Vendée Globe, Peyron è il leader ma il gruppo si compatta
OceanoVelaVendée Globe 25 Novembre 2008 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic=892,250,170,,left]Vendée Globe – Oceano Atlantico – Sedici giorni di Oceano e il gruppo della Vendée Globe è talmente compatto che per trovare i primi cinque basta sorvolare cinquanta miglia di mare. Distanze ridotte al punto che i protagonisti si osservano ad occhio nudo, rispondendo colpo su colpo alle rispettive manovre.
Mentre si prosegue lungo l’autostrada che conduce verso sud, il gruppo, quindi, si va pian piano ricompattando. L’alta pressione di Sant’Elena, infatti, comincia a farsi sentire e in testa si naviga con brezze meno tese. Non a caso Sebastien Josse (BT) ha dimezzato il distacco che lo separava dal leader Loick Peyron (Gitana Eighty), avanti, alle 19.00 GMT, di appena dieci miglia. Se a ciò si aggiunge il fatto che Josse ha navigato più a est rispetto a Peyron, si capisce come i due, nel momento in cui orzeranno per raggiungere il cancello obbligatorio posto al largo del Sudafrica, potrebbero essere davvero vicinissimi.
Giornata da incorniciare anche per Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air), portatosi a quaranta miglia del leader e riuscito nell’impresa di scavalcare Jean-Pierr Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2), da diversi giorni abbonato al secondo posto, e per Elies Yann di Generali e Roland Jourdain di Veolia Environnement, rientrati anch’essi nel gruppo di testa e pronti a dare battaglia nel corso dei prossimi giorni.
Dalle retrovie, intanto, giunge la notizia del superamento dell’Equatore di uno dei protagonisti mancati della regata, Bernard Stamm. Lo skipper svizzero, rientrato in gara con Cheminées Poujoulat dopo aver speronato un mercantile durante la prima notte passata in mare, arranca a oltre mille miglia da Peyron.
Continua la marcia di avvicinamento di Jeremy Beyou e del suo Delta Dore a Recife. Una volta in rada, il solitario francese tenterà di riparare le crocette, staccatesi dall’albero nei giorni scorsi.
Day 16, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) a 20222.7 miles to finish
2 – Seb Josse (BT) at +10.1 nm
3 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) at +40.5 nm
4 – Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) at +40.9 nm
5 – Riou Vincent (PRB) at +49.9 nm
Per seguire la regata sul web clicca qui.
[flashvideo filename=video/oceano/Vendee_251108.flv /]
Video courtesy Vendée Globe.
PICKING YOUR BATTLE
[singlepic=893,250,170,,left][Vendée Globe Press Release] After 16 days of sailing, just 50 miles cover first to fifth as the leading group squeeze ever-closer, with several skippers throughout the fleet engaged in some great battles with their nearest rivals as backing winds allow them to crack off the sheets and sail for speed.
Second-placed Sebastien Josse (BT) has got leader Loick Peyron in his sights, and by the 19.00 GMT update has brought the deficit down to just 10.1 miles. It’s been a good day at the office for ‘Jo Jo’, who gained more than 18 miles on Gitana Eighty since this morning.
Marc Guillemot on Safran is also having a great duel with Briton Brian Thompson on Bahrain Team Pindar. The VPLP-designed Safran seems to be getting the better of the powerful Pindar at the moment, clocking up over 309 miles over the past 24 hours, the most of any boat.
Speaking at this morning’s live radio broadcasts, Brian Thompson compared Safran and Bahrain Team Pindar, which are at different ends of the IMOCA 60 design spectrum.
“We’re very different. We’ve been quite similar over the past couple of days, Safran has probably been a touch faster. She’s been a little bit more in the east, which may have helped her but there’s not much to choose between them. I remember at the start Safran was very fast and she’s a particularly good boat upwind, which is surprising when you look at those curved foils etc but maybe that long chine helps her go upwind as well. But it’s going very fast a lot of the time.”
Michel Desjoyeaux has also picked up the pace — he is currently one place behind Sam Davies (13th), whose Roxy is the very same boat on which he won the 2000-2001 Vendée Globe.
At the other end of the fleet Derek Hatfield now has to fend off Jean-Baptiste Desjanty on Groupe Maisonneuve, as they approach the Doldrums. “I’m also feeling the heat from Jean Baptiste who is right behind pushing hard to catch up. He is providing me with some motivation to pick up the pace now. All good stuff, as they say.”
But while picking off a rival will no doubt give any skipper some satisfaction, the real gains and losses are still to come — when to turn left, that is the question…?
Day 16, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) a 20222.7 miles to finish
2 – Seb Josse (BT) at +10.1 nm
3 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) at +40.5 nm
4 – Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) at +40.9 nm
5 – Riou Vincent (PRB) at +49.9 nm
To follow the race on web click here.
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