Vendee Globe: Rich getting Richer

7:49 PM Wed 17 Dec 2008 GMT
The rich maybe getting richer, but the poor are not just getting poorer but they have been taking a regular thrashing. Such are the cruel inequalities of life at the extremes of the Vendee Globe fleet.

Gains are steady for Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) who now has 36 miles lead over Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement). Seb Josse (BT) and Jean Le Cam (VM Mat?riaux) have exchanged third and fourth as Le Cam earns in the south.

Leader Michel Desjoyeaux, now 36.5 miles ahead of Roland Jourdain, remains typically sanguine; amost aloof. His reports vary between the brutally straight-forward, making it sound easy, or rich with hidden meanings, rhetorical questions and clever up-ended metaphors. But the reality he reported this morning is that he has not seen more than 42 knots of wind. Last night the race leader remarked:

'The Indian didn't dig up the hatchet, but feathers have been ruffled. I haven't seen more than 42 knots down here over the last 15 days, served up with a few bits of ice for the drinks. I can remember tougher conditions in this region. Two masts, one keel and some rudders and some other unmentionable damage, but what else (and I'm not excluding myself)? So the question today is will the Pacific pacify us (with fewer punishments, some good behaviour and serenity?'

His more northerly course has almost certainly provided Foncia with relatively smoother conditions, and slightly lighter and more settled conditions. Again, of the breakaway four, he is quickest this evening making 2.4 knots faster between second placed Roland Jourdain.

Clearly there has been an advantage in these conditions to have done miles on a trusted boat, for this evening two of the top three boats are near identical 2004 Lombard designs, third placed Le Cam's has already done the 2004 race finishing second to Vincent Riou.

Further back, the solo sailors are having to deal with another nasty low-pressure area. Arnaud Boissi?res (Akena V?randas) admitted today that he was sailing with three reefs in the mainsail, while Sam Davies confirmed she had never seen seas like it before.

As for Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar), he had recorded gusts in excess of 55 knots, and is continually on stand by due to intermittent problems with his auto-pilots.

Jonny Malbon (Artemis II) has watermaker problems again, but sounds immeasurably more confident having been through storms up to 60 knots of wind: 'I was just left hanging on and watching the wind speeds at the nav station.' Malbon said.

All of the sailors are facing heavy cross seas, creating uncomfortable sailing conditions. With howling winds and whistling keels in the background, the tired, frail voices on today's radio session were clearly not in the mood for light-hearted conversation.

While at the front of the fleet, the war of nerves continues, others appear to have adopted a less ambitious strategy, at least on the surface. Davies said today that she and Thompson have discussed their shared desire to simply finish.

For some this is down to the damage they have suffered, while for others it is quite simply the realisation that their boats could not satisfy their ambitions. Some were merely pleased to see they were still in the race and if we look at the number of competitors that have been forced to retire in the past week, we can reflect their satisfaction.

Ven

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Vendee Globe: Rich getting Richer

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