12th edition of Transat Jacques Vabre: 8 Tris (Multi50 & Maxis) started on Sunday

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Skip JayR

30 knots on the log for Macif... cool. While Sodebo is slow pace behind only with 80% of Macif's speed around 24 knots... thats really bad shape.
...

That is not about the boat, it is about the guy at the tiller. On the last vendee globe, then on a IMOCA boat all where thinking that the kid was pushing too hard that he was going to break the boat...but he keep pushing to the finish and won that race. Here it looks about the same, pushing all the time to the limit. The capacity that Gabart has to go on the limit without passing it...for days it is something truly exceptional.

[donradcliffe]

There is a great interview with Alex Thomson on Sailing Anarchy. It gives some idea of how tough this race is. While the spin machine is on, Thomson blames the initial problem on hitting an object at speed, while the final straw is a 'rogue wave'. To his credit he made the decision to give up about 24 hours of time by routing the boat south instead of into the first low and out the back side, but he continues to have 'bad luck'. As some SA wit noted, maybe he ran into the wreckage of one of his previously abandoned boats....

[Polux]

Here you have a good article about the boat breakage on that race:

Transatlantic race: the situation after a difficult week - Vendée Globe 2016

They say that the situation regarding foils and impact on boat structure has to be investigated and I agree but I think also that they are going to find a correlation between problems on the boat structures and the (new) forces that are applied on it by the foils. All the new boats with those foils had to retire except one.

[Polux]

The three first monohulls and the first multi 50 are out of the doldrums. Fantastic sailing by L Roux that leaved the two pursuing Open'60 behind.

Very interesting to follow now, not only the fight between the three Open'60 and if the one with new foils will be able to outperform the others and to see if the Multi 50 can overtake the fastest Open 60.

The Multi50 and the Open 60's are sailing with slightly wind conditions. A bit more pressure for the monohulls, a better angle for the Multihull. It is going to be interesting to watch.

Transat Jacques Vabre 2015 : Le Havre - Itajai. Suivi Cartographique

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by Polux

Very interesting to follow now, not only the fight between the three Open'60 and if the one with new foils will be able to outperform the others and to see if the Multi 50 can overtake the fastest Open 60.

The Multi50 and the Open 60's are sailing with slightly wind conditions. A bit more pressure for the monohulls, a better angle for the Multihull. It is going to be interesting to watch.

I have waited 11 days for that battle... :-) I suppose we will see the Multi50 and Imocas coming cross the finish line in ~6 days...

Wile Macif can make it with perfectly timing to come in on weekend for bigger spectator crowds... still 600 nm to go, so roughly 30 hours. Sodebo miscalculated its tactic to go more closely under coast now ~120 nm behind. Cant imagine Thomas can make it if not some technical troubles on board of Macif let them slow down.

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by Polux

That is not about the boat, it is about the guy at the tiller. On the last vendee globe, then on a IMOCA boat all where thinking that the kid was pushing too hard that he was going to break the boat...but he keep pushing to the finish and won that race. Here it looks about the same, pushing all the time to the limit. The capacity that Gabart has to go on the limit without passing it...for days it is something truly exceptional.

Dont know him personally... no idea what character he is. Sometimes he looks like a "school boy" or young student in first semesters... little bit strange to see that he got such a huge expensive "man's toy" to play around on the oceans.

[Skip JayR]

Thierry's first video just comes in on board of Ciela Village approaching the doldrums...
https://vimeo.com/144804035

(P.S.: The doldrums are called in French "Pot au Noir")

[Skip JayR]

Good to know she/he is back... meanwhile safely arrived in the harbour Lorient (France) :-) the "rescue" of such a capsized 3-hull monster which looks more like a stranded wale isnt fun. (The capsizing happened on 27th Oct 2015). - Its tough work... and huge expensive as seen in the pics.

(Source of pics: The Rescue of a Big Trimaran >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News )

[Skip JayR]

Yvan Bourgnon and Gilles Lamiréare back in the harbour slow-motion after the crash.... looks terrible. But the positive: What would have happened with a monohull ? The answer is clear...

Tris can be excellently "life rafts". HIgher speed, needs higher safetyness. :-)

Source of pictures: ScanVoile: Transat Jacques Vabre / Flotteur cassé, Yvan Bourgnon et Gilles Lamiré attendus à la Trinité sur Mer ce soir

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Skip JayR

... But the positive: What would have happened with a monohull ? The answer is clear...

Tris can be excellently "life rafts". HIgher speed, needs higher safetyness. :-)

Source of pictures: ScanVoile: Transat Jacques Vabre / Flotteur cassé, Yvan Bourgnon et Gilles Lamiré attendus à la Trinité sur Mer ce soir

You and some others are just well, it makes me the words....can't you leave it alone? Even on a thread about a race? Or at least not be ignorant?

You should now that all the boats that are racing, including monohulls have air compartments that make them unthinkable. Some time ago Stamm's boat broke almost in half and even if the keel and ballast remained attached the boat did not sink.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Skip JayR

Dont know him personally... no idea what character he is. Sometimes he looks like a "school boy" or young student in first semesters... little bit strange to see that he got such a huge expensive "man's toy" to play around on the oceans.

I guess you are not European. Contrary to American's top racing boats these ones are not owned by the sailors (millionaires) but by the sponsors. The sailors are professional racers and the owners of the boats try to have the best of them on their boats.

Gabart is one of the best (if not the best), with a huge list of victories. Google about that and you will see.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Polux

You and some others are just well, it makes me the words....can't you leave it alone? Even on a thread about a race? Or at least not be ignorant?

You should now that all the boats that are racing, including monohulls have air compartments that make them unthinkable. Some time ago Stamm's boat broke almost in half and even if the keel and ballast remained attached the boat did not sink.

So what happened to Boss?

[Polux]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

So what happened to Boss?

It did not certainly sunk like Skip JayR was implying a monohull would:

"Excellent news from the Transat Jacques Vabre: the operation to recover Alex Thomson’s boat has been successful. The British sailor and his team have managed to tow the brand new foiler to the port of La Coruna. They now feel much more upbeat and are ready to tackle their main goal of lining up at the start of the 2016 Vendée Globe."

Hugo Boss recovered - Vendée Globe 2016

Come on guys at least here let's stop that stupid fight about what is the best offshore type of boat. Most of those guys, the best professional solo or short crew racers race indifferently monohulls and multihulls.

Gabart that is the fastest on the Maxi multihulls on this race come from the monohulls, won the last vendee Globe and will return to the Monohulls to do the next one. The 2th on the Open 60's on this race is one of the fastest solo on maxi multihulls and finished second the last Vendee Globe.

Regarding the race no doubt Le Roux on the fastest Muli50 will arrive ahead of the three leading Open60's. He has a better wind angle and his boat is faster on those conditions, with not troubled seas and medium winds.

Each type of boat is faster on different sea and wind conditions. Downwind or on a beam reach with not complicated seas the Multi50 are faster and Le Roux is showing just that.

I have been following these races for many years and on some it was just the opposite: bad seas and stormy seas and the Open 60's have beaten the Multi50's, as they have, on those conditions, on the first part of this race.

[Skip JayR]

Maxi Trimaran Macif will make it next 2 hours to finish TJV2015. Now on direct course... till ~31 nm to go at 21 kn speed. Sodebo is 113-114 nm behind.

Seems to become a finish after 12 days 17 hours sailing around midnight "local time" on Brazil coast. Mostly the "night images" with Bengal fires arent very cool... not seeing a lot from the boat.

Transat Jacques Vabre 2015 : Le Havre - Itajai. Suivi Cartographique

[Skip JayR]

Originally Posted by Polux

Come on guys at least here let's stop that stupid fight about what is the best offshore type of boat. Most of those guys, the best professional solo or short crew racers race indifferently monohulls and multihulls.

Thats an illusion, Polux. They are not the best sailors. These are guys with different skills, with good talents for good sailing. By sure they have physical strength and mental power on a higher level compared to "normal people". But it needs much, much more.... e.g. a good trainer, coach, mentors, well wishers, managers... and the luck to be in the right time in the right place to get the sponsor contract. Its all about "luck" and not only hard work. Naturally such sailors must do their homeworks, do physical fitness training to keep them on higher shape. But even sailors with a fat buddha belly got their sponsor contracts, surprisingly. So its more about "relationships".

Trust me as I have been involved in America's cup, Volvo Ocean Race, BT Challenge projects and others...

Just to give you a simple example. So called "Telegenic appeal" became very relevant over last 20 years... the marketing chiefs, product managers and advertising consultants proof in details, if the "face", the "voice" of the sailor/skipper fits the needs of the brand and image campaign to create the highest possibly identification between brand, sailor and target group = potential buyers of the sponsor's product. In other words: Gabart has the right look to attract the Macif customers best way. For another sponsor in another branch he might not be very attractive, whatever top level sailing skills he might have.

You are a dreamer if you think, it is just sailing skills. E.g. if a sponsor expects to cover with a sailor the Spanish language speaking market but he lacks of Spanish language skills, he just wont get the chance to be financed as his interviews front camera and microphone would needed a simultaneous translator. So simply it is that deals are not contracted.

Or a sponsor looks for a sailor who has wife and two kids because he is the right person to attract the target group, while another sponsor expects a young sailor who is still single without family as this might have the negative image of "being too conservative". Whatever...

Many, many top sailors with huge talents out there never will get their chances, because they just miss the "grain of luck" to be in the wrong time in the wrong place, and not being born with the genes which are "fashion" nowadays.

Big Sports and event sponsorship is a huge puzzle which makes it to become successfully, whatever branch it is (e.g. musician, artist, sportsman). If you dont have the well wishers around, you wont get your chances. So it works since thousands of years. And believe me, behind the "curtain" and "closed doors" there are going brutal fights to grab the sponsor's budgets. There is also concurrence between the different competitors.. and fights between the team managers. Not just a fun thing. Even there you find betraying, corruption as we see it now with FIFA and Olympics committees.

Anyhow... in less than 2 hours the Maxi Macif will head cross the finish line... and your insights from your perspectives are welcome (in my thread).

But not urgently it needs heroism for these sailing legionaries. its part of our modern societies, and thanks via Internet we can participate nearby in real time around the globe.... while thousands of refugees swap into Europe every day without anything for living just some plastic bags in hands and little children are freezing not having winter shoes on their feet. Or let me say it more simply: There are some more important things in this world to care for and become emotionally than some "spoilt skippers" who can have fun on their huge expensive man's toys. Its just a modern form of entertainment.

Happy Sailing ! - Happy weekend !

P.S.: And before you become too emotionally in my thread and start a harsh tone of judging read carefully my wordings. I dont make it very easy for my sailng buddies to understand what I like to express, as I expect they use their brains and read in details. I am not of yellow press to make it simply.

I had my doubts, that after such a crash as we have seen it from Yvan Bourgnon and Gilles Lamiréare's Trimaran a monohull had the chance to sail back on own keel. I dont think so. The trimaran made it back to harbour slow motion under own sails power. Thats impressive. I didnt talk about sinking related to racing monohulls.... and I only said, a Trimaran works more safely like a life raft compared to a normal monohull. Maybe I missed to say, that I related this to "normal (cruising) boats" as still there is the negative image and fears, that catamarans/trimarans arent safe boats. A bad stigma we have to hear for more then 25 years still in the heads of hobby sailors.

A racing monohull would have been abandoned with such heavy crash in the bow section not possible to steer safely keeping on course... and later being towed back by a MV.By sure.