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Press release Fevrier 2004
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2004-2-27
Adrien : The trade winds are finally here!
[27/2/2004] During his 112th day at sea, Jean Luc Van den Heede finally picked up the trade winds and the bad experience of the Doldrums is now just a fading memory...
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2004-2-24
« The chap, who doesn’t feel well at sea, should get another job! »
[24/2/2004] Jean Luc Van den Heede is laughing. After being absent for three days, the wind has finally returned, and in its wake, the yachtsman from Amiens has cheered up.
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2004-2-21
Adrien: Back in the Northern Hemisphere
[21/2/2004] Today, after 105 days, 23 hours and 30 minutes of sailing, Adrien crossed the Equator at 6 minutes and 50 seconds before noon CET.
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2004-2-20
ADRIEN is getting close to the Equator
[20/2/2004] Slowed down by feeble, variable winds, Adrien is losing ground over Philippe Monnet.
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2004-2-17
Finally some stiff trade winds
[17/2/2004] For 48 hours, Jean Luc Van den Heede has been unable to hide his pleasure. Some nice, cool winds from the southeast, have got up, and are pushing him along unremittingly towards the Equator.
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2004-2-13
"You can’t artificially stimulate your willpower, there aren’t any drugs for that"
[13 /2 /2004 ] Questioned about the amount of work he is having to do on board Adrien, VDH’s answer is quite clear: "It’s not down to strength or muscle power..."
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2004-2-10
Adrien stuck in a rut
[10 /2 /2004 ] VDH is heading back up to the Equator, but after two fine days sailing downwind, in a strong, steady wind, the yachtsman from Amiens is now stuck in a rut.
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2004-2-7
Adrien in the South Atlantic
[7/2/2004] At 2.44 p.m(CET) today, VDH rounded the Cape of Good Hope after 92 days , 2 hours and 22 minutes at sea.
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2004-2-6
ADRIEN rounding the Cape of Good Hope tomorrow
[6/2/2004] It’s tomorrow, Saturday, that Jean Luc Van den Heede will be turning on his right hand indicator and starting to tackle the climb back up the South Atlantic.
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2004-2-3
Van Den Heede pays homage to Francis Joyon
[3 /2 /2004 ] As he draws closer to the African continent and to the Cape of Good Hope that he hopes to round on Saturday, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, ...
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Press release of 2004-2-27 |
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Adrien : The trade winds are finally here!
[27/2/2004] During his 112th day at sea, Jean Luc Van den Heede finally picked up the trade winds and the bad experience of the Doldrums is now just a fading memory...
Adrien is once again gaining time over Philippe Monnet and the skipper from Amiens has certainly cheered up. «I’ve found the trade winds, 20- knot stable winds blowing steadily and they will be there for at least five days». Consequently, the skipper from Amiens is once again gaining time over Philippe Monnet, five or six hours a day, which leads us to believe he will finish late in the second week of March.
Back to civilisation, he has been receiving some strange messages on his C-standard (urgent warnings for those at sea). He has been informed that ahead of him in his path there are four containers and 100 12-m long plastic strips, which is certainly enough to get you a little worried, when you think of the damage this debris could cause. While VDH is unhappy about the state of the sea, on the other hand, his Pechiney aluminium hull does offer him a certain amount of security.
«Not so long ago, we received some other messages telling us not to get too close to the Americans in certain areas...»
While he must wait to catch up with the news when he gets back on dry land, Jean Luc has been treating himself to some simple pleasures. Apart from the magnificent sea bream he caught three days ago and poached in some stock so he could keep it, he has also been enjoying some freshly baked bread. «Just the smell of the bread cooking is enjoyable enough».
At the end of next week, the wind should turn slightly to the east and allow Adrien to make good headway back up to Ushant. At the moment, he is on a direct course heading in a “normal” direction. Jean Luc should be able to make up a large part of the time he lost in the Doldrums. «Sailing close hauled I can go faster than Philippe, even if he came back up more quickly».
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-2-24 |
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« The chap, who doesn’t feel well at sea, should get another job! »
[24/2/2004] Jean Luc Van den Heede is laughing. After being absent for three days, the wind has finally returned, and in its wake, the yachtsman from Amiens has cheered up.
«I’m not really in a hurry to get back on dry land, I’m sorry. However, I would like to finish, to achieve my goal, to increase my lead, so to arrive sooner, but psychologically, I’m doing fine. In any case, to do this, you have to like being at sea!» The former maths teacher is being very logical once again...
The Doldrums are now just a bad memory. I had to stick it out for three days, becalmed with a record for being slow the day before yesterday (35 miles in 24 hours). The sails flapping around from left to right, the boom swinging from one side to the other, the automatic pilot going crazy sounding its alarm every so often, unable to understand what the boat was up to at all, as she just would not obey, due to the absence of any wind. «True horror» said Jean Luc. They’re really very strange these sailors, who cross the oceans looking for storms, and get very disappointed when they are stood up.
«I lost a lot of time over Philippe Monnet. While I did have 26 and a half days lead, in just a short while, I lost 2 and a half days. I’m going to try to win those hours back, but Philippe managed to head back up very quickly. The Doldrums were more generous to him than to me. But that’s life. I can no longer hear the sails suffering, the water is slapping up against Adrien’s hull once again, so everything is fine. I can see the latitudes slipping by, and I’m in a hurry now to pick up the NE trade winds, because, for the moment, it’s not really that great with nor’westerlies. The mainsail and the genoese are both very damaged, but they will make it through the whole trip».
Questioned about his arrival time, Jean Luc confirmed that he plans to cross the finishing line during week 11, but probably late in the week. When we suggest the 12th of March to him, he replies «I don’t know, I forgot to bring a calendar for 2004 with me».
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Press release of 2004-2-21 |
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Adrien: Back in the Northern Hemisphere
[21/2/2004] Today, after 105 days, 23 hours and 30 minutes of sailing, Adrien crossed the Equator at 6 minutes and 50 seconds before noon CET.
While VDH passed by the Cape of Good Hope with 25 days, 21 hours and 45 minutes lead over the time achieved by Philippe Monnet, it was 25 days, 9 hours and 45 minutes ahead of the yachtsman from Cannes that he crossed the Equator. And he is really annoyed about that! «My racing temperament is getting to me. I don’t like being caught up. That’s the way things are. We’re going to try to make up the lead again in the North Atlantic».
In fact, looking at the weather charts and according to the information obtained from Pierre Lasnier, the conditions forecast after the Doldrums are for the moment not very promising. «The final home stretch may well be tough going. I’m going to wait to see how things develop, but contrary to what we find usually on the traditional route, which takes us by the Azores to pick up a front taking us directly to the finishing line, this time, things look more complicated with weak winds. We’re going to have to find the right course. Adrien is doing well. Everything is working perfectly. Our only hurdle remains the weather».
It looks like sluggish northerly trade winds await the skipper from Amiens. «I prefer having a tough time of it in the Atlantic, rather than in the Pacific or the Indian. On the whole, I’m rather pleased, and if I finish with 25 days lead over Philippe, I’ll still be very happy».
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Press release of 2004-2-20 |
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ADRIEN is getting close to the Equator
[20/2/2004] Slowed down by feeble, variable winds, Adrien is losing ground over Philippe Monnet.
Things aren’t that joyful aboard Adrien. VDH doesn’t like to see his lead over Philippe Monnet melting away... He puts things into perspective, however, by explaining that the Cannes yachtsman isn’t close to catching him up of course. «I am in a virtual competition with Philippe. While I am covering a hundred miles or so a day, he was doing around double at the same time. Yesterday, I lost 7 hours, today, it’s the same thing again, so it’s only natural that this affects the way I feel, especially seeing it’s the first time since the start. Having said that, I’ve got a wide margin, but I really want Adrien to make good headway. I just want to cross this final frontier of the Equator quickly. I’m in a hurry to finish».
This entry into the Northern Hemisphere should take place during the night.
The weather conditions that Jean Luc has been experiencing make you think of the Doldrums. Thunderstorms, clouds, unstable winds… «There is nevertheless a little wind. 10 knots, but 10 knots with a stern wind isn’t enough for a boat like Adrien. She’s a large boat. A wind on the beam or upwind would be OK, but as things are, we’re finding it hard going. It’s difficult to keep the spinnaker in place. Besides that, there is a swell, so in short, it’s certainly not ideal».
«Sailing makes yachtsman philosophical and resigned to their destiny. I’m going to have to deal with the weather I get. I still hope to arrive during the eleventh week of the year (between the 8th and 13th March),but for the moment I can’t say if it will be early in the week, mid-week or at the end of the week».
Outside, as they approach the Equator (100 miles left to go at noon today), the temperature has been rising. «I’m protecting myself. I don’t really like it when it is extremely hot. I’m keeping my hat and sunglasses on... »
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-2-17 |
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Finally some stiff trade winds
[17/2/2004] For 48 hours, Jean Luc Van den Heede has been unable to hide his pleasure. Some nice, cool winds from the southeast, have got up, and are pushing him along unremittingly towards the Equator.
It’s at the end of this week that Adrien should cross the Equator. At the present, the Pechiney aluminium monohull is making headway, thanks to some trade winds blowing at 20 knots. «Last night, I came around to head a little further west. I was going too far north to be able to round the African coast. As the wind turned slightly, I managed to head back out to sea».
VDH thinks he will cross the Equator on Friday around 15° West. He will then head further west (20°) to find his best way through the Doldrums, his final major hurdle before the finish.
«Last night, I saw the Great Bear, which means I must be getting close now. Yesterday, I crossed the longitude of Les Sables d’Olonne and Ushant, so I just have to gain a bit more in longitude. The great adventure will soon be reaching its end».
Having said that, the yachtsman from Amiens is remaining levelheaded. It will have taken him five years of hard work to accomplish his journey and VDH doesn’t want to do anything risky now. «I am remaining extremely cautious, as nothing is won, until the finishing line has been crossed. I can still remember what happened to me back in 94 during the second leg of my second BOC (single-handed trip around the world with stopovers). Just a few hours from the finish in Sydney, as I had a good lead, I started taking it easy, to the point, where I fell asleep and finished up on the beach. Through good luck, I was able to save my boat, my race (coming in second) and everything else...But this little incident really taught me a lesson».
Caution and vigilance remain the keynote of Jean-Luc’s challenge, and that will continue right up until he crosses the finishing line, which will probably be in three or four weeks time.
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-2-13 |
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"You can’t artificially stimulate your willpower, there aren’t any drugs for that"
[13 /2 /2004 ] Questioned about the amount of work he is having to do on board Adrien, VDH’s answer is quite clear: "It’s not down to strength or muscle power. It’s willpower that’s pushing me on" .
Off the African coast, Adrien continues to make headway towards the Equator, which she should cross in a week. The wind coming from behind is very unstable, forcing Jean-Luc to carry out a lot of manoeuvres setting sails. Coming around up to 6 times a day in a 30 tonnes monohull, you can imagine that the yachtsman from Amiens has been building up his pectorals! "Not at all, it’s nothing to do with strength. Only willpower enables me to make headway. Moreover, it’s probably for that reason that there is no drugs problem in our discipline. Sailing remains a great sport, and even someone of my great age can still do it. More than that, I’m sailing alone, there are no spectators or anyone to urge me on. It’s up to me to push myself on, all by myself."
After a night without any wind, Adrien picked up some air again this morning. "It’s not steady in direction or strength. It can suddenly turn around, to such an extent that as I’m resting on my staysail with the spinnaker up, I don’t have time to reset it. I got the spinnaker a bit tangled up, so I decided to lower it when I was going to sleep. It’s the sensible thing to do." Jean-Luc can thus relax when he goes to sleep, especially as his lead over Philippe Monnet isn’t fading away at all.
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-2-10 |
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Adrien stuck in a rut
[10 /2 /2004 ] VDH is heading back up to the Equator, but after two fine days sailing downwind, in a strong, steady wind, the yachtsman from Amiens is now stuck in a rut.
As we would expect from him, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede is still clearly able to keep things in perspective. The maths teacher is living up to his reputation and knows how to remain sensible. “It’s not because the wind isn’t blowing as I would hope for, that I’m going to feel all depressed. It’s thanks to such tricky moments that you are able to appreciate all the more the fine days, like those I’ve just experienced".
Since the Cape of Good Hope, Jean-Luc had indeed benefited from ideal weather conditions until last night, when things took a turn for the worse. "The wind is sluggish and variable… In other words, the sails are flapping miserably, the spinnaker is all over the place, so I have to watch all that very closely. With Pierre Lasnier, we decided to come around and head north to try to pick up some stronger winds. I’m a little too far west, and as I can’t run before the wind, I have to decide whether to tack to the left or right. Having said that, I’m not that worried, as I’ve got 26 days lead. So everything is fine, even if 27 days would be better … "
Around him, it’s once again completely deserted. The cargo ships, fishing boats, oil rigs, albatrosses and seals have all disappeared, "like the wind and the sunshine", jokes VDH. On board, the schedule remains the same, with regular work to do setting the sails, preparing meals and maintaining Adrien. "On Sunday, I noticed that the screws on the transom fittings had worked a bit loose, so I’ve sorted that out. Apart from that, I’ve been busy drying out the fore section of the boat, which gets damp under the fore hatch, when I stow the spinnaker away. It’s fairly finicky work, as you have to do it cell by cell".
The sky is overcast and there is a very heavy swell in spite of the absence of wind. Jean-Luc is in his shorts and T-shirt. "I’m heading north, and should be finding some sunshine, so everything’s rosy...".
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-2-7 |
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Adrien in the South Atlantic
[7/2/2004] At 2.44 p.m(CET) today, VDH rounded the Cape of Good Hope after 92 days , 2 hours and 22 minutes at sea.
It was thus with 25 days 21 hours and 45 minutes lead over Philippe Monnet that Jean Luc left the Indian Ocean behind him. In other words, the yachtsman from Amiens is happy, as he had expected at best to have a lead of 15 days. «I grabbed another five hours this morning. The weather is exceptional, the sea is blue with some white horses. The southern Atlantic is rough with a 40-knot wind behind me, so Adrien is reaching a peak speed of 20 knots, which is great. I had to lower the spinnaker, so for the moment, I’m sailing with the genoese and three reefs».
This is the first time VDH has sailed around Good Hope in this direction, while he has passed four times in the opposite direction. « It has the name it deserves, when it’s on the starboard side, as it marks the end of the fifties and the forties, and I’m now back in a sector I know well, so the hardest part is over. My next gateway is the Equator before the home stretch».
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Press release of 2004-2-6 |
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ADRIEN rounding the Cape of Good Hope tomorrow
[6/2/2004] It’s tomorrow, Saturday, that Jean Luc Van den Heede will be turning on his right hand indicator and starting to tackle the climb back up the South Atlantic.
He isn’t quite home yet, but the atmosphere on board is nevertheless almost euphoric. Not only does VDH have a 24-day lead over Philippe Monnet, but also besides that, he is sailing in ideal conditions to the south of the African continent.
Since rounding the Horn, Jean-Luc hasn’t seen a soul, apart from a few albatrosses. Three miles off the coast of South Africa, after three months of being alone, Adrien is meeting up with people again. «Last night, I came across an oil rig, a cargo ship and a group of fishermen, rather like you see just off Les Sables d’Olonne. At the moment, I can see a seal that’s busy warming up its stomach in the sunshine. It’s fun watching all this suddenly going on. I find it really entertaining» said VDH at noon. «It will be the first time I’ll be leaving the Cape of Good Hope on the starboard side, so I’ll be celebrating in a fitting way. First of all, I’ll make myself some fresh bread, which was impossible down in the south, where it was too cold for the dough to rise, then preparing myself a better than usual meal, and finally, I’ll be opening a nice bottle of wine».
Adrien is making 10-knots headway with the spinnaker towards Cape Agulhas, which is the most southerly point of the African continent. «The sea is flat calm, very blue, with a heavy, long swell. The weather is very fine, and everything is going well, with both Adrien and myself are in fine form. I did some washing, and my clothes are drying. It’s sheer joy!»
Once they have rounded the Cape, Adrien will head back up to the Equator. «The trade winds are blowing steadily at 25-30 knots, so I should achieve a good average speed and not lose any of my lead, even if Philippe climbed back up very quickly. I’m happy with what Adrien has achieved and my own performance. As my boat goes10% quicker than Philippe’s, I thought I’d be rounding this mythical third cape with a 10 to 15 day lead. 24 days is just incredible. Having said that, there’s a lot left to do, so before talking about crossing the finishing line, I need to concentrate on the Equator, then the Doldrums, the Azores, the Bay of Biscay, and finally rounding the tip of Brittany. There’s still a long way to go».
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-2-3 |
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Van Den Heede pays homage to Francis Joyon
[3 /2 /2004 ] As he draws closer to the African continent and to the Cape of Good Hope that he hopes to round on Saturday, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, at the helm of his large monohull, Adrien, yesterday paid homage to his friend, Francis Joyon, with whom he shared the heady atmosphere of the southern seas and with whom he had a great understanding.
"72 days to go around the world single-handed in a multihull is just great. With Francis, I had fairly good weather conditions in the Deep South around the Atlantic. 2003/2004 is a good year to be setting a record. I think it’s going to be pretty tough to beat the record established by Francis. This incredible performance must have required him to be out on deck for long periods of time. When you want to go so fast in a trimaran of that size (27,30 m), you have to be at the helm yourself. Francis is a very determined yachtsman. He had proved that before with the English single-handed transat in 2000. His success does not come as a surprise to me. I’m really happy for him. It’s proof that with limited resources and a short preparation, you can nevertheless achieve something great. Joyon proved that starting out from the tip of Brittany in November is the right time. During his round the world trip, the southern seas off Australia were something new for Francis, but he had already sailed single-handed enough not to worry about that. He was very brave and managed to look after everything well. Congratulations! His great skill has been rewarded. I pity him or her that tries to challenge this time".
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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