Vendée Globe, il Pacifico dietro il cancello
OceanoVelaVendée Globe 20 Dicembre 2008 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=1146,250,170,,left] Vendée Globe – Oceano Indiano – Mentre Yann Eliés e Marc Guillemot aspettano l’arrivo della cavalleria, la flotta della Vendée Globe continua il suo cammino verso Capo Horn.
Michel Desjoyeaux, ormai prossimo al superamento del cancello che immette in Pacifico, ha quasi sessanta miglia di vantaggio su Roland Jourdain e naviga, per sua stessa ammissione, di conserva: “Durante la discesa dell’Atlantico viaggiavo sempre sulle polari cercando di ottenere il massimo. Ora che sono al comando viaggio attorno all’85-90%. Se qualcuno inizia a spingere forte, allora ho un margine residuo da sfruttare per difendere la testa della regata”.
In terza posizione staziona Sebastien Josse su BT, ma il suo distacco è ormai prossimo alle duecento miglia: difficile pensare a un suo ritorno, visto che nel corso degli ultimi giorni il gap è andato aumentando a vista d’occhio.
La notizia del giorno è il ritorno in gara di Paprec-Virbac 2. Raggiunte acque tranquille, Jean Pierre Dick, che per lunghi giorni aveva guidato la regata con disinvoltura, ha riparato il timone spaccatosi in seguito all’urto con un oggetto sommerso ed ha rimesso la prua verso est. Il suo ritardo dai primi è di quasi ottocento miglia. Troppe per sperare nel miracolo, ma non per ambire a migliorare l’attuale settima posizione.
Day 40, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) DTF 12430.2 nm
2 – Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) +59.1 nm
3 – Sebastien Josse (BT) +173.5 nm
4 – Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux) +218.1 nm
5 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) +412.4 nm
Per seguire la regata sul web clicca qui.
[flashvideo filename=video/oceano/Vendee_191208.flv /]
Video courtesy Vendée Globe.
AFTER THE INDIAN ROPE TRICK, HEADING FOR THE PACIFIC HEIGHTS
[singlepic=1145,170,250,,left][Vendée Globe Press Release] Michel Desjoyeaux has cranked up the pace again on Foncia as he heads for the exit door, his Indian Ocean rope trick complete, ready to pass into the smoother Pacific. He was just 50 miles from the Pacific highway this evening. With his advance now 59.1 miles, the biggest lead he has had since he took the lead on the mid-morning rankings on Wednesday, Desjoyeaux is putting the squeeze on his rivals again.
Tonight he is making 20.7 knots to Jourdain’s 15.5 knots, and while his perception of the iniquities of the Indian Ocean may be coloured by his own considerable profit, Desjoyeaux considers he has the speed to leave his rivals at will: “In the descent of the Atlantic I was running the routing and the polars towards the maximum. Right now I’m running them at about 90 or even 85% so as I can stick to some of the others’ speeds. If I see that someone is really pushing, I accelerate and if ever I see that someone is easing off the pace, I do likewise… I use the routing to make a mathematical comparison of what’s happening on the water. It wasn’t my thing before I started doing that but now it’s all down to common sense!” he maintains.
Meantime Jean-Pierre Dick is battling back into the race with his re-born rudders. Paprec-Virbac 2 is making a more healthy 15.3 knots as he loops more south to re-join the fray, lying seventh he has 441 miles to make back if he is to catch Vincent Riou, next above him in sixth.
Steve White has been having a rough time over the last 36 hours, battling pilot issues. He has spent periods near stopped today trying to sort them out, and appears to have done so.
Day 40, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) DTF 12430.2 nm
2 – Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) +59.1 nm
3 – Sebastien Josse (BT) +173.5 nm
4 – Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux) +218.1 nm
5 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) +412.4 nm
To follow the race on web click here.
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