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7:21 PM Wed 3 Dec 2008 GMT
First to cross the Kerguelen ice gate - passing north to south - should be Seb Josse (BT), leader now for four days, and Yann Eli?s (Generali) who are running neck and neck for the line, side by side about 12 miles apart. Generali, the Finot Conq design, has gained through the day, more than halving Josse's lead of this morning.
While they will then be the first to get the benefit of getting directly back to the south, strongest breeze-shortest route, the flip side of the coin is the choice of Jean Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2), 3rd and Loick Peyron, (Gitana Eighty), 4th, who are have been hanging on longer to their more southerly position, before choosing when to gybe north and cut the gate, before breaking south again. They have been waiting for the wind to veer more and build, giving them a faster angle to go on.
Between the two schools Mike Golding, GBR, (Ecover 3), 9th, Vincent Riou (PRB), 6th, and Jean Le Cam (VM Materiaux), 7th are all heading north east on starboard gybe on different angles. Le Cam has been sailing 10 degrees lower and may be looking to just pass the westernmost point of the line before heading south east again.
While Le Cam chuckled that he and his nine nearest rivals are 'crazy' Riou and Golding in particular spoke today of sticking to a level, after both had sharp reminders of the perils of being caught with too much sail in a rapidly building wind in the Southern Ocean.
'In a gang of ten, who are crazy, who are fairly often taking things to or beyond reasonable limits. I think am being reasonable, but difficult to know where to set the cursor. Maybe no one is being reasonable, but some are more reasonable than others. You get used to the excesses.' Quipped the enigmatic Le Cam, who then went on to explain that his pet soft toys, Bibi the puffer fish and L?on the hedgehog had been raiding his foodbags.
Golding admitted he had been caught out with too much sail when the wind rose suddenly, and was forced to run off in the wrong direction, while the 2004 Vendee Globe winner Riou confessed that he had broached when the cold front went over PRB and he had hurt his foot, choosing to consolidate and sail more calmly in the aftermath.
Overall the day has seen a drop in average speeds to around 14 knots, and many of the skippers have been trying to get some rest, consolidating and preparing for the big blow that is about to arrive.
A thundery low pressure system moving east from South America will be hitting the fleet, enveloping the 'hunters', from Samantha Davies (Roxy) to Una? Basurko (Pakea Biskaia) and producing 35 to 40 knot NNW'ly winds are forecast from tonight gusting to 50-55 knots with waves up to 4 to 6 metres. The gales will reach the leaders on Thursday afternoon and the end of the week looks like being very stormy.
A common phenomenon around these Southern Ocean waters south of the Cape of Good Hope, this South American low filled with hot air will combine with a cold front circulating around the Fifties. The seas will become high and gusts will reach 65 knots.
Vendee Globe - 15:00 HRS GMT. Rankings, (FRA, unless stated)
1- Seb Josse (BT) at 18232.4
2- Yann Elies (Generali) + 11.4 miles
3 - Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2) +43.2 miles
4 -Lo?ck Peyron (Gitana Eighty) + 67.5 miles
5 - Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) + 85.7 miles
Selected International
9- Mike Golding, GBR, (ECOVER 3) at + 110.5 miles
12- Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) at + 260.1 miles
13- Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar) at + 499 miles
14- Sam Davies, GBR,(ROXY) at + 607.3 miles
15- Dee Caffari, GBR, (AVIVA) at + 676.7 miles
17- Bernard Stamm, SUI, (Chemin?es Poujoulat) at + 765.9 miles
18 - Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) at + 790.9 miles
19 - Johnny Malbon, GBR, (Artemis) at + 803.3 miles
20- Rich Wilson, USA, (Great America III) at + 932.6 miles
21- Unai Basurko, ESP, (Pakea Bizkaia) at + 1032.4 miles
23- Derek Hatfield, CAN, (Algimouss Spirit of Canada) at + 1505.1 miles
25- Norbert Sedlacek, AUT, (Nauticsport-Kapsch) +1555.4 miles
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Leonora Airport, WA
Windsurfing - Boards
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