January 2, 2001

Racing

The Race Update

January 2 –
The Mediterranean Sea

Steve Fossett has announced that ‘PlayStation’, which had
been in third place in The Race, must put in at Gibraltar for
sail repairs. Said Fossett, “We were sailing upwind in 27
kts when the clew in the main gave way. It is very disappointing
to have two sail failures on a new set of sails.” The first
failure occured when the head blew out of the solent (a foresail)
during the first night of the round-the-world race. In order
to continue in The Race, ‘PlayStation’ must put in for a mandatory
48-hour stopover. See ‘PlayStation’s site at www.fossettchallenge.com.

While the ‘PlayStation’ crew struggles with this set-back,
the ‘Team Adventure’ crew jubilantly entered the Atlantic Ocean
first. At 1300 today, she cut her way through the narrow 18-mile
Strait of Gibraltar to enter into the new playground. And behind,
the hunt is on. ‘Club Med’ is in second place. ‘Innovation Explorer’
overtook ‘PlayStation’ early this morning and is now lying third.
At the 1300 position check-in, ‘Warta Polpharma’ was already
286 miles behind the leader. ‘Team Legato’ had some trouble qualifying,
and did not cross the start line until 0900 GMT yesterday (Monday),
but is now close on the heels of the Polish boat with just 78.4
miles separating them.

A tricky weather situation is lying in wait for the competitors
once they approach the Atlantic. After the windy Med, they are
meeting with calm weather in the Strait.

The start of The Race was held off Barcelona’s Olympic Harbor
at on December 31 amidst flocks of press and spectators. Cam
Lewis’s ‘Team Adventure’ led the six-boat fleet out into the
Med.

To see more photos by Tom Zinn like the ones at right, go
to: adrenalinimages.com/The_Race_Start/index.html

The last time we checked www.therace.org,
we were told that, “You are meeting difficulties to reach
our site. Would you please excuse us. In fact you are match more
numerous then are must optimistic forecasts. Currently our services
do their best to give you total satisfaction.” [sic]

Vendée Globe Update

January 2 – Pacific Ocean

Yesterday around 10:00 am, Michel Desjoyeaux, who is leading
the Vendée Globe around-the-world alone race in ‘PRB’,
told his shore team in a brief call that the engine starter had
broken down. One hour later, in which he had dismantled the defective
part, he called again: “The electrical engine for the starter
has burned out. The New Year has started badly.”

Now deprived of his main energy source, the engine’s alternator,
with 2700 miles to go until Cape Horn, Michel commented this
morning, “It was already tough, really tough, and now it’s
just beginning again! Give me an 8-day Figaro race anyday!”

Mich Desj, or ‘The Professor’, as Desjoyeaux is called, has
not been able to find a way to hand-start the engine, and must
now use his wind generator and solar panels. In a region where
the sun doesn’t often shine, this means will not be wholly sufficient
to meet all the energy requirements on board a new generation
Open 60 with all the satellite communication systems. Desjoyeaux
must of course give priority to his autopilots, as it is simply
out of the question for the skipper to helm all the time when
sailing singlehanded, especially in the bitter Southern Pacific
temperatures. And he must have his Standard C, the system for
receiving by satellite the weather files, open for several hours
every day.

Michel Desjoyeaux
Photo Jacques Vapillon

He informed The Race headquarters that “I am continuing
towards Cape Horn and do not demand assistance.” Despite
his current problem, ‘PRB’ still holds a 154 mile lead over Roland
Jourdain in ‘Sill Matines la Portagère’ and 175 miles
over Ellen MacArthur in ‘Kingfisher’. For more, see www.vendeeglobe.com.