Back to new boats - Vendee Globe

So Alex bust his starboard foil shortly after I last posted about the VG. While there are rumors that he has a spare and we haven't seen the damage he definitely slowed down here and there.

This has evolved into between Hugo Boss and Armel Le Cleac'h's Banque Populaire who has been holding a narrow (10-20nm) lead for the last couple of days.

At the moment they are blasting along on port but about to hit starboard tack again (the weather in the above image is at +3hrs).

At which point Hugo Boss will be foiling again. Watch this to see how excited Alex is with the idea...

Yes that's right, VERY.

100 years strong and still going strong

And still quite stunning!

New Boats - Vendee Globe Week Two.

This is a really nice summary of the first couple of weeks of the Vendee.

I'm really happy to see Alex leading the race. He comes over as a really nice guy and fingers crossed that his boat holds together through the pounding coming their way as they enter the southern ocean.

If you're not a sailor and you're reading this these guys are racing, solo, around the world. This will take several months and is a massive test of the boat, their minds and their bodies. These boats are stripped of all comforts and full of technology. They are lightened to the max and the skippers have to coach them through the oceans. Once the winds are above 20 knots they are often reducing power to the maximum level they think the boats can take.

When things go wrong, which they do all the time, they have to fix them. They try and do this while keeping the boat going at the highest speed they can for the situation.

They are technicians, tacticians and endurance athletes of the highest level. They have to change massive sails in the dark while pounding the oceans after weeks of little sleep.

Their teeth get knocked out, they break bones, they stitch themselves up and keep going if they can.

Condolences to Tanguy, I've enjoyed his prior races and it's sad to see him forced out so early.

Props to Hugo Boss for their continued sponsorship and just how smart their boat looks!

 

Weekly Highlights #2 : Welcome on the highroad... by VendeeGlobeTV

Old Boats

With the Vendee Globe hotting up its nice to look back to some older designs.

The helm balance struck me on this, something I struggle with on Kraken who requires a lot of work from the main trimmer to keep her on her feet.

Vendée Globe foiling on Hugo Boss

With the Vendée Globe underway now this talk about Hugo Bosses foils - actually their original design after issues with their second attempt - has some extra relevance.

Watching the start I was pretty impressed at the steep heel angles of the lead boats and while the southern oceans should be downwind and all about boat structural stability I wonder if Boss' ability to sail flatter upwind will be a boon for Alex's fatigue levels during the race.

With awesome race tracking, new foiling tech and a track history in great public relations - lots of skippers interviews and feedback this race is one of the best long distance races to track and this iteration is one of the most fascinating yet.

Will the foilers speed to the finish or shake their boats and skippers to pieces????