Neutrogena retain speed through the depression to earn miles
Renault Z.E Sailing Team into the reaching and downwind conditions
No rest for Dick and Peyron
Retaining or returning to the race rhythm is everything in the Atlantic as the challenging wind conditions settle to allow the Barcelona World Race peloton to re-focus on speed and favourable angles rather than simply battling the elements.
The impressive race of the more youthful duo Boris Herrmann and Ryan Breymaier on Neutrogena has seen them enhance their hold on fourth place after a solid passage through the worst of a malicious low pressure system off the River Plate. Breymaier and Herrmann were able to maintain high speeds through the later part of last night and this morning which has allowed the German-American partnership to open more than 100 miles on fifth placed Estrella Damm and claw back the same on third placed Renault Z.E Sailing Team. Herrmann and Breymaier have moved to within 208 miles of Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris.
Once again it is management of the key moments, the approach to and preparation for the strong winds system, which has been key to this interim success for Hermman and Breymaier on their 2004 build Lombard design. In essence the young Concarneau based duo have had a better angle through the system, further from the active centre in slightly less chaotic seas and so able to steadily press home their advantage.
In contrast Estrella Damm have had a more vigorous passage, closer to the low pressure centre in bigger winds, more unsettles angles and more confused seas. The Barcelona duo have been unable to sail with a headsail since the lashing on their staysail stay failed and dropped the sail in the water. Under four reefs, co-skipper Alex Pella said today:
“ The sea has been coming at us from all directions, as it has been pretty much since Mirabaud lost its mast. With the NW’ly wind we have faces of up to six metres and the boat slams violently which is like crashing into a wall constantly. We have some very violent slamming, and that threatens the boat a bit. Last night we were sailing with three reefs and the staysail in 30-35 knots of wind when the staysail hook broke and the sail went in the water. We picked it out again and it is good that it is not torn, and to repair the hook is quite simple but it does require a mast climb and that is too complicated and dangerous at the moment.
As we knew there was 40 knots coming and we did not really know how the boat would be with three reefs, we were worried without a forestay, so we put in the fourth reef to stop the mast inverting and have taken our foot off the gas a bit
We are sailing more steadily and slowly, about eight knots and without endangering ourselves or the boat.”
Now better able to settle to a faster rhythm, as their speed hike shows, are Pachi Rivero and Toño Piris who had another physical, tough night making a series of tacks to line up with the favourable reaching and downwind conditions after the best part of five days of upwind sailing. The Spanish duo have seen their lead over Neutrogena cut this afternoon and will be looking to escape into what the next low pressure system offers them first.
The trio which are chasing Virbac-Paprec 3 and MAPFRE will have a lane of favourable downwind breezes opening to them now as a low pressure system off Cabo Frio, a hundred miles or so north of Rio, moves SE and allows this trio a fast passage north.
Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella have been pushing hard to the north east on GAES Centros Auditivos, sailing the highest 24 hours run of the fleet, as they try to escape the clutches of the new high pressure system building to their west.
Even with a lead of 350 miles and 3725 miles to the finish Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron are not considering altering their rhythm, still always focusing on the fundamentals of making the boat fast and keeping it in tip-top shape: “I am very proud of having all our sails intact and will hopefully still have the full inventory when we reach Barcelona. We still have a few days up to the Doldrums and should pick up speed to 17 knots rather than 10-11 we have been doing. Five minutes ago I was looking at the meteo for the Doldrums and the bad news is that they are quite active, which is not good, but we will do our best to manage it and but of course there is always a luck factor which is unfortunately inevitable, and even if we are very careful, you can’t control everything.”
The French duo are looking at a complex Doldrums passage as the ITCZ remains quite active just now, while Dick admitted they are looking further up the track checking potential weather hazards between them and Barcelona
Standings Monday 14th March at 1400hrs :
1 VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 at 3725,9 miles from the finish
2 MAPFRE at 350,4 miles to the leader
3 RENAULT Z.E at 1525,1 miles
4 ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 1733,8 miles
5 NEUTROGENA at 1855,4 miles
6 MIRABAUD at 2306,5 miles
7 GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 2383,6 miles
8 HUGO BOSS at 2791 miles
9 FORUM MARITIM CATALA at 4645,1 miles
11 WE ARE WATER at 6648,8 milles
12 CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 7824,4 miles
RTD FONCIA
RTD PRESIDENT
RTD GROUPE BEL
Quotes
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) Virbac-Paprec 3: „We’re not quite in Salvador de Bahia, but it’s almost carnival time in Brazil.
It was a very long night because we had a lot of squalls extremely hard work but the sun has cleared the way now and we have a pretty decent trade wind now.
“ We try to sleep well and take some time for yourself when you can. I have seen lot of movies but I have not had time to read because the battle with MAPFRE is intense enough so that when we are awake we are pushing and we are careful and we do not have much time for us between food, the weather. But, then the idea is to finish first into Barcelona. Double-handed we sleep more, but when we are awake we are probably more proactive, there is more to do with the boat. And that is not always the case when you are solo. Once we are awake we are hard at it, and that is not always the case when you are solo, you do what you can humanly do.
The last two days have not exactly been monotonous. Last night there were plenty of things happening and we were not often on deck together. I am very proud of having all our sails intact and will hopefully still have the full inventory when we reach Barcelona. We still have a few days up to the Doldrums and should pick up speed to 17 knots rather than 10-11 we have been doing. Five minutes ago I was looking at the meteo for the Doldrums and the bad news is that they are quite active, which is not good, but we will do our best to manage it and but of course there is always a luck factor which is unfortunately inevitable, and even if we are very careful, you can’t control everything.
And after the Doldrums we look ahead to the weather patterns that will influence the date of our finish in Barcelona. And so I hope that the Mediterranean will be good to us.
I think that the battle will be to the finish line. There is pressure and we need to be able to deal with it, which is all good training for the next race.
Alex Pella (ESP)Estrella Damm:“The sea is very big and coming at us from all directions, as it has been pretty much since Mirabaud lost its mast. With the NW’ly wind we have faces of up to six metres and the boat slams violently which is like crashing into a wall constantly. We have some very violent slamming, and that threatens the boat a bit. Last night we were sailing with three reefs and the staysail in 30-35 knots of wind when the staysail hook broke and the sail went in the water. We picked it out again and it is good that it is not torn, and to repair the hook is quite simple but it does require a mast climb and that is too complicated and dangerous at the moment.
As we knew there was 40 knots coming and we did not really know how the boat would be with three reefs, we were worried without a forestay, so we put in the fourth reef to stop the mast inverting and have taken our foot off the gas a bit
We are sailing more steadily and slowly, about eight knots and without endangering ourselves or the boat. And at the moment we can’t put up any headsail because the storm jib uses the same hook and to use the Solent requires the breeze to come down to 30 knots or below, so we need to be a bit patient yet,
Every day my rib gets a little better. I am not taking any painkillers. Every time I make an effort I notice it, whereas before anything I did with my left arm was sore. Pepe is taking painkillers too and he is a little better, especially on his knee
We are fine physically. We rested last night, and it has been good. What happens is that we have again lost mile which we had caught up, so we need to do it again.
Ludovic Aglaor (FRA) Forum Maritim Catala: “It is true we get some information and we would little more, but primarily we need to be dealing with the sailing, so one is less up to date with current affairs, and there is certainly a delay in receiving information and we are not really on the same schedule as those on land. And so we learn things a little late, but I feel that this winter there has been a lot of thing going on in North Africa, the earthquake in new Zealand and now in Japan. It is always weird to be so cut off and remote from all these things.”
Xabi Fernandez (ESP) MAPFRE:“ Here we go, heading North. We are happy because the weather is better right now. We have had some squalls, especially during the night, that have made difficult to sail cause suddenly you are stopped and… that’s it!
Of course, we still have an eye on the leader and at the same time we feel better since the boats behind us are not so close as before anymore.
We have Northeasterly winds, 12-15 knots. After the St. Helena High you all know that we have some days quite windy that allowed us to sail fast again with a terrible sun above us.
As for Virbac-Paprec 3 they are not really far away at least. As much as trying to catch the French pair, what we have to avoid that the gap between them and us getting wider, so we are always stalking them. 400 nm is a distance that we still can make up, above all thinking that we still have all the North Atlantic, the Gibraltar Strait and the Mediterranean to sail… All we know how the Med is, so we are alive and pushing hard!!
Today is my daughter’s birthday. She is one! Time goes fast… I can’t see them but I have been able to speak with my wife Larraitz and my son Adur on the phone.
We are looking forward to see and be with them… 20 days more or so and we will be there.”
