White Ocean Racing

Reports 29 January to 2 February

29 January - 2 February - Race Status.

On the 29th of January, Veolia Environnement lost her keel. Roland Jourdain would manage to sail his boat to the Azores, some 600 miles away, but was forced to retire, when severe gales with 50 knot winds were forecast. He simply could not take the risk. Yet another injustice for Roland who had looked certain of taking second place. He was to announce his retirement on 2nd February, meaning only eleven boats would finish the Vendée Globe and would put Steve in 8th place.

30 January - Frustration of the South Atlantic.

Audio Clip courtesy Trigone/VendeeGlobe

1 February - The Doldrumologist at work.

Audio Clip courtesy Trigone/VendeeGlobe

1 February - Newswire reports - Michel Desjoyeaux wins Vendee Globe.

At 15h11 GMT, Michel Desjoyeaux achieved a resounding victory in Les Sables d’Olonne, becoming the first sailor to win the Vendée Globe twice after his first triumph eight years earlier. The race record would be smashed with a time of 84 days, 3 hours, 9 minutes and 8 seconds, at an average speed of 12.3 knots on the theoretical route and 14 knots over the 28,303 miles Foncia actually covered on the water! An incredible achievement for the solo yachtsman with the longest list of successes on the planet, particularly when we remember that he had set sail 40 hours after the fleet and was some 670 miles behind on 15th November.

Steve White is now 390 miles off the Brasilian coast still making a steady nine knots, passing the latitude of Rio. Strategically, like others in these realms of the fleet, White is not getting the level of weather information to judge his best options, to plot the arrival of fronts and so he is keeping well offshore.

Home Home ©www.CMWDevelopments.com - All Rights reserved Home