[singlepic=1045,170,250,,left]Vendée Globe – Oceano Indiano – Finalmente una giornata tranquilla. Le ultime ventiquattro ore della Vendée Globe non hanno riservato particolari sorprese e i solitari, seguendo i margini di un sistema meteo piuttosto pronunciato, hanno proseguito il loro viaggio verso est, guidati da Jean Pierre Dick. Certo le velocità non sono entusiasmanti, ma le medie sono comunque sufficienti a difendersi dal ritorno di chi è più attardato, come Dominique Wavre e Bernard Stamm che, stando agli ultimi rilevamenti, sono i più veloci della flotta.
Dopo essersi spinto a sud, Jean Pierre Dick naviga ora lungo la rotta ideale, inseguito a quasi quaranta miglia da Roland Jourdain, che nelle passate ore ha sorpassato Sebastien Josse, ora terzo a cinquantasei miglia dalla vetta. Tanto Veolia Environnement quanto BT hanno scelto di tenersi a nord di Paprec Virbac 2, in un tratto di mare battuto da buona parte del gruppo di testa, di cui fanno parte anche Loick Peyron (Gitana Eighty), Mike Golding (Ecover 3) e il redivivo Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia).
Day 29, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Jean Pierre Dick (Paprec Virbac 2) at 16516.9 nm to finish
2 – Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) +37.5 nm
3 – Sebastien Josse (BT) +56.6 nm
4 – Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) +61.3 nm
5 – Mike Golding (Ecover 3) +85 nm
Per seguire la regata sul web clicca qui.
[flashvideo filename=video/oceano/Vendee_081208.flv /]
Video courtesy Vendée Globe.
TIPPING THE BALANCE
[singlepic=1046,250,170,,left][Vendée Globe Press Release] The balance is tipping again as the leaders slow and those in pursuit are blessed with the better breeze.
Dominique Wavre on Temenos 2 lamented his lack of breeze yesterday and last night, losing over 120 miles on the leaders over one day but tonight it is the two Swiss skippers Wavre and Bernard Stamm who are seeing the highest numbers on their speedos.
Behind they them are going to have to wait until tomorrow evening to pick up speed again. The low-pressure area, which enabled the leaders to achieve some great speeds this weekend is now moving away from the whole fleet towards the Kerguelens and beyond. This evening all of the boats are therefore behind this low in a westerly flow, which is easing off to around 12 knots.
The gaps between these leading sailors should not change much until tomorrow lunchtime, when the middle of the fleet should be able to start closing the gaps again, as another front arrives. Ahead of this new system, the winds will remain light and directly from astern (10-12 knot westerly), while for those immediately behind, the NW’ly wind will freshen to around twenty knots, before backing WSW’ly as the front goes over. After wallowing through the worst of the high pressure Wavre is now making 16.8 knots this evening while Stamm is up to 17.5.
The leaders have slowed waiting for the ridge to catch them, while the low pressure system they have been riding for the last three days is leaving them, speeding its way to the Kerguelen Islands to the east. There will be no real escape from the high pressure ridge, north or south for the leaders.
For Derek Hatfield, progress is painfully slow on Algimouss Spirit of Canada has he is snared by the high pressure in the South Atlantic, making just 3 knots just now.
Steve White, meantime, becomes the 18th skipper to break into the Indian Ocean, making his first passage under sail past the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope today on Toe in the Water.
Day 29, 20.00 GMT, ranking
1 – Jean Pierre Dick (Paprec Virbac 2) at 16516.9 nm to finish
2 – Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) +37.5 nm
3 – Sebastien Josse (BT) +56.6 nm
4 – Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) +61.3 nm
5 – Mike Golding (Ecover 3) +85 nm
To follow the race on web click here.
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