Vendee Globe | dag 45

Santa distributes depressions for all

1400 HRS GMT. Rankings, Wednesday 24th December 2008
1. Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) at + 10810.7 miles to finish
2. Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) at 55.5 miles
3. Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) at + 130 miles
4. Seb Josse (BT) at + 147.2 miles
5. Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) + 356.3 miles

Selected International
8. Sam Davies, GBR, (ROXY) at + 1496.5 miles
10. Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 1939.5
11. Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 2017.3
13. Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 2585.5
14. Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 3142.8
15. Rich Wilson, USA, (Great American III) at + 3231.9
16. Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 3341.8
18. Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport.Kapsch) + 4242

• A generous helping of depressions producing fierce winds and big seas for each section of the Vendée Globe fleet.
• Christmas festivities, such as they are for the Vendée Globe skippers, will be snatched in momentary lulls or simply postponed until conditions improve.
• Leaders facing a day of headwinds as they climb towards to the New Zealand security gate which will allow the chasing fleet to catch up some miles.
• Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) leads by 55.5 miles from Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement).
• Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) gains 20 miles in the south to wrest third place from Seb Josse (BT).
• Sam Davies, GBR, (Roxy) is top international skipper in eighth place.
• Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) damage to gooseneck.

The leaders will once again be slowed by contrary breezes forcing them to fight north to the New Zealand gate while Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) and Vincent Riou (PRB) are the only skippers to be feeling some festive cheer, given a temporary boost: the favourable SW’ly winds for them in excess of 30 knots enables the Vendée Globe title holder Riou to be the fastest this evening covering 400 miles in 24 hours. However, the strong winds will die away after the front goes over. The only really lucky one is Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2), as he has avoided getting stuck in the high stretching from Australia down to Campbell Island.

But the low pressure systems are being generously distributed this Christmas Eve. One low is lining up for SamDavies (Roxy) and Marc Guillemot (Safran), who will suffer N to NE’ly winds. Another low for Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar) who has just faced an epic battle to lower his mainsail with jamming halyards in more than 50 knots of wind, Dee Caffari (Aviva) – who reported favourable conditions today – and Arnaud Boissières (Akéna Vérandas)…

And yet another for Steve White (Toe in the water), who is likely to be experience the worst conditions, already reporting this afternoon that he has a broken gooseneck pin. He plans to wait until the winds subside before attempting any kind of repair.

One more low too for Raphaël Dinelli (Fondation Océan Vital) and Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport-Kapsch).

Some have opened their Christmas presents in advance taking advantage before things worsen again.

British skipper Dee Caffari reported too that her confidence is back on the rise again after a difficult 48 hours where she felt out of step with the severe conditions, temporarily unable to decide what the weather was going to do next. But since then she has consolidated, sailed conservatively and her mood was on the up this morning.

Meanwhile both Brian Thompson, GBR, (Barhain Team Pindar) and Jonny Malbonm GBR, (Artemis II) have been having a torrid time too. Thompson’s confidence was just growing in the repairs which he has been making to Bahrain Team Pindar when the next depression has brought him 50-55 knots winds. In a bid to reduce the loads on the pilots and the steering, he has reduced sail considerably, but has just had an epic battle to get his mainsail down, while Jonny Malbon today described the sea and wind conditions for his Christmas Eve as horrid, heinous and dreadful.

Dee Caffari, (Aviva):With everything that is going on with the fleet I think I just thought twice and have really reigned it in and sailed a little more conservatively, but I am very aware that I need to get to the finish line, and pushing hard at this time will not get me there any quicker, it will potentially make me not get there. So I am just saving myself a little at the moment, making sure that everything is OK. I spoke with Brian last night just before he had the front come through and he is of a similar opinion. It is a case of getting through the difficult times and enjoying the good times that make this race so special, and making sure that we are at the finish line.

I just did not have a good 48 hours, with this system coming through it just came through a little quicker and I was placed a little differently. It just knocked my confidence a little in choosing a sail plan, but now I am much happier today and we have had some really nice sailing today.

Now we have blue skies, a steady 30 knots but the seas are quite big still.

Jonny Malbon (Artemis II): It is just absolutely heinous out here, I have a steady 40-45 knots and I have just 60 knots in a squall, with a seven or eight metre cross sea and it is just disgusting. This morning it was anything from 25 to 60 and it has been impossible to sail really in these conditions. About four hours ago I dropped the main and have been sailing under jib only. It is pretty horrendous.

The seas are just a boiling cauldron of confused waves, we are getting pooped, we are getting hit on the quarter, they are breaking over the boat. I managed to get some footage when we had 60 knots and it was just spume.

Yesterday was much the same and it has certainly intensified a bit today. I have had a look at the forecast and it does not look like it will let up until Boxing Day maybe very briefly, and then it will be back with more, perhaps not as aggressively.

I feel like I am just existing at the moment, and tacking along at 10 knots when it is quieter and 20 knots completely out of control when it is breezy. So it is not my best Christmas Eve, certainly.

Roland Jourdain ( Veolia Environnement): In twelve hours or so, we can look forward to a big one. For the moment, everything is quiet. Then, the winds will be what we might call fairly strong. I’m pleased to have made good progress and to have moved into third place ahead of Jojo. Four years ago, the pace was much more reasonable. There were fewer low-pressure areas, but you need to look at the details. Look at all the ice that is out there… Luckily there are Ice Gates, which give us something to aim for. As it’s warmer further north, the risk of seeing icebergs will be smaller.

Jean Le Cam ( VM Matériaux): It’s not going to be much of a Christmas meal with what is ahead of us. The fleet will be closing in and it’s nice that the others are catching up, as Christmas is a time of sharing! My monkfish liver special prepared by my friend Marco, is going to have to wait a bit. It’s going to really be stormy for a while and the seas will be very confused. We’ve only just got into the Pacific and maybe it will be kinder afterwards.