, set off on 22.11.03 and finished 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds later on 3.2.04 to set a new world record. This is the time MacArthur has to beat [see below for other 5 solo round the world attempts on multihulls].
PREVIOUS MULTIHULL SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS:
Previous attempts to race solo non-stop around the world on a multihull:
1968-69 Nigel Tetley on board Victress (Golden Globe competitor, sank 1100 miles from the finish line off the English coast but Tetley had already crossed his outbound track thereby technically completed the first solo circumnavigation in a multihull)
1973-74 Alain Colas on board Manureva finished in 169 days (stopped to make repairs)
1986-87 Philippe Monnet on board Kriter finished in 129 days (stopped to make repairs)
1988-89 Olivier de Kersauson on board Un Autre Regard finished in 125 days (stopped to make repairs)
2003-04 Francis Joyon on board IDEC finished in 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 22 seconds (non-stop)
If MacArthur makes it non-stop she'll be guaranteed at least one record: fastest woman solo and non-stop. But anyone who knows MacArthur knows she doesn't give a damn about setting a woman's record. There's only one thing she cares about: beating every other sailor--man or woman--out there...
MacArthur Set To Chase: "Francis is really making my life difficult with his insistence on rewriting the record books. But damn he's good..."
(Photo: Benoit Stichelbaut/DPPI)
Masters Of Speed Follow-Up: The French Trench delivered big time over the weekend. Not only did Yellow Pages Endeavor's outright 46.52 knot record fall (twice), four other national and assorted records were set. Click here for the report. But here's the heart of it:
"What a fantastic but grueling two days of rugged and psychotic conditions that actually went unsailed a lot of the time because the wind was blowing too hard for the equipment that we all had. 5.0’s were huge just to give an idea of what we were facing and that is what the smallest sails were for the most part. In fact, a modern 4.0-4.4 would have been the preferable size for just about everyone as we got hit by afternoon stretches on both afternoons whereby there was a solid 50-knots gusting to 60 for literally two hours at a time.
Be jesus……….it was nuts and the lid literally flew off the top with the wind gods. Unfortunately the angle we were asking for was too much today (130-140) as big chop developed on the course making it very difficult to go fast.
Survival was the name of the game sometimes but breaking the record further requires calculated control, power and finesse, which is simply impossible to achieve in unison with the Mistral. The wind is far too irregular and twitchy to be super fast, fast enough for 50. We are looking for the big SE for that but it is clear that all the sailors were pretty happy with what we got and simply making it through the experience without injury!"
Finian and his boys are gunning for 50 knots next, and figure it will take a hard southeasterly to get there. Fifty. That I'd love to see.
Here are the times:
11 F. Maynard BVI 46.82 46.60 (Outright)
22 D. Garrel FRA 44.21 43.23
63 D. White GB 44.03 43.44 (British and production board)
57 B. v.d Steen NL 43.71 43.02 (Dutch)
10 S. Allen AUS 43.48 42.09 (Australian windsurfing)
62 M.v.Meurs NL 42.11
24 J.B. Gautier FRA 40.55 40.20
44 T. Bielak FRA 39.66
114 K. Jaggi SUI 39.80 38.04
26 F. D’Urso ITA 39.35 38.96
And here are the pics...
"I may look like a dork. But no one can deny I'm f*ckin' fast..."
(Photos: Jean Souville)
"What a fantastic but grueling two days of rugged and psychotic conditions that actually went unsailed a lot of the time because the wind was blowing too hard for the equipment that we all had. 5.0’s were huge just to give an idea of what we were facing and that is what the smallest sails were for the most part. In fact, a modern 4.0-4.4 would have been the preferable size for just about everyone as we got hit by afternoon stretches on both afternoons whereby there was a solid 50-knots gusting to 60 for literally two hours at a time.
Be jesus……….it was nuts and the lid literally flew off the top with the wind gods. Unfortunately the angle we were asking for was too much today (130-140) as big chop developed on the course making it very difficult to go fast.
Survival was the name of the game sometimes but breaking the record further requires calculated control, power and finesse, which is simply impossible to achieve in unison with the Mistral. The wind is far too irregular and twitchy to be super fast, fast enough for 50. We are looking for the big SE for that but it is clear that all the sailors were pretty happy with what we got and simply making it through the experience without injury!"
Finian and his boys are gunning for 50 knots next, and figure it will take a hard southeasterly to get there. Fifty. That I'd love to see.
Here are the times:
11 F. Maynard BVI 46.82 46.60 (Outright)
22 D. Garrel FRA 44.21 43.23
63 D. White GB 44.03 43.44 (British and production board)
57 B. v.d Steen NL 43.71 43.02 (Dutch)
10 S. Allen AUS 43.48 42.09 (Australian windsurfing)
62 M.v.Meurs NL 42.11
24 J.B. Gautier FRA 40.55 40.20
44 T. Bielak FRA 39.66
114 K. Jaggi SUI 39.80 38.04
26 F. D’Urso ITA 39.35 38.96
And here are the pics...
"I may look like a dork. But no one can deny I'm f*ckin' fast..."
(Photos: Jean Souville)
Sunday, November 14, 2004
BREAKING NEWS--Hail King Finian!: We interrupt your normal weekend wetassing to bring you the following news flash: Windsurfer Finian Maynard is now the fastest sailor on the planet (pending ratification from the World Sailing Speed Record Council. Yesterday, in a honkin' Mistral that was blowing between 35 and 45 knots, Maynard ripped off a windsurfing run that averaged 46.82 knots, stealing the outright record back from Yellow Pages Endeavor, which put up a speed of 46.52 knots at Sandy Point in 1993. So score a huge victory for the windsurfers, and for the French Trench over Sandy Point. But .3 knots is not a revolution. The next major breakthrough in this sport of speed sailing is the Big Five Oh...
Finian's Fastest: Want to know the secret of my speed? Surfin' barefoot..."
Finian's Fastest: Want to know the secret of my speed? Surfin' barefoot..."
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