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  1. Pelle Pedersen
    Nov 4, 2018 @ 12:42

    Hjärtat säger Joyon i Ultim klassen men hjärnan säger Gabart.
    Thompson i IMOCA och Sharp i Class 40!

    Reply

    • Jimmy
      Nov 4, 2018 @ 18:03

      Jag tror Vincent Riou tar hem det i IMOCA trots en gammal häck till båt, han är bästa seglaren.

      Reply

  2. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 4, 2018 @ 20:49

    Är det bara jag som har svårt att få upp trackern?

    Reply

  3. Tomas
    Nov 4, 2018 @ 20:55

    Funkar utmärkt för mig. Mac och Firefox.
    /Tomas

    Reply

  4. Jonas Dyberg
    Nov 4, 2018 @ 20:59

    Trackern
    https://www.routedurhum.com/en/cartography
    funkar fint i Chrome på Windows 10 och likaså i Chrome på Android.
    Däremot får jag ej trackern i appen (på Android) att funka.
    Ryking ligger 50 av 53 i Class 40 nu… ;(

    Reply

    • Peter Gustafsson
      Nov 5, 2018 @ 09:13

      Visade sig att det var en setting i Chrome:

      Go to settings -> advanced settings -> scroll down or search for languages -> add French (or English) -> move French (or English) to the top (the 3 dots to the right next to the language)

      Reply

  5. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 5, 2018 @ 09:50

    Är det någon av de som var nere som skriver ihop någopn liten rapport? Det hade varit kul att veta hur det var i St Malo, och hur Micke kom iväg?

    Reply

    • Peter Mannerstråle
      Nov 8, 2018 @ 10:22

      Här är den bästa beskrivningen om vad som hände innan starten som är skriven av Irina Gracheva (Klippt från facebook flödet)

      ?⛵? It’s 4th day of race Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe
      It has been written many times about how difficult and tragic for some participants this race is.
      For me this race is very personal because Mikael Ryking is fighting against the storm.

      Every time, looking at race web site, I feel worry and proud at the same time. I’m afraid to see that Mikael’s track line will turn back or make a squiggle. I am proud of courage and perseverance of Micke.
      I am also proud of our friends and relatives who helped with preparation.

      ?The days before start stood out for us, and, above all, for Mikael, very difficult. A few days before the race, so many things were broken on boat – almost all of the most important thing – both anemometers failed, engine failed (it is generator in case if fuel cells is not enough), there were problems with autopilot drive, fuel cell that came after repair required a new controller, new mainsail arrived a few hours before deadline to leave pontoon.
      At some point we even thought that it would be impossible to solve all this in such a short time, and Mikael would not be able to go to the start.
      Friends and team is one of the most important components in such moments. From people, who is next to us, depends more than it seems.
      ?Thanks to our Swedish friends who arrived at the right moment: Henrik Hydén, Pernilla Uhlin, Jesper Hoffstedt, Peter Mannerstråle, Fredrik Arnryd, Agneta Arnryd, Ludvig Ryking, @Linus Ryking
      ?Thanks to our dear Russian Frenches Лев Дайчик (Lev Daichik), Катя Дайчик (Katya Daichik), Ирина Муравьева (Irina Lacombe-Masna), who helped us to find right specialists and arrange delivery of spare parts from my Mini from La Rochelle !
      ?Thanks Елена Отекина (Elena Otekina) for interesting conversations, photos and reports.
      ?Special thanks to Юлия Тышкевич (Yulia Tyshkevich) for being always on time and always ready to help with everything.
      All together we managed, and Mikael is in the race!.

      ? We worked tirelessly, and after a sleepless night on mooring, Mikael came to the start completely exhausted. All night we were finishing everything that could be finished, and even in the morning we climbed to mast to make new lashing for the halyard of heavy weather jib, which in the first week became the most important sail. We even did not have time to test any of repaired systems.
      After start, the priority for Micke was to sail safely and gradually sleep before meeting storm. It was very hard to see him in the very tail of fleet.
      But after a day, he began to confidently climb higher and higher in the rating. ‼ ️

      ? Many boats were forced to stop the race because of accidents, or sheltered from oncoming cyclone. Such decision (to go to shelter) is not easy, and I want to express words of support to all friends who have decided to go to port of refuge.
      We will continue to follow you in the race as you continue!

      ⛵️ For me and my team, participation in boat preparations was very helpful. We will use this experience and now nuances are better understood with what can be encountered.

      Reply

  6. Pelle Pedersen
    Nov 5, 2018 @ 15:31

    Bara Le Cleach, Gabart och Joyon kvar i Ultim-klassen…
    Thompson leder i IMOCA
    Sharp 4M e ledaren i Classe 40
    Mitt tips kan slå in!!
    Men det är låååångt kvar och möcke kolfiber som ska braka ihop det närmaste dygnet…

    Reply

  7. Jonas Dyberg
    Nov 5, 2018 @ 17:05

    Ca 10st Class 40 som är i hamn eller på väg mot hamn. Märkligt efter så kort tid och lätt vind. De flesta bör ha förberett sig själva och båten i månader/år för denna segling. Men, visst, ska man gå hamn så är det ju nu, svårt senare…

    Reply

    • Peter Gustafsson
      Nov 5, 2018 @ 17:39

      När jag intervjuade Class 40-seglare så framkom två saker; de som är där för att vinna håller gaspedalenm nere, och då får det bära eller brista. Det är därför de “amatörer” som tar det lite mer försiktigt kan placera sig bra när 80% av proffsen kört sönmder sina saker :-)

      Den andra kategorin är väl de som inte har rutin och ganska snabbt trasslar till det för sig. Man ser det både på de som bryter, men också på att snittfarten är låg på ett antal båtar.

      Reply

  8. JIMMY
    Nov 5, 2018 @ 19:08

    Imponerande fart på toppbåtarna i Class 40 som ligger i mitten av flottan bland Imocas.
    Värt att notera är att SMA ligger i täten (Gabarts gamla båt från 2011 som han vann Vendee Globe med) och hon har inte foils. Ska bli mycket intressant att se vad som händer när vinden vrider emot och ökar i morgon.

    Reply

  9. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 5, 2018 @ 21:23

    Report #1 from Ryking Ocean Racing in the Route du Rhum

    Saint Malo showed it kind and nice side this day November 4, the day of the start of the Route du Rhum. Sun is shining, weather is sweet – makes me wanna trim my sailing sheets… A new version of Bob Marleys old goodie. But to be honest, I had yet to get into race mode. So many critical things were solved just hours before docking out of the pontoons. How about getting your new main sail out from Customs clearance just 11 hours before you take off for one of the worlds toughest races? And then need to put all stickers on, adjust the battens and pray for it to fit perfectly. Well, my sailmaker, @gransegel had made a fantastic job. The sail fitted to perfection and I am so happy it were no need for adjustments. The problem with the late delivery is solely due to TNT who sat on it for a week in Rennes. But great help from Route du Rhum race organisation helped to make TNT moving and then a bunch of Swedish No-Crewers came to help making it ready for race.

    But main sail was not all at this late hour. Engine had stopped working and was partly repaired at noon day before start. Some more repairs I had to do in the morning same day as start. And also the mast head unit for wind was broken. Both of them which finally resulted in replacement of two cables in the mast. Thanks to Pietro Luciani and his friend this issue was also solved.

    And many more issues. Big thanks to my sons Ludvig and Linus for their help too, to Henrik Hydén, my lovely Irina Gracheva and all other people who was with me in Saint Malo before the start of this iconic race.

    Ok, some notes on the race too. Start went fine and very easy. A nice reach and perfect conditions. I had problems with my furling kite and could only go with full main and jib. Although flying good on this, the other flew faster. This was very frustrating and it made me fall behind. At Cap Frehel I had made a temporary fix and could hoist it when the wind dropped. But later in the night I had to take it down again and go only on main and jib. This is of course very, very bad for my chances to perform on this race but I have to sail a but concervative especially as the wind is forcasted to pick up and the issues I had would have been a disaster when in stronger wind and for sure had jeopardized the rest of the race.

    My strategy is to head west and south as much as possible and then when the big storm comes deal with the front in a safe manner. Making a stopover in Brest as many were talking about would make us stuck there for many, many days and then a very bad situation to get over the Bay of Biscay. Right now forcast is not too bad, wind is forcasted only to a bit more than 30 knots.

    I don’t have access to Facebook, but do send me your questions and Henrik in the shore team will forward them to me! And I respond when I have the time.

    #rdr2018 #itsallaboutthechallenge #nogutsnoglory #trueheading #dematek #batagent #cmhammar #gransegel #searchmagazine #efoy #fjällmansjuridik

    Reply

  10. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 6, 2018 @ 15:14

    Nu börjar eländet… både Isabelle Joschke och Sam Goodchild har tappat sina master. Säkert fler…

    British skipper, Sam Goodchild reports dismasting on board Narcos: Mexico

    British skipper Sam Goodchild has dismasted during the second night of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe whilst racing in third place in Class40 on Narcos Mexico.

    Goodchild, 28, was racing well in strong conditions, sailing in around 30 knots of southwesterly wind and big seas and had just moved into third place in the 53-strong division when the mast broke around 0430hrs CET. He is uninjured and has secured his boat, but was waiting for daylight to make a more comprehensive evaluation of the damage. He reported to Race Direction that he will make for Brest, some 300 nautical miles to the east.

    The hugely experienced British solo racer was racing in his first Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe and had made a solid start. More details will follow later.

    Reply

    • Jocke Cordaly
      Nov 6, 2018 @ 18:29

      Ovädret ligger ju kvar 12-16 timmar till, och att kryssa in i 6-8 meters vågor är ju bara roligt en väldigt kort stund innan saker händer (som vi ser nu). Sen kommer ett till på fredag ser det ut som..

      Reply

  11. Henrik Hydén
    Nov 6, 2018 @ 15:17

    Banque Pop ute ur leken…

    Le bateau semble avoir chaviré suite à la rupture de son flotteur bâbord.

    Armel Le Cléac’h a pu déclencher sa balise de détresse et communiquer avec son team technique à terre. Le CROSS Gris Nez a pris en charge l’organisation des secours, en coordination avec la Direction de Course et le Team Banque Populaire. Le skipper est sain et sauf en sécurité à l’intérieur du bateau.

    Reply

  12. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 7, 2018 @ 06:49

    Report #2
    from Talanta/ Ryking Ocean Racing
    in the Route du Rhum

    So finally it was time to face the storm everyone been talking about. If I remember correctly its name is Oscar? Nice challenge, face a named storm on the Atlantic, alone and more worse – in a race where you always have to make a trade off between performing and good seamanship.

    My general strategy is to sail safe and with good seamanship. I don’t want to risk the boat or safety, but I am still a person who is pushing the boat hard. While many other boats choose to seek shelter in Brest, Lorient and a few more places, I decided to continue meeting the wrath of mother nature. And it sure became sporty conditions. At around midnight last night wind was backing to southerly, just as forecasted. I tacked to go west and prepared the boat with two reefs in the main and then the trinquette – the staysail inside of the jib. Wind soon picked up and with the front of the storm also heavy rain came. Wind topped around 40 knots but in general it stayed around 35. Six hours later the wind started to drop below 30 and then the rest of the day the wind has been between 20 and 25 knots. But seastate has been wild and Talanta is shot out of a wave time after time, free falling down landing with a terrible crash. It really hurts me to hear this hard banging and how my lovely Talanta is suffering.

    I see this as Mother Nature is testing me, to see if I’m worthy her kindness and pleasant side. And I believe I passed the test, after the front she showed me her smile when the sun came out behind the clouds. We are all tested hard and will be tested many more times. I believe it’s for the good, to remind us about the way we on the other hand treats our all mighty Mother Nature. Take care of her.

    It’s been a real pain that I could not use the furling kite after the start yesterday. Such a pity and so many lost miles compared to the competitors. I have managed to repair the halyard and it should not be a problem anymore. But at least I’m gaining positions in the ranking, after being at the bottom I have now climbed to the middle. It makes me happy – moving in the right direction.

    During the afternoon I received the very sad and shocking news that Banque Populaire had capsized. As a fellow skipper, sailing in the same conditions, it really comes as shocking news. My thoughts goes to Armel praying for him to be safe under current conditions.

    Now another windy night is waiting. Wind right now is veering to south westerly, but hesitating a lot and moving forth and back and also dropping annoyingly much. But soon we’re gonna rock again!

    Take care of each other and stay safe!

    Reply

  13. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 7, 2018 @ 19:58

    Sam Davies on Initiatives-Coeur (IMOCA) abandons the race:
    “I can see my boat bending under my feet”

    Reply

  14. Sillstryparn
    Nov 9, 2018 @ 15:01

    De första Class40 båtarna går ju exceptionellt bra.
    Googlade lite: Ledaren Yoann Richommes båt (ny för året) är ju rätt häftig med ett fylligt förskepp:

    Reply

  15. Jesper Hoffstedt
    Nov 9, 2018 @ 16:42

    Report #3 from Talanta/ Ryking Ocean Racing in the Route du Rhum

    Yesterday the third part of the storm came over me. Wind was backing to southerly and I was on starboard tack. Again I choose to tack and face the storm straight in the eye. Forecast promised wind of more than 40 knots and gusts reaching 50 knots. My option to stay on starboard tack looked very bad. I would stay longer in the storm – as I would be moving with it. Making a tack going west would instead give me a shorter passing of the storm as we go in different directions. It would give me a far better VMC (Velocity Made good on Course – speed towards the mark) and I would reach more favourable wind directions earlier. Simply, the only choice was to tack and face it.

    And it became yet another rocky ride, sporty conditions prevailing. The most sporty hour wind were never below 40 knots, mainly around 45 and topping at 50 knots. Seastate grew wild and with it the conditions inside were like being in a washing machine. So I wasn’t in the mood of writing a report yesterday…! :-D Sorry for keeping you waiting!

    But after passing the storm, wind veered to westerly, dropped and gave me a pleasant night at which I could really relax for the first time since the start. Being wet, cold, tired I got the chance to change to dry clothes, eat and sleep. Also I gained many positions in the ranking and currently I’m on 15th place.

    In a few hours the next storm is arriving with westerly winds. So I will stay on starboard tack and if it gets too wild I will bear away a bit to maybe 80 or 90 degree TWA.

    Take care of each other and stay safe!

    True Heading – Leading in AIS Dematek AB Gransegel @EFOY CM Hammar Båtagent Sverige Fjällmans Juridik @Search Search Magazine Segling Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe

    #rdr2018 #itsallaboutthechallenge #nogutsnoglory #rykingoceanracing #class40
    #trueheading #dematek #batagent #cmhammar #gransegel #searchmagazine #efoy #fjällmansjuridik

    Reply

  16. Jesper Hoffstedt
    Nov 9, 2018 @ 16:43

    Report #4

    It’s been almost exactly 5 days since the start. Since the last report / status Micke has chosen to head south rather than head right in to the stronger winds coming from the west. This is for the moment not taking him closer to the goal but all boats need to go south at some point. He has fallen back a spot in the ranking but will hopefully gain later in the race! Here is Mickes report!

    Report #4 from Talanta/ Ryking Ocean Racing
    in the Route du Rhum

    All good here, except I’m flying around inside of the boat. i haven’t been outside since yesterday afternoon. But nothing is broken so far (pepper, pepper, touch wood).

    I only see SW winds north of the Azores, so my main target now is to go south and then find trade winds. I’m escaping the storm but can’t go higher than 70 deg TWA, else boat is crashing so hard into the waves. It’s already insane. I know I lose positions, but if I tack I will go NW, and that doesn’t bring me south. So I think in the next step this is a better choice. I know if I tack for a time I will come into more westerly winds, but tacking in these conditions is not a good idea. So i will continue like this until conditions calm down. So my choice now is for safety and care of my lovely Talanta.

    Too difficult to write more right now!

    Take care of each other and stay safe!

    True Heading – Leading in AIS Dematek AB Gransegel @EFOY CM Hammar Båtagent Sverige Fjällmans Juridik Search Magazine Segling Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe

    #rdr2018 #itsallaboutthechallenge #nogutsnoglory #rykingoceanracing #class40
    #trueheading #dematek #batagent #cmhammar #gransegel #searchmagazine #efoy #fjällmansjuridik

    Reply

  17. SWE42cCalluna
    Nov 10, 2018 @ 15:40

    Skall bli spännande om Mikaels ostliga kurs jmf konkurrenterna snart kan börja ge utdelning.’Har ju tappat från 15:e till 20:e plats men ligger näst längst till ost långt från rumbline. Några tips när detta troligen kan börja ge utdelning med tanke på kommande vädersystem? Heja, heja Talanta!

    Reply

    • Peter Gustafsson
      Nov 10, 2018 @ 16:55

      Jag tycker kantbytet har kostat väldigt mycket?

      För tre dygn sedan var han nästan längst västerut, nu längts österut. Tittar jag på två referensbåtar (Hennessy var precis före Micke för tre dygn sedan & Hubert var på väg in till Lissabon) så ser det ut så här:

      Distans till första båt efter 3 dygn, efter 6 dygn, diff
      Hennessy (väster) 226 271 -45
      Ryking 256 540 -284
      Hubert (öster) 450 507 -57

      Jag förstår ju på rapporten att han inte lyckats segla högre än så här – men det har kostat 230 distans till konkurrenterna. Hennessy är en bra referens då han har en äldre båt, Owen Clarke från 2008 – #54, och är en amatörsatsning liknande Mickes.

      Min routing pekar också på att väst fortsätter att vara bättre.

      Reply

    • Sillstryparn
      Nov 10, 2018 @ 18:50

      På rapporterna låter det som om Ryking själv var inne på fördelarna med en västligare rutt, men att han ville spara båten från slamming i den hårdre sjön på babordsbogen. Begripligt val när man står för en stor del av kostnaden med egna pengar och en stram budget.

      Reply

    • Peter Gustafsson
      Nov 10, 2018 @ 19:14

      Så är det säkert, men de flesta båtar han kör mot nu har ju ungefär samma förutsättningar?

      Hennessy, Niewenhous, Bouvet är ju alla gamla respitseglare som har upptäckt Class 40 “på gamla dar”och köpt sig en ok lite äldre båt. Hennessy har ju varit med längre och vill nog placera sig. Är också bra positionerad. De andra är nog happy med att fullfölja.

      Sedan är de duktiga amatörerna hack i häl på de långsammaste proffsen, men luckan till de 7-8 snabbaste börjar bli stor nu.

      Reply

  18. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 10, 2018 @ 17:07

    THE ROUTE DU RHUM IN THE IMOCA CLASS
    Today’s analysis by Michel Desjoyeau
    x

    On the sixth day of racing in the Route du Rhum, British skipper Alex Thomson is still leading the fleet of IMOCAs. In the trade winds, he is being chased by three skippers, Paul Meilhat, Vincent Riou and Yann Eliès. It looks like being a fascinating battle right up to the finish in Pointe-à-Pitre. For the moment, there are still 2000 miles left to sail and we may not have heard the last from Boris Herrmann, who chose a northerly option. Further back, a contest between three skippers sailing Finot-Conq designed baots from the 2008 generation is equally exciting with a possible top five place for Stéphane Le Diraison, Alan Roura or Damien Seguin… Today, it’s twice winner of the Vendée Globe, Michel Desjoyeaux, who gives us his expert analysis of the Route du Rhum in the IMOCA class.

    “At the start, there was a choice that was not easy to make between an option close to the Great Circle route in strong winds and heavy seas or a longer route offering greater certainty about the pace it would be able to keep up. Alex Thomson went for the first option and was successful. At one point, his lead became considerable when we looked at the theoretical route planners without taking into account the sea state. But in practice, when Alex was in the north in heavier seas, he didn’t manage to keep up the pace indicated on the route planner. That was when we saw that the southerly option was a wise one.

    “It’s going to be hard to catch Alex Thomson”

    However, Alex coped very well and was a bit lucky when passing through the ridge of high pressure, which enabled him to position himself in front of Paul Meilhat, Vincent Riou and Yann Eliès. I think that Alex is the one who is really on the attack in the trade winds. He is pushing hard. Now that he is in front he wants to increase his lead. I sometimes ask myself how he manages to speed along like that. He is managing to keep up high speeds without losing in terms of VMG (Velocity Made Good, the compromise between bearing and speed),which is astonishing, as his boat is a bit heavier than the others. It’s going to be hard to catch him. Before the start he talked about the Bretons being the best in the world and is probably determined to try to do better than them… If the trade winds aren’t too strong, we’ll be seeing a race where speed is everything between the first three (Thomson, Meilhat, Riou). Yann Eliès is a bit further back and it will probably be difficult for him to catch up in conditions where his boat does not have a greater potential than the others.

    “I think that PRB has a problem on the starboard tack”

    I think that PRB has a problem on the starboard tack, maybe a damaged foil or maybe it cannot be pushed out. Or maybe Vincent cannot adjust it as he would like. It could also be a problem with the keel. In several phases, Vincent was unable to keep up the pace on the starboard tack racing against Paul, in conditions where he didn’t need to ease off on the gas. I would not be surprised at the finish in Guadeloupe to discover that something is wrong aboard PRB. When that happens, there are two schools of thought in terms of communication. There is the school of thought we saw with Ellen MacArthur, who only talked when something was broken and never when she was carrying out repairs. Then, there is the school of thought that prefers to be more discreet and even keep everything hidden. I know something about that way of doing things, as you may have seen…

    “A faultless performance from Paul Meilhat”

    Paul Meilhat is having a fantastic crossing. I haven’t seen him make any mistakes. In strong winds, he coped with the conditions and kept up the pace. As far as I know, he doesn’t have any major problems, maybe a few minor worries like everyone, but nothing serious. Physically, he is far from being exhausted and remains clear-headed, which is very promising for what lies ahead. It was important to reach this point in the race while remaining in relatively good shape, as you have to spend a lot of time at the helm in the trade winds, which are far from offering smooth sailing and require a careful approach. For Paul, this Route du Rhum offers a great opportunity to show what he can do and to show off his skill, especially as he is getting to the end of his contract with SMA, and this may encourage a sponsor to look more closely at him.

    “We need to keep an eye on Boris Herrmann”

    There is still a great deal of uncertainty about Boris Herrmann up north, who defiantly remains close to the Great Circle route. If he manages to get across the ridge of high pressure which is blocking his path, he may well upset things for the four racing in the south. It would be very surprising, as his option is not what we usually see, but why not? We need to keep an eye on him. For Alex, Paul, Vincent and Yann, there is little they can do before Boris gets down with them sometime on Sunday night.

    “Crossing the Atlantic has not become a routine trip”

    Further back, Stéphane Le Diraison, Alan Roura and Damien Seguin are suffering more with the ridge of high pressure, which is tending to move down with them. They are doing what they can and having a fine race. Alan got off to a very good start early in the race. Since he has been downwind in light winds, he is probably suffering more with his foils. Stéphane has done well to look after the gear in the strong winds. What an incredible performance from Damien! Holding on in such nasty conditions where really you need two hands to hold on tight, when you only have one, is incredible. Well done! We knew that he was someone who shows determination and is full of energy. Arnaud Boissières is doing what we have come to expect from him. He isn’t really going on the attack much, but he is still sailing. It’s going to be tough to catch the three ahead of him. But as Morgan Lagravière said yesterday, it’s already an achievement to be out there sailing still. They should enjoy themselves. People tend to think that crossing the Atlantic has become routine, but it is still far from that.
    I should add that so far there have only been three boats retiring in the IMOCA class (Sam Davies, Louis Burton and Yannick Bestaven), and probably a fourth shortly with Isabelle Joschke, who dismasted. That’s a very reasonable figure out of the twenty boats at the start. Five competitors are due to set sail again shortly after their pit stops. We sailors always show determination.”

    Michel Desjoyeaux

    Reply

  19. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 11, 2018 @ 13:11

    180 dist kvar för Gabart! Nytt rekord på g.

    https://www.routedurhum.com/en/news/815

    Reply

  20. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 11, 2018 @ 14:27

    Report #5 from Talanta/ Ryking Ocean Racing in the Route du Rhum

    Yesterday was a calm and nice day and I was just about to write a post about life in the storm. But the writing was overtaken by an event… The linear drive of the autopilot stopped working and Talanta accidentilly tacked just after I passed in front of a large cargo ship. Felt a bit stupid, they had just changed their course to avoid collision with me and then I tack… Like I could have done 30 minutes earlier. But I guess from the manuevres after they understood something wasn’t completely right!

    Anyway, the broken linear drive cost me seven hours of standing still. The secondary linear drive was also broken as before the start everything on the to do list was overtaken by event – like the new main sail, the wind transducers and the engine. But the primary drive unit was new in June this year and had only made one transat – seems like Raymarine linear drive Type 2 has got a substantially lower quality these days. So after taking working parts from both linear drives I could make one working!

    So, back to yesterdays mission of telling about life in the storm. The Doors singing Riders on the stom is going on in my head, just like it did last year when Irina and I set the transatlantic world record Bermuda to Plymouth. That time seriously worse conditions were prevailing and this is only a small piece of the starter on that menu. But still, same song singing in my head.

    It may be hard to really undertand the conditions. Boat is bouncing up and down, to the right, to the left, forth and back. I made a sandwich at one point. Must have looked like a spider, standing on my knees with legs and arms in all directions to hold on. Each 15 to 30 seconds I’m lifted from the floor. Ok, I take out one piece of bread. Put it on the engine box. But the engine box does not behave like the kitchen table at home. This one is rocking and the sandwich does not intend to stay on it. Ok, I put one hand to hold the sandwich. The other hand I’m trying to get the butter out of the butter box. But then I need a hand to hold also the butter box, so one finger on the sandwich and two finger for the butter and other hand for the knife. Using arms and body to keep myself in the same position. Finally, a few minutes later a lovely sandwich was ready to be eaten!

    The banging of the hull into the waves makes a terrible noise and also things falls apart. There’s a hatch under the navigation table that lost its place. Some electronics hanging down and I go under the nav table to fix before all electronics being ripped out. Tool box is now under my face and then a very rough wave hits the boat and I am totally face planted hard into the tool box… Now the reader may imagine myself looking up with screw drivers and spanners pointing in all directions from my face and head, but it never went that bad. Only a severe nose blood and a cut in my lip… ?

    Tons and tons of water is flushing over the boat and some of it comes into the aft compartment of the boat. For some reasons the bilge pump (which has a smart hose I can take anywhere needed in the boat) doesn’t pump properly anymore. So I need to crawl back with a bucket. Boat is doing 12 to 15 knots outside, bouncing in the seas and then I fill the bucket and crawling backwards out again. Waves slams onto the hull, which propagates to the bucket which then makes the water inside shoot right up into my face. Very nice, very appreciated… No, not at all. 20 buckets later the aft compartment is dry. For a short time. Then it begins again.

    So the reason why I pulled out sailing south east two days ago was to save the boat from too hard banging into the waves. Talanta is like a war machine, she takes unbelievably lot – so far only small issues. But I try to not find the level where bigger things happen. Of course this has made me fall down in the ranking, but this was needed. Yesterday morning wind finally started to drop and I was out of the storm. Now heading south for the trade wind. But then the autopilot broke… And stood still for seven hours.

    Today I was supposed to have a nice north westerly wind, giving me a nice ride to south west. I sailed well into the new wind and then I could finally relax. Had a good night with loads of sleep. But then in the morning…. A hole in the wind found me and my boat! This is the worst that can happen a sailor. No wind and big swells! Like a real hard core mental test that Mother Nature puts you on!! She’s saying – how about this, will this brake you down and praying on your knees? No! I’m going down on my knees to make sandwich – not to pray for mercy! ? I’m looking forward to get out of this in a few hours time, and then at some point – who knows who knows who knows – I just go where the trade wind blows! Last sentence is from a song by Proteje – just awesome reggae! (if you want a nice reggae list you’ll find one on my public Spotify)

    Take care of each other and stay safe!

    Reply

  21. Kåre L
    Nov 11, 2018 @ 21:15

    Kan bli intressant slutspurt inatt. Gabart har 31Nm kvar med trasigt roder och foil. Joyon 12,8Nm efter. Farten är nere på 2-4 knop. Gabart borde kunna hålla undan men Joyon har fortfarande liten chans att hinna ikapp.

    Reply

    • Pelle Pedersen
      Nov 12, 2018 @ 07:00

      Joyon vann…! Känns nästan lite orättvist. Gabart fastnade i ett bleke…

      Reply

      • Sillstryparn
        Nov 12, 2018 @ 07:15

        Ja: det känns verkligen som fel vinnare denna gång. Utan Gabarts skador hade säkert utgången blivit en annan. Starkt, dock av Joyon att trycka på ända in i det sista: ingen skugga över honom.

        Reply

    • Peter Gustafsson
      Nov 12, 2018 @ 08:05

      Det lät som att bägge båtarna brottades med bleket många timmar innan målgång. Jag tror alla har varit med om hur det kan vara :-)

      Jag vet inte vad som är rättvist i just det här fallet, men det känns som Joyon med sin lite mer konservativa approach ändå visade att gammal är äldst. Att hålla ihop sakerna när alla andra gasar lite för hårt i början kräver en del.

      En tröst för Gabart måste ändå vara att Josse & Cleac’h inte ens kom halvvägs. Bådar gott inför de “riktiga” racen runt jorden.

      Reply

  22. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 12, 2018 @ 08:53

    V&B har mastat av. Ytterligare en av favoriterna borta.

    Så här ser det ut för de båtar jag trodde på. Hälften kvar.

    – Yann Richomme (Veedol-AIC) #154 Lombard Lift 40 – #1
    – Phil Sharp (Imerys Clean Energy) #130 Manuard Mach 40 – #2
    – Loic Fequet (Tibco) #123 Botin Proto 40 (ex Thales II) – #14
    – Luis Duc (Carac) #150 Lombard Lift 40 – #23 efter pitstop

    – Ameryic Chapellier (Aina Enfance et Avenir) #151 Manuard Mach 40.3 – brutit?
    – Sam Goodchild (Narcos-Mexico) #137 Manuard Mach 40 – avmastad
    – Maxime Sorel (V & B) #144 Manuard Mach 40.3 – avmastad
    – Nico Troussel (Corum) #155 Manuard Mach 40.3 – brutit

    Reply

  23. Pelle Pedersen
    Nov 13, 2018 @ 18:08

    En fråga; hur klarar sig en IMOCA som Hugo Boss tex med el?? Bara motorn? Kombo med solceller? Vad är ”da shit” idag?

    Reply

    • Fabian tillig
      Nov 13, 2018 @ 18:56

      Tror de flesta kör motor + släppgenerator (watt&sea). Solcell har de flesta men jag tror det är ingen jätte stor del av det hela.
      Just thomson sa att han körde vg mest med motor. Skulle tror att de gör det på rdr också. Med släppgenerator tappar man tydligen 0.5 -1 kn … hugo boss ska dock köra fossilfritt i nästa vg.

      Reply

      • Pelle Pedersen
        Nov 14, 2018 @ 07:34

        Släppgenerator låter som 70-tal!! :)
        Sumlogg i pappas folkbåt…

        Reply

        • Fabian Tillig
          Nov 14, 2018 @ 09:33

          NU vet jag inte hur man ska översätta hydrogenerator på ett bättre sätt. Grejen är att de är värst effektiva. Har hört talas om att de måsste köra de typ 0.5-1 tim om dagen för att klara av alla system. Gäller i 20kn båtfart då, såklart.
          Canrad Colman körde ju fossilfritt 2016. Han hade ju en massa solceller. Men jag tror att det mesta av elen kom från “hydrogeneratorer” och el-motorn (oceanvolt) som kan användas som generator.

          Reply

    • Jonas Dyberg
      Nov 13, 2018 @ 21:33

      Är det inte bränsleceller som gäller..?
      Jag vet inte men tror det. Åtminstone Ryking kör ju med Efoy bränslecell ombord Talanta.
      Ingen vill väl bromsa båten med en släpgenerator.

      Reply

      • Fabian Tillig
        Nov 14, 2018 @ 09:35

        Tror inte att de är lika effektiva som dieselgeneratorn. Och däremed är det ingen större mening att har de om man nu ändå har diesel ombord… Blir kanske annorlunde när toppbåtarna nu börja sätter på fossilfritt.

        Reply

      • D35 Aurora
        Nov 14, 2018 @ 12:53

        Svårt att slå dieselns 40+ MJ/kg….Etanol ligger väl på 70% eller så. Men man kanske måste, av andra skäl.
        /Mats

        Reply

  24. Fabian Tillig
    Nov 13, 2018 @ 21:00

    https://www.routedurhum.com/en/news/946

    Det är för trångt där ute…

    Reply

    • Peter Gustafsson
      Nov 14, 2018 @ 07:37

      Helt otroligt… känns som man borde kunnat förutse det?

      Reply

      • Jonas Dyberg
        Nov 14, 2018 @ 08:00

        Med referens till dikussionen ovan om generering av elström så noterar jag i denna artikel texten “…hydrogenerator damaged…” så tydligen kör en del med vattengenerator ändå.
        Någon som vet vad reglerna säger om hur elström ska/får genereras?

        Reply

        • Peter Mannerstråle
          Nov 14, 2018 @ 09:25

          De flesta kör med dubbla Watt&Sea hydrogenaratorer racing versionen med ställbara blad.
          Ryking har en också men den är ej i brukbart skick (Saltvatten i generatorn) så han har två EFOY enheter ombord. Motor får man köra för att generera el.

          Reply

  25. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 15, 2018 @ 07:12

    Reply

  26. Peter Gustafsson
    Nov 16, 2018 @ 07:27

    Asleep at the wheel?

    Damage to Alex Thomson’s Hugo Boss in closing stages of Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe

    Following initial reports that Alex Thomson’s Hugo Boss had grounded on rocks during the final miles of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe and while leading the IMOCA class, Race Direction has contacted the British skipper to check his status.

    They have ascertained that while sailing on port tack at the north end of Grande Terre island, Hugo Boss ran aground on rocky cliffs around 21:45hrs (local time/0145hrs UTC Friday).

    The accident occurred at the north end of Grande Terre, just south of the Grande Vigie lighthouse on La Pointe à Claude.

    Upon hitting the cliff, Alex Thomson had to lower his sails and start his engine to reverse his boat from these rocks. He was able to extract himself from the reefs before re-hoisting his sails to resume his passage. Thomson stopped his engine and then set a new seal on the propeller shaft.

    The skipper was not injured but there is damage to his boat. The crash box in the bow is damaged and has taken in water but it is contained, and the bowsprit is damaged. The water is contained by the forward bulkhead.

    The starboard foil is damaged. According to Thomson’s conversation with the Race Director, the keel and its structure are certainly also affected. But it has not been possible to establish a more precise diagnosis during the hours of darkness.

    Currently, the boat is sailing at a speed of 7 knots and continues its passage around the island towards the finish line.

    Approaching the small island at Tete à l’Anglais he has about 50 miles to go until the finish line.

    The International Jury was immediately informed by Race Direction of the accident and it will file a protest against Alex Thomson for using his engine during the race.

    A safety boat has been sent and will accompany Hugo Boss in case it is needed.

    More information to follow.

    Reply

    • Jonas Dyberg
      Nov 16, 2018 @ 07:55

      Kolla trackern. 19 knop rakt upp på land!

      Reply

      • Carl
        Nov 16, 2018 @ 10:36

        Snudd på tjänstefel, han har ju haft en lugn resa de sista 500nm.

        Reply

    • Andres
      Nov 16, 2018 @ 14:36

      Är det rimligt med 24 timmars penalty?

      Reply

      • Pelle Pedersen
        Nov 16, 2018 @ 15:32

        Säger som Astrid Lindgren; “fisigt”!!

        Reply

      • Sillstryparn
        Nov 16, 2018 @ 15:35

        Alex tyckte det själv efter målgång.
        Måste imponeras av hans sportslighet: efter målgången lovordade Meilhat (som möjligen blir nästa båt i mål) som en värdig vinnare, som dessutom seglar en båt utan foils.
        Alex är en stor ambassadör för segling och en sponsors dröm: en vinnare ändå!

        Reply

        • Andreas
          Nov 16, 2018 @ 15:40

          Var såg du detta någonstans?

          Reply

          • Sillstryparn
            Nov 16, 2018 @ 17:38

            Livesändningen på hemsidan
            https://www.routedurhum.com/en
            strax efter målgång: Alex intervjuades ombord efteråt och verkade inte alltför nedstämd:

          • Sillstryparn
            Nov 16, 2018 @ 17:45

            Tyvärr ligger sändningen inte kvar på hemsidan efteråt: fransmän….
            Båten var i alla fall inte så skadad som man befarat.
            Kanske kul att veta för en eventuell köpare (den ligger ute till försäljning).

  27. Sillstryparn
    Nov 17, 2018 @ 18:38

    Reply

  28. Sillstryparn
    Nov 24, 2018 @ 19:30

    Reply

  29. Lasse Bergkvist Grand Soleil 42 Race GEP Communication Group
    Nov 25, 2018 @ 20:21

    Micke Ryking på Talanta närmar sig mål -en stor bedrift att ta sig hela 3500 Nm på egen hand i en 40-fotare. Cirka 200 Nm kvar, han gör det på 22-23dygn -alltså 10 ÅFOR på varandra på den tiden- Kanonskoj att vi snart har en svensk som har klarat detta med bravur!! Håll i sista biten runt Guadeloupe och njut av en fantastiskt prestation Micke!

    Reply

  30. Lasse Bergkvist Grand Soleil 42 Race GEP Communication Group
    Nov 27, 2018 @ 07:47

    Grattis Micke! Talanta är nu i mål – måste ha varit en häftig resa. Förste svensk att avklara Rhoute De Rhum – häftigt!

    Reply

  31. Sillstryparn
    Nov 27, 2018 @ 11:20

    Reply

  32. Martin Dahl
    Nov 28, 2018 @ 13:24

    Micke Ryking – Da Man !!!

    Reply

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