Vendée Globe, il senso del viaggio
OceanoVelaVendée Globe 31 Dicembre 2008 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=1244,250,170,,left]Vendée Globe – Oceano Pacifico – Finalmente un pò di stabilità. Da Norbert Sedlacek e Raphael Dinelli, fanalini di coda di una flotta dipanata lungo cinquemila miglia di Oceano, a Michel Desjoyeaux, ancora una volta più veloce di tutti con una media superiore ai diciannove nodi, ognuno pare aver trovato la propria dimensione. La tensione dei primi giorni è ormai alle spalle, le paure vinte. Non esiste barca più veloce del proprio skipper: il meccanismo ha preso a girare alla perfezione, mentre si viaggia verso Capo Horn.
I computer dicono che il vincitore sarà a Les Sable d’Olonne tre poco più di un mese, altre storie di mare da raccontare, non c’è dubbio. Intanto godiamoci l’avanzare di chi vive la semplice ambizione di completare la propria impresa, per dimostrare a tutti che è possibile. Di chi cerca di difendere la posizione per dare un senso più marcato all’avventura. Di chi fa da battistrada. Di chi ha visto le sue ambizioni cambiare d’improvviso, ma non s’è dato per battuto.
Un mondo che vive alle spalle di Michel Desjoyeaux, pronto a balzare nel 2009 con 92.7 miglia di vantaggio su Roland Jourdain, anello di giunzione tra Foncia e il resto del gruppo. A duecentocinquanta miglia da Veolia Environnement staziona infatti VM Materiaux; Jean Le Cam combatte ancora con venti diversi da quelli che spingono la coppia di testa e perde terreno anche nei confronti di Brit Air e PRB, tornati a scambiarsi la posizione.
Day 51, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) DTF 9158.2 nm
2 – Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) +92.7 nm
3 – Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux) +352.2 nm
4 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) +560.7 nm
5 – Vincent Riou (PRB) +568.0 nm
Per seguire la regata sul web clicca qui.
[flashvideo filename=video/oceano/Vendee_301208.flv /]
Video courtesy Vendée Globe.
THE INNER JOURNEY
[Vendée Globe Press Release] And so a certain stability visits the race (a phrase certain to wreak havoc upon the fleet in hours) but from Norbert Sedlacek and Raphael Dinelli, thriving on their own personal challenges 5000 miles behind leader Michel Desjoyeaux – back with the pedal to the metal tonight making over 19 knots – and Roland Jourdain, nearly nine knots slower, this is now a race where the skippers have found their level.
There is no room for pretensions, no hiding place from fear, no fast boats quicker than the skipper.
The die is very much cast and it now up to them to make what they can. In somewhere around 33-37 days the winner, all things being equal should be back in Les Sables d’Olonne.
Some at the rear end of the fleet have the ambition of simply completing the round the world race to show that their dream was not impossible. Sedlacek (Nauticsport Kapsch) and Dinelli (Fondation Océan Vital) knew when they set out from Les Sables that this was more of an adventure than a race. However, their motivation is just as strong: for the former it is a question of completing a project he began in 2000, while for the latter the challenge is finishing the voyage without using fossil fuels.
Rich Wilson (Great American III) and Jonny Malbon (Artemis), representing different ends of the skippers’ age spectrum chose to enter this race to test their aptitude at facing the unknown. Whatever their reasons, they all know that they will have learnt something about the world around them and, perhaps more about themselves.
For some, the deep south is a revelation: you just need to see the joy on the faces of Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas), Sam Davies (Roxy) and Steve White (Toe in the Water) to know that they will be back again at the start in four years time. They are truly in the race itself, while their humility is clear. They accept their vulnerability and that is what makes their pleasure almost indestructible.
Then, there are those, whose ambitions have had to change. We are thinking of Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) who had a remarkable race until he hit a UFO and admits he is finding it difficult to move way from the idea of winning. Then, there is Marc Guillemot (Safran), who went through every emotion possible and now simply wants to finish the race honourably.
Dee Caffari (Aviva), after a great start, could not keep up the merciless pace set by the leaders, and for Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar), he will certainly want to come back to see what he can do on another occasion on a boat which has been fully race tested.
Day 51, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) DTF 9158.2 nm
2 – Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) +92.7 nm
3 – Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux) +352.2 nm
4 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) +560.7 nm
5 – Vincent Riou (PRB) +568.0 nm
To follow the race on web click here.
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