Vendée Globe: Les jeux sont faits (for the podium)

It's two weeks since Michel Desjoyeaux obtained his historical second Vendee Globe victory and the majority of the eleven survivors to this incredibly selective edition of the Vendèe Globe still have to reach the finish line. This weekend however has settled the final podium positions with great emotions till the last second before the arrival of Marc Guillemot that arrived fourth but is actually third!
Five days after Desjoyeaux was the turn of Armel Le Cleac’h that conquered the second place flatly and in total solitude:


©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com

©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com
Armel Le Cleac’h (FRA) arrival in Les Sables d’Oloone (FRA)

for the third place the things got much more complicated.
Marc Guillemot (Safran) crossed the Les Sables d’Olonne finish line this Sunday to clinch a hard won third place, even if to all intents and purposes he arrived almost two days after Sam Davies, one of the two girls of the fleet. This is because Guillemot received a time compensation of 82 hours for diverting from his course to assist in the evacuation of injured Yann Eliès 800 miles south of Australia in the Southern Ocean.
What makes everything even more epic is that, to complete his first Vendée Globe the skipper has had to sail for the final 1000 miles, since he was just to the NE of the Azores, with no keel. His keel dropped out of his boat on Monday 9th February and since then the skipper from La Trinité has had to sail really prudently. In the end his margin over Sam Davies, GBR, (Roxy) who gets fourth is 1h 19mins 25s. Incredible.


©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com

©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com

©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com

©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com
The arrival of Sam Davies, who thought to be third but in the end was fourth.


©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com

©ThMartinez/Sea&Co www.thmartinez.com
The arrival of Marc Guillemot, one of the heroes of this edition for having helped in the evacuation of injured Yann Eliès and covered the last 1000 miles with no keel

Historic second Vendee Globe victory for Desjoyeaux

© Mark Lloyd / DPPI / 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.

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.

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.


© Jacques Vapillon / DPPI / Vendée Globe

© Mark Lloyd / DPPI / Vendée Globe

Yann Elies succesfully rescued

Yann Elies during the evacuation. 20 December 2008.
Photo copyright Australian Navy

As you can see in this photo-reportage provided by the Australian Navy, Yann Elies, skipper of Generali, has been succesfully rescued by the Australian Navy frigate HMAS Arunta.

Read here how the french sailor fractured his left femur and broke several ribs.

This is the eveacuation in the words of RFDS medical director Stephen Langford:

"The thing that's different to this rescue compared to the rescues of Isabelle Autissier and Tony Bullimore is that they were effectively ... fully abled sailors who were being rescued from vessels that had broken. Whereas in this case you're actually trying to take someone off who is ... seriously injured and are unable to help clamber off the boat themselves and that made it all the more difficult. In those sorts of conditions, really cramped, the boat banging around and he was trying to put in an anesthetic block to block the nerves in the yachtsman's leg to take away some of the pain, and then put some IV fluids in and some other pain relief. They ... managed to splint his leg and get him in to a rescue stretcher and then had to transfer that stretcher across from the yacht to the inflatable boats with lines on each end. That's a difficult sort of thing."

HMAS Arunta and Generali. 20 December 2008.
Photo copyright Australian Navy


The evacuation's most critical moment


Yann Elies succesfully rescued


Yann Elies, his misadventure has come to an end

For updated info visit official site of the event at VendéeGlobe.org

Dramatic hours at the Vendèe Globe

©Marc Guillemot/Safran/Vendée Globe
Marc Guillemot reach Generali the boat of the injured sailor Yann Elies

Yesterday (Thursday), Yann Elies was working at the bow, leaning on the pulpit, as he was preparing a sail, when his 60-foot boat, Generali, came to a sudden halt slamming into a wave, he was was thrown along the deck, felt a sudden acute pain, collapsed on the foredeck and had to crawl back inside his boat to contact his team. According to the initial diagnosis from Dr. Jean-Yves Chauve, the race doctor, Yann is suffering from a broken femur (thighbone). While he waits to be evacutated from his boat, following a request from the race directors, Marc Guillemot has changed course to help offer the injured skipper psychological support.
The race organizers organized quickly the evacuation and now everything is under way. So now unfortunately it can only be about waiting. For Yann Eliès any wait is too long, but the knowledge that help is on its way will be some comfort. The Royal Australian Navy’s 118 m long HMAS Arunta left dock in Perth at around 1800hrs GMT with a specialist medical team onboard and can make 30 knots depending on the sea conditions, and so is expected to arrive in around 40 hours.
In the meanwhile at Marc Guillemot has now arrived close to Yann Eliès’ Generali and will remain on station until the arrival of the Royal Australian Navy’s Type Anzac Frigate HMAS Arunta. He reached the injured skipper after sailing close to 100 miles.
Guillemot approached under substantially reduced sail and has been less than 100 metres away. He has re-iterated that the objective at the moment is primarily to let his fellow skipper know that he is there close by, but there are no intentions of trying to transfer across from his Open 60 Safran on to Generali, unless there is a change in the injured skipper’s conditions or the risk to him increases.
Guillemot is believed to have arrived some time between 2130hrs and 2200hrs GMT and has spoken to Eliès by Iridium phone and by VHF and will continue to speak to him to help monitor his condition as well as offering him support and encouragement.
He reported that the conditions of the injured skipper was stable.
Wind conditions in the immediate area are reported to be around 15-18 knots.


©Marc Guillemot/Safran/Vendée Globe
Marc Guillemot reach Generali the boat of the injured sailor Yann Elies


©Gilles Martin-Raget/Generali
Yann Elies before the dramatic accident


©Gilles Martin-Raget/Generali
Yann Elies before the dramatic accident


©Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/Vendée Globe
Marc Guillemot


©Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/Vendée Globe
Marc Guillemot

Visit VendeeGlobe.org for updated news

The seal and the boat

Photo: THIBAULT VERGOZ / TAAF
Cheminées Poujoulat was forced to run aground onto the rocks at the Kerguelen Islands

It has been a month since the last time I've spoken about the Vendée Globe. In the meanwhile the first four boats have passed Cape Leeuwin, the second of the three great capes on the route, and the race has proved again and again its reputation of being the toughest challenge for the sailors. Dismasting, collisions, and every kind of technical problems have already led eleven out of the thirty partcipants to abandon the regatta.

A misadventure has occurred to Bernard Stamm, who, on board his Cheminées Poujoulat was forced to run aground onto the rocks at the Kerguelen Islands.
Both Stamm and his compatriot Dominique Wavre – skipper of Temenos II which was also forced to take refuge there to effect repairs – had to jump into Cheminée Poujoulat’s liferaft at the last minute before the Open 60 was driven ashore in 45 knot winds late on Sunday night. They were taken ashore by Navy divers.


Photo: THIBAULT VERGOZ / TAAF
Seals are the unusual spectators of Cheminées Poujoulat's misadventure


©Beonit Stichelbout/Cheminées Poujoulat
Bernard Stamm

©Beonit Stichelbout/Cheminées Poujoulat
Cheminées Poujoulat before the accident that stopped its Vendée Globe

Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia is currently leading the race. Visit VendeeGlobe.org for all the info

Vendée Globe: Terrible conditions have already decimated the fleet

© Benoit Stichelbaut / Cheminées Poujoulat

Everybody in the sailing world knows well that the "Vendèe Globe" is a very very hard adventure but who could imagine that after one day of race almost a third of the boats had to go back to Les Sables d'Olonne with serious damages? The weather has been very bad since the start with winds up to 50 knots.

• Alex Thompson's HUGO BOSS suffered damage to the hull
• Kito de Pavant's GROUPE BEL dismasted
• Yannick Bestaven's AQUARELLE.COM dismasted
• Derek Hatfield's ALGIMOUSS SPIRIT OF CANADA suffered electrical problems
• JeanBaptiste Dejeanty's GROUPE MAISONNEUVE had a deck panel damaged in the bad weather.
• Michel Desjoyeaux's FONCIA had problems with his electrics after a leak in the ballast system, which left Foncia’s engine flooded
• Dominic Wavre's TEMENOS returned soon after the start with electrical problems
• Bernard Stamm's CHEMINEES POUJOULAT has also been forced to turn back after a collision with a fishing boat damaged his bowsprit.

Vendée Globe rules stipulate that if the boat suffer damage, the competitors may only return to Les Sables d’Olonne to carry out repairs before heading off again. They must cross the start line by 13h02 on 19th November (within 10 days after the official start).

Check VENDEEGLOBE.ORG to read constantly updated news



© Jacques Vapillon / DPPI / Vendée Globe


© Mark Lloyd / DPPI


© Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/DPPI/Vendée Globe
Cheminees Poujoulat's damaged bowsprit

The Vendée Globe start

©Jacques Vapillon/DPPI/Vendèe Globe

The Vendèe Globe, the round-the-world no stop no assistance single-handed yacht race that for its difficulty and risks has been nicknamed "The Everest of sailing" has started yesterday from Les Sables d'Olonne. The weather conditions were very bad, as a little taste of what the 30 sailors will face in the next months.
Read my previous post about the Vendé Globe for more info.


©Jean Marie Liot/DPPI/Vendèe Globe

©Jacques Vapillon/DPPI/Vendèe Globe

Vendée Globe, official supplier of sailing legends

The 30 participants

This sunday, November 9th 2008,the 6th edition of the legendary Vendée Globe will start from the harbour of Les Sables d’Olonne, where it was born.
The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance, it takes place every four years and it is considered the ultimate challenge in ocean racing, a tough affair for the best sailors of the world. The race was founded in 1989 by Philippe Jeantot, two times winner around the world (BOC Challenge, with stopovers), who refused to rest on his laurels.
This edition 30 navigators will set sails aboard their Open 60 monohulls, on the Clipper Route they will head towards the three great capes, marking the southern tips of the African continent, Australia and America: Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and legendary Cape Horn, where statistics say that there is extreme weather conditions two days out of three, then back to Les Sables d’Olonne.


The route

Official site