Vendee Globe 2016 - Bon Voyage!

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Suddenly Vincent is second so Armel may be having problems. Tanguy has problems with his masthead.

Vincent continues to impress me with his strategy to hang in with the new designs, by working the averages and fine tunings as opposed to radical changes to overcome a top speed deficiency.

This kind of reminds me of F-1 cars competing against Mercedes team.

If he comes in the top 3.... He is the winner

[DeepFrz]

Some video in English marking the end of week one. Interview with Rich Wilson on Great American. Alec Gautier, 1993 winner, is also on the video as well as Alex Thomson and Sebastion Destremau. Video starts at about 1:15.

Web TV - Vendée Globe 2016-2017

[Don C L]

So I was thinking the other night, at about 2, how it might be to sleep on one of these boats chugging along at 15 knots or so.. even if I only got 2 hours of sleep that is 30 miles gone... I know they have alarms to wake them near other objects as they become radarly visible... but by the time I'd be able to wake up and get out on deck, a mile or two might be gone! Good thing my little boat only puts out 7 knots or so when galloping. Then again with a blast of adrenalin, I guess I'd be out pretty quick in my undies. Pretty chchilly in the higher lats.

[steamgoat]

Must have been an 'eye opener' for all those ARC boats heading into the Cape Verdes to see Hugo Boss flying past !!

[DeepFrz]

The leaders were averaging about 20 kn. yesterday. A number of comments on the deafening noise. Apparently the foils are very noisy with a high pitched whine.

[OrangeCrush]

Call me a softy, but I thought that video of the kids singing from Nov. 11th was really sweet. I could imagine how that might mean a lot to the sailors alone out there on a big ocean.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Vincent continues to impress me with his strategy to hang in with the new designs, by working the averages and fine tunings as opposed to radical changes to overcome a top speed deficiency.

This kind of reminds me of F-1 cars competing against Mercedes team.

If he comes in the top 3.... He is the winner

Regarding your question about foils, you may be interested by this interview with Riou about his foil options:

Unlike Jérémie Beyou , you haven’t chosen to equip your older generation boat with foils. Can you tell us why?
“Quite simply, because according to our studies, we wouldn’t have any greater likelihood of winning the Vendée Globe with foils than without. In certain cases, foilers may perform better than the traditional floating boats. But the difference is not enough to justify changing everything on PRB. When a study reveals that you have an advantage 60 % of the time with straight daggerboards and 40 % with foils, I can’t understand why it is worth carrying out any major work or spending huge sums of money.”

You really know your boat in her present configuration. Maybe you didn’t want to take the risk of losing that advantage you have in terms of handling her?
“Exactly. I’m lucky to have a 60-foot boat on which I have explored all that is possible within class rules. PRB is today the reference boat in the fleet, the best all-rounder. When you have the best boat in the fleet, you are bound to ask yourself why change things… On top of that I know how to handle her well. With foils, I would have had to start all over again and the timing is very tight. With her straight daggerboards, PRB has the potential to win the Vendée Globe. We had every reason not to go for foils. But I respect those that have taken that route and are fitting foils. If I was building a new boat, I would have gone for foils without any hesitation. When ocean racing, just as in the building sector, it is often harder to renovate and more costly than to build from scratch. The work itself is very complicated and not very pleasant for the shore teams.”

How much would it have cost to fit foils on PRB?
“At least 500,000 euros. We would have had to make a pair of foils, build new housing for them, fit the appendages and then reinforce the hull structure to allow it to withstand the new strains. All of that together, comes to 300,000 euros. The mast on PRB is in fact suited to a traditional boat. It would not have withstood the extra strains and we would have had to build a new mast, which represents an investment of at least 200,000 euros. The overall budget thus comes to half a million and could rise quickly to 600,000… without giving me any greater chance of winning the Vendée Globe.”

2016 Vendée Globe: Vincent makes wise, yet risky decisions | SailinGuru

Even he agrees that foils are the future and if he had a new boat he would have foils. If you go to my blog and look at the post about the boats on the vendee globe you will see on the videos how they work. Sometimes nothing is better than too see them in action.

At first I thought that the boats would have trouble with heavy weather but the videos show that is not the case....even if an all new apprenticeship will be needed (as stated by Riou).

Regarding the disadvantages I believe most will have to do with the rule that limits the number of foils on Imoca (including rudders and keel). With these foils thy lose the possibility of having an almost vertical foil /taking into account the boat heel) for tracking better upwind, close to the wind.

You can notice that some of the boats have a more complicated foil with a part that comes down vertically to improve upwind tractability even if not in any of the fastest (if I am not mistaken).

Foils work like airplane wings and their aim is to dynamically make the boat lighter, creating a huge lift. It is like if the boats become much lighter. the major problem happens when for some reason (big wave) the foils lose efficiency and then the boat becomes suddenly much more heavier and that translates in a sudden deceleration.

Part of the foils work as a DSS system. At first, some years ago I thought that the system would only work offshore in big sailing boats due to the waves and that woulds make for sudden loss of efficiency but I was wrong and there is a 46ft sailingboat (designed by the DSS developer) raising well on the offshore regattas particularly on the med where the type of waves is the worst for that system.

It is not a big foil system like the one on the Imocas and there is no reason that in the future will not be used on fast cruising boats and I am sure it will. it is much less complicated and less expensive than a canting keel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kWMuz6aImU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL3AQT-Flzk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNlrNFt8jyE

[barnakiel]

Tanguy Initiatives Coeur top off the mast broken off - I sight to be seen - go to youtube for some 'how do I fix this' riddles. Will he go on?

Didac took off and is chasing the peleton.

Alex Boss caught up and took over at the top. Vincent PRB holding on VERY vell. Top 6 boats 60 miles apart.

The family complete. The doldrums will select the leaders from the chasers.

b.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by steamgoat

Must have been an 'eye opener' for all those ARC boats heading into the Cape Verdes to see Hugo Boss flying past !!

I went to ARC blogs and they did not even notice.

ARC is not much concerned with sailing. It is sort of like facebook in boats - a socialising thing.

b.

[Pelagic]

Thanks Polux for that detailed explanation... Certainly makes economic sense for PBR

I can see that the future will become more exotic and faster as the foil systems evolve.
....fascinating!

[Bleemus]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Thanks Polux for that detailed explanation... Certainly makes economic sense for PBR

I can see that the future will become more exotic and faster as the foil systems evolve.
....fascinating!

PBR is beer. PRB is a company that sponsors an Imoca boat.

[DDabs]

PBR should definitely sponsor me to race in 2020

maybe Taco Bell can join in too heh

[Polux]

Originally Posted by DDabs

PBR should definitely sponsor me to race in 2020

maybe Taco Bell can join in too heh

And nothing of this would happen if they would not find Sponsors and most of then are faithful sponsors for decades that have behind sailors and big fans of solo racing. That is the case with PRB. PRB had and is sponsoring several generations of solo sailors, 24 years of sponsoring!!!!!. This is the man behind PRB and off course, a big fan of the Vendee Globe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6vpBt5x8Vg

That is up also to us to support those that support sail racing buying their products, if we need a similar product and they are on the market with other similar products. Most of the French Sponsors regards not internacional brands but local French products but when I am in France I rend homage to one of the main French sail supporters eating a lot of their products...well, they are very good too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nciYXXGb9_c

They are not supporters of any of the boats on the vendee but they are long time supporters of ocean racing trimarans and this post serves also to call your attention to his boat and his habitual skipper, Coville that is attempting to beat the world sailing circumnavigation record. So far so good. You can follow here in real time:
Tableau de bord - Sodebo - Tour Du Monde 2016

[DDabs]

You never know, the CEO of Taco Bell could be a sailing fan...

[jeepbluetj]

Originally Posted by Bleemus

PBR is beer. PRB is a company that sponsors an Imoca boat.

I would have to say that PBR is not beer. This is beer:


I have banned PBR from my boat due to it's wholly undrinkable qualities.....