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logbooks of the week
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2003-12-11
Hi there,
What had to happen has happened...the fine winds I had have moved off, and I’m now bec...
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2003-12-10
Hi there,
Well we’ve made it. We’re now in the Pacific Ocean. I rounded the Horn this morning a...
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2003-12-9
Hi there,
I should have been in the Lemaire Straits by the time I was writing these lines, but t...
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2003-12-8
Hi there,
I’ve gone by the Falklands, and tomorrow I shouldn’t be far from the Lemaire Straits, ...
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2003-12-7
Hi there,
The two video links with the Prime Minister (who bid farewell to me by offering me a k...
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Logbook of 2003-12-11 |
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Hi there,
What had to happen has happened...the fine winds I had have moved off, and I’m now becalmed. It’s an interlude and I spent the night bouncing around on the waves without really moving forward. I didn’t really expect to cross the whole of the Pacific downwind at an average of 13 knots with just the genoese raised!
As I’m writing these lines to you, the wind has got up again from the NE and should provide some joy for Adrien and myself up to the 13th December, as it’s not head on and not blowing too strongly. The sky is overcast and it’s starting to rain a bit, and the three albatrosses that were circling took off at the same time as Adrien started to make some headway.
The temperature is now quite cool and I warm myself up between two manoeuvres with some soup. Alongside feeding myself well, I’m wrapping up warm in my Cotten fleece, and I make sure the damp doesn’t get in, as that is my toughest enemy!
See you tomorrow,
JL VDH
A day with the cuddly toy from the singers from Bobigny, a pretty little wooden sculpture.
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Logbook of 2003-12-10 |
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Hi there,
Well we’ve made it. We’re now in the Pacific Ocean. I rounded the Horn this morning at 12 minutes past midnight CET. It took me 32 days, 11 hours and 50 minutes to get down there, which already sets a little record, as I made it in faster time than on my previous attempts.
As I went around it, I was 5 days, 21 hours and 25 mins ahead of the time set by Philippe Monnet. Henceforth, in order to measure my lead, I shall be establishing it in degrees of longitude, as now the aim is to get as far west as possible.
For the moment, I’m zooming along and in the right direction. Since yesterday, I’ve had a steady 35-40 knot wind, but as I am on a beam reach, I’ve lowered the mainsail and am just using the genoese. I even rolled that up a bit before nightfall, as with the seas getting rougher and rougher, we’re starting to slide along on huge surfing waves at up to 30 knots. As a precautionary measure, I therefore brought in a little sail to limit this surfing.
These incredible conditions should last for another 15 hours or so, which is really great!
See you tomorrow,
JL VDH
A day with Gérard Maingueneau’s cuddly toy, a little brown and white squirrel.
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Logbook of 2003-12-9 |
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Hi there,
I should have been in the Lemaire Straits by the time I was writing these lines, but the wind just wasn’t with me. I experienced a very tough afternoon yesterday with hardly any wind at all, but coming from all directions, and accompanied by a huge swell, which made the sails bang about in every direction. I tried to inch forward to get out of it as quickly as possible, even if I had to lower the mainsail twice, as it was really under a lot of strain.
Finally, the wind decided to come back just before 11 last night. So it was yet another day with a far from great average speed, but seeing what is ahead of me, that’s not too serious!
It’s not everyday you get to round the Horn with an easterly. A fairly deep depression had the good idea to settle above the south American continent (usually the Andes range forces them down).
I’m starting to pick up the first signs of it now with the barometer falling away rapidly and the wind turning to the NE. In the southern hemisphere, the winds turn clockwise around a low-pressure area (it’s the opposite in the north). As this friendly low pressure area is going to move north of me, you can imagine how pleased I am, and for my tenth time going around this mythical spot, it’s just as well I’ll be getting the 40-knot winds in the right direction!
See you tomorrow,
JL VDH
A day with Hugo Medori (Cap Communication)’s giraffe, « Loustic », which will certainly be the first giraffe to round the Horn!
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Logbook of 2003-12-8 |
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Hi there,
I’ve gone by the Falklands, and tomorrow I shouldn’t be far from the Lemaire Straits, as they are only 185 miles away. I was going along rather nicely upwind in a WSW wind, and then, this morning it came around to the South, which wasn’t very helpful. Then I was becalmed, which was even worse. I had taken in two reefs on the solent in a 35-knot wind, and now I’ve raised everything again, but I’ve only got 4 knots of wind left. If I’m going to make the Lemaire Straits tomorrow, the wind is going to have to pick up again.
It’s amazing how what I feel is so affected by the wind. Even if I have 5 and a half days’ lead over Philippe, I still want Adrien to sail along well, and above all, I don’t want to miss the short period of easterly wind, which should allow me to round the Horn downwind. There’s only a 2% chance of picking up an Easterly in this area, and it would be quite something if I get there at exactly the right moment. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Until tomorrow,
JL VDH
A day with Anthelme de Chambéry’s cuddly toy, a very cautious dog, as he has a lifebuoy around his waist!
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Logbook of 2003-12-7 |
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Hi there,
The two video links with the Prime Minister (who bid farewell to me by offering me a kiss on the cheek!) and Celerant Consulting both went well, and I’d like to thank the many yachtsmen, who came and spoke to me and asked me questions. I really find it extraordinary to be able to appear live at the Boat Show on a screen, while I’m aboard Adrien in the middle of the ocean. What a lot of progress has been made in the area of satellites in just a few years. I must also thank Geolink, Nocturne and especially Simrad. Without Jean Marc from Simrad, who worked night and day before I set sail to repair my B standard set (the large sphere on Adrien’s stern), this important event could not have taken place.
On board, everything is going well. The weather is fairly clement for this area, and the forecasts are extremely encouraging for my passage through the Lemaire Straits (Tuesday) and around Cape Horn (Wednesday). I’m glad Adrien will be entering the Pacific in the best of shape and more than five days ahead of the record.
Until tomorrow,
JL VDH
A weekend with Igor, Ariane Tardieu’s black baby wolf.
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