Marc Guillemot 2009 IMOCA champion

[Source: Vendée Globe] The skipper of Safran was crowned 2009 IMOCA world champion after finishing ahead of Michel Desjoyeaux and Armel Le Cléac’h in the annual rankings. Marc Guillemot received his title at the headquarters of the Safran Group, in the presence of the boat’s godmother, Claudie Haigneré and other skippers, who took part in the 2009 championship, including Michel Desjoyeaux, Jean Le Cam, Kito de Pavant, Arnaud Boissières, Yannick Bestaven, Jean-Pierre Dick…

Marc Guillemot received the 2009 IMOCA world champion trophy from the hands of Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French Sailing Federation after totalling 362 points, ahead of Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air). This result rewards Safran’s consistency at the highest level, as Marc Ventre, member of the Board of Safran pointed out: "Safran has achieved a remarkable set of results: not only did she complete the three IMOCA championship races she took part in, but she also finished the season at the top of the rankings with her win in the Transat Jacques Vabre last November. This technological success would mean nothing, it it did not also involve the fantastic human adventure that we owe to Marc… "

As for Marc Guillemot, he congratulated his team and offered his warmest thanks to the Safran Group for their support. He then paid homage to his fellow competitors and took advantage of the occasion to offer them a signed copy of his book, “Vrai Faux Solitaire.”

2009 IMOCA rankings
1 Marc Guillemot (Safran) 362 pts
2 Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) 357 pts
3 Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) 338 pts
4 Sam Davies (Artemis II) 321 pts
5 Vincent Riou (PRB) 304 pts
6 Dee Caffari (Aviva) 295 pts
7 Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas) 292 pts
8 Brian Thompson (Pindar) 281 pts
9 Steve White (Spirit of Weymouth) 250 pts
10 Richard Wilson (Great American III) 220 pts

Historic second Vendee Globe victory for Desjoyeaux

[Source: Vendée Globe] Sailing more than 28,303 miles, averaging around 13.2 knots, French solo skipper Michel Desjoyeaux has shattered the Vendée Globe race record today by 3 days 7 hours and 39 seconds on his way to becoming the first skipper ever to win the solo non stop around the world race twice. The course is effectively 1150 miles longer than in 2004 when

After winning the race in 2000-1 on PRB, eclipsing the young emerging British skipper Ellen MacArthur by 1 day 28 minutes, Desjoyeaux joined the 30 strong field for this race, the biggest entry ever for a round the world race in sailing history, as one of the clear favourites.

After a successful odyssey into big racing multihulls, Desjoyeaux returned to monohulls in 2007 when he won the highly competitive Solitaire du Figaro, going on to win the Transat Vabre in late 2007 on his return to the IMOCA Open 60 class in which the Vendée Globe

Michel Desjoyeaux crosse the finish line victorious. Les Sables D'Olonne, 01 February 2009. Video copyright Vendée Globe

Desjoyeaux crossed the finish on Sunday 1st February at 15:11.08 GMT , after 84 days 03 hours 09 minutes of racing. Foncia completed the race in twenty knots of breeze under sunny skies, greeted by a massive armada of spectator boats before beking warmly welcomed by huge crowds who gathered along the waterfront and harbour area of Les Sables d’Olonne, where the race departed at 1202 GMT November 9th 2008.

Desjoueaux said: “ It’s incredible, this little ray of sunshine is making it magical. I may have done it eight years ago, but it's still incredible. I can’t take it in. I have been two months trying to understand what's going on, how I’m doing it and so here I’m just enjoying it then we'll think about it afterwards.

I never really worried about being behind. I won this Vendée Globe before the start with the choices I made, with the team and the experience I have built up.

I won this Vendée Globe before the start with the choices I made, with the team and the experience I have built up Eighty percent of the end result is before the start of the race. But it is a whole lot of things, and the other twenty percent are during the race itself, in believing, having faith, in doing it, manoeuvering, in punishing yourself, when I had to push a bit, but I never really suffered. I am always in the action, making the boat go fast.

I don’t think I have been cocky. We’ve had rough conditions in the south but I felt I was at ease and enjoying it a lot, so everything feels a lot easier that way, not to be too hard on yourself and just keep going.

Even on 25th December with my rudder problem, I didn’t sit around crying about what had happened. Everyone knows the Vendée Globe is hard and it’s only normal there aren’t many of us finishing.

It’s the hardest race that exists, simply, so it's normal that there are not a lot of us left at the finish line.

Jules Verne had visualized 80 (days) and I think that’s do-able even with our boats, so I think in four years it'll be doable The world hasn’t shrunk, but it is certainly possible to sail around the world in under 80 days, and it would have been possible this time without the ice this time.

Michel Desjoyeaux in the lead but came "close to disaster"

[Source: Vendee Globe] There may be some minor encouragement for Roland Jourdain whose speed has risen to 8.4 knots this evening, but Michel Desjoyeaux’s lead has increased to 391 miles and will, almost certainly be over 400 miles again tomorrow. Jourdain will be hoping that he Doldrums are completely behind him.

Michel Desjoyeaux remains tight lipped about the problems he may have had to overcome, possibly before the Doldrums, saying in a French press report that he has been ‘……close to disaster, I have had problems which could have put an end to my race. I had a lucky escape.’

Video highlights from day 73 of the Vendée Globe. 21 January 2009. Video copyright Vendée Globe

With less than 50 miles to go to the Equator the skipper of Veolia Environnement will tonight or early tomorrow morning become the second competitor to return to the North Atlantic.

Behind the leading duo there is all to play for. Marc Guillemot, positioned 75 miles off the coast of Brazil (at the latitude of Rio) has Samantha Davies, further out to sea, trying to make good the miles she lost.

Although slowed down over the past few hours, she says she prefers her position to Marc Guillemot’s. For the Thompson/Caffari/Boissières trio, level with Uruguay now, the die is cast.

The Cowes skipper has slowed to just 4.8 knots this evening and has the South Atlantic branch of ‘Caffari Solo Sail Repairs’ in full swing behind him, just 20 miles away, making. She is more than 1.5 knots quicker than Bahrain Team Pindar.

Aboard his evergreen Akena Vérandas (the former VMI), which is certainly less powerful than his British rivals, Arnaud Boissières had no other choice but to attempt an option to the west to get out of an area of light winds and thundery squalls.

From Steve White, currently passing the Falklands to Norber Sedlacek in the middle of the Pacific, only Rich Wilson, heading towards the Horn was sailing above ten knots this evening.

Michel Desjoyeaux already out of the Doldrums?

[Source: Vendée Globe] Has Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) escaped from the Doldrums even before crossing the Equator? That is the impression we get this morning, with his speed back up to 9.9 knots, but in this unpredictable zone, you cannot jump to any hasty conclusions.

The violence of the squalls could still offer some surprises to the clear leader in the sixth Vendée Globe. 334 miles further south, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) must be feeling more pleased after regaining 160 miles in 36 hours. At 13.3 knots this morning, he is making the most of the steady trade winds to win back the miles from his rival.

It may not be the Doldrums, but for Samantha Davies (Roxy), to the south of Rio, the effect is the same. Struggling in light winds her average speed over 24 hours has dropped to 6.5 knots. At the same time, Marc Guillemot (Safran), closer to the Brazilian coast has maintained his speed (11.6 knots) meaning that he is now just 35 miles from Sam, whereas 48 hours ago, 250 miles separated them.

The battle is raging too between the Cape Horn Trio, Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar), Dee Caffari, GBR (Aviva) and Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas) off the Valdès Peninsula in Argentina.

On his ten-year-old boat, the Frenchman is finding it difficult to keep up with his British rivals. Dee Caffari is doing 16.9 knots this morning in spite of the damage to her mainsail has achieved the best performance over 24 hours. Caffari now finds herself just 70 miles behind Thompson and the same distance ahead of the French skipper, and she has been consistently quicker than her compatriot. But this group are expected to hit lighter winds todday.

After a quick passage towards Cape Horn, a traditionally bumpy and windy first rounding at 2030hrs last night, Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) suffered the transitional slow down as he turns up the Atlantic towards the Maire Straits. But at 0600hrs this morning he had made nearly 100 miles since the lonely rock but, while last night his was pledging to do all he can to catch the trio nearly 1000 miles in front of him, light winds in the South Atlantic may thwart his ambition initially at least.

For Inauguration Day in his native USA, Rich Wilson is back in brisk 30 knots winds and has 1400 miles to Cape Horn, whilst the Dinelli and Sedlacek duo are making slow, but steady progress resolutely south of the SW Pacific Ice Gate, presumably deciding together when they will dip north to satisfy the gate's requirement.

Vendée Globe: Michel Desjoyeaux enters the doldrums

[Source: Vendée Globe] His drop in speed gives it away but so to the forecasters at Meteo France confirm this morning that Michel Desjoyeaux is officially into the Doldrums, some 24 hours earlier than expected. The ICTZ, the Doldrums are big, wide and active.

Bigger squalls interspersed with unsettled, light winds are now spread over a north-south band some 400 miles wide.

There are two things which might happen for the leader, neither is in his favour.

Video highlights from day 61 of the Vendée Globe. 19 January 2009. Video copyright Vendée Globe

The first is that they will contract with him, so simply sliding back to the north with Foncia and so Jourdain’s benefit may be augmented, or they stay just as wide and as active and catch Bilou earlier.

Foncia has slowed to 7.7 knots now and the advantage, such as it is, has swung back to Jourdain who has regained 37 miles since last night. Foncia still 462.5 miles ahead with 3351 miles to go.

For Veolia Environnment the trade winds have always been lighter, some 7-8 knots less in wind speed, and so Jourdain has always been destined to lose out on this stretch.

In third, BritAir and skipper Armel Le Cléac’h has been in these lighter trades too, also going less than 10 knots this morning. He is over 1000 miles behind Foncia, and 634.5 miles behind Jourdain.

The Cape Horn Trio still have good speed at the moment, in good breeze but they are approaching the high pressure and will start to slow in less than 24 hours. That’s bad news for Brian Thompson because his lead over Arnaud is just 71 miles, though he has gained three miles this morning and has been making 14 knots of boat speed to Calli’s 11.4. In turn Dee Caffari is on fire, is just 2.2 miles behind Boissières. She promised to try and show the boys how its done, and she is doing a good job today.

Steve White has a cold front to deal with as he heads to Cape Horn, 35knots of NW’ly wind and has just 136 miles to go to the Horn, he should get there between 10 and midnight GMT.

Michel Desjoyeaux in lead of a longer and tougher Vendée Globe

[Source: Vendée Globe] On the current schedule the leader in this remarkable 2008-9 Vendée Globe is set to round Cape Horn on Sunday night, which means he should have caught up to be close to the time set by Jean Le Cam in 2004.

There is a major difference between the 2004-5 edition and this one. Because of the Ice Gates, the total distance for the race will be 24,840 miles instead of the 23,680 miles covered in 2004-2005.

This race will be 1160 miles longer, which equates to about three and a half days of sailing at a typical average of 340 miles per day.

The intensity and pace of this race is now confirmed, bear in mind the leaders were two days behind the time set in the last race, as they struggled to get around the St. Helena high pressure system in the South Atlantic.

Video highlights from day 53 of the Vendée Globe. 1 January 2009. Video copyright Vendée Globe

So as they traversed the Southern Ocean, despite the challenging and at times very difficult conditions, they will have gained five days. A huge gain, which certainly explains why some sailors are today feeling exhausted.

Further evidence, if it’s needed of the pace and intensity of the race can be seen by looking at the number of leaders since the start: 26 in all and nine of the 30 skippers who started held the lead at one stage.

At racing at these speeds mean there have already been a clutch of records, not just for the leaders: from the Equator to the Cape of Good Hope, Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) achieved the best time (12 days, 4hours and 50 minutes) one and a half days less than Vincent Riou in 2004.

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) with a time of 10 days, 6 hours and 49 minutes improved on the 2004 time between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin by more than two days.

And with 15 boats still in the race, half of the skippers that set out have had to retire. That compares to a retirement rate of 46% in 1989, 53% in 1992, 63% in 1996, but 35% in 2000 and 2004. If we compare the weather experienced, 2008 has been is much closer to what was experienced in 1992 and 1996, while the previous two races have been kinder for the competitors.

Four boats have not yet reached the half way point and the leader has 8418 miles still to complete but already it is being hailed as vintage edition, a remarkable life affirming race, and a truly great sporting endeavour.

From Michel Desjoyeaux’s remarkable comeback, charging back through the fleet after re-starting 40 hours after the start, a deficit of more than 600 miles at one stage, to take the lead, to the true grit and adventurous spirit of Raphael Dinelli and Austrian Norbert Sedlacek who may be 5000 miles behind but their endeavours are equally enriching and inspiring.

Similarly the remarkable British pair Sam Davies (Roxy) and Steve White (Toe in the Water).

Davies’ historic double Vendée Globe winning Finot Conq design surfs 24/7 on Davies’ sheer joie de vie and exuberant passion, while White’s dogged determination to fulfil his dream to do this race of more than 10 years, his ability to not just make a silk purse of a race from a sow’s ear of a shambolic, last minute start has been amazing, but he does so with such a down to earth ego-free frank, and often whimsical approach that he is the ‘everyman’ racer.

The dramas and personal loss, the long held ambitions cruelly washed in seconds by a rogue wave or gust, may in time become the race’s legacy, the historic tapestry, but the raw human emotion exposed, time and again, has very few equals on the global sporting stage. Yann Eliès’ injury and rescue, Jean-Pierre Dick, whose megawatt smile had no sooner beamed out his New Year wishes, than mere hours later, his one remaining undamaged rudder was snatched off the stern of Paprec-Virbac 2 when he struck a second semi-submerged object. First time he lost the lead, second time his race is over.

Whether they prove the ultimate winner, a midfleet battler, a resolute adventurer, or one of the 15 skippers whose dreams have already been taken away, each can take huge pride in having been part of this magical race in 2008. 2009 is only just started and the race is far from over.

Vendée Globe leaders reach halfway point, to face icebergs

[Source: Vendée Globe] The leaders continue to drag race towards the New Zealand gate this evening, newly moved north in order to bring the fleet away from the ice risk below the West Pacific and East Pacific gates — not everyone will be hoping for a white Christmas this winter.

Previous editions have seen this section of the race dotted with icebergs — in 2004, Jean Le Cam took the lead on 20th December. Two days later, he informs Race HQ that he has seen a dozen icebergs, and on the 23rd December 2004, Sébastien Josse hits a growler and breaks his bowsprit. That Christmas Day, Mike Golding added his concerns after seeing some more icebergs.

Four years later, and Seb Josse and Jean Le Cam are still right in contention – Le Cam is currently 200 miles off leader Foncia, fourth of the leading, southerly group. Mich Desj’s relentless pace continues, with Foncia once again the fastest boat in the fleet this evening, currently sailing at 18 knots and covering over 375 miles in the past 24 hours.

Video highlights from day 42 of the Vendée Globe. 21 December 2008. Video copyright Vendée Globe

Behind them, taking a more northerly line, Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) and Vincent Riou (PRB) have tonight cleared the East Australian gate, meanwhile Dee Caffari (Aviva, GBR) and Arnaud Boissieres (Akena Vérandas) have reached the West Australia waypoint.

Of the international skippers, Brian Thompson has a long night ahead of him. Bahrain Team Pindar is still making nearly 10 knots, but is now on a north-easterly heading and has covered just over 100 miles in the past day as Thompson battles to make good his structural repairs. In his latest update Brian reported that some of the carbon laminating he did yesterday has failed to set because of the movement of the boat, so he is going to cut up floorboards to stick to the damaged section, then use epoxy, adhesive sealant, and bolts to hold it all into place.

“I have about 18 hours before the next depression starts rolling through to get it done. I have not looked at all where the other boats are, it is likely they are streaking away and I am getting caught from behind, but that is really not an issue until I can get this broken boat mended to restart the race.”

Others facing a tough evening are those at the back of the fleet, particularly Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport Kapsch) and Raphael Dinelli (Fondation Océan Vital), who have been skirting to the north of a low pressure system predicted to bring storm force winds overnight.

Michel Desjoyeaux leads the Vendée Globe

[Source: Vendée Globe] Four skippers passed the second ice gate on Tuesday evening, with Desjoyeaux ahead. Their pressure and fortitude, each pushing close to 24 hour record pace last night, is rewarded with a jump of nearly 200 miles on the second group.

While Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac) heads north, already 100 miles off the leaders’ tracks, not knowing if he will be able to affect a repair to his mangled rudder stocks or not, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnment) are only separated by less than 10 miles or so of Indian Ocean in first and second place

All three top boats are making over 17 knots and Sébastien Josse (BT) is all but making the same speeds.

There is little sign of a let up in a tempo which has been almost certainly been pushed on since the arrival of Michel Desjoyeaux in the top 5 last Wednesday, the day that Loïck Peyron lost his rig.

Highlights from day 37 of the Vendée Globe. 16 December 2008. Video copyright Vendée Globe

But now that there are just four perhaps they will set the mark a little lower?

This forced evolution of the leading group - survival of the fittest as tested by the unpredictable Indian Ocean which has taken such a toll, as it has done over the equivalent period in successive editions of this legendary race – sees Desjoyeaux, Jourdain, Josse and Le Cam emerge.

Of the 30 starters in Les Sables d’Olonne there are now just 19 left on course.

Sam Davies retains her 100 miles cushion over Brian Thompson, both having had their own equivalent problems over the last day. Davies is now up to tenth with Thompson 11th. She had to extract Roxy from a large patch of weed early this morning, while Thompson has again been struggling to keep Bahrain Team Pindar in check, rounding up in a spectacular crash tack, the first Open 60 to complete triple Axel and salko off a wave, by the sounds of Brian’s report today.

Meantime Steve White on Toe in the Water has been furiously consistent over the last 36 hours, steadily banging in some high average speeds for his well traveled boat with a now restricted sail inventory. Toe in the Water is now 14th.