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Press release Mars 2004
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2004-3-12
Adrien back in her home port
[11 /3 /2004 ] Jean Luc Van den Heede is very discreet, but found it difficult to hide his emotion, as he brought Adrien alongside the Vendée Globe landing stage in Les Sables d’Olonne.
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2004-3-9
Jean Luc Van den Heede congratulated
[9 /3 /2004 ] Jean Luc Van den Heede’s performance on board Adrien has led to people everywhere showing their admiration and first on the list comes the reaction of the French President.
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2004-3-9
"Words cannot express what I feel"
[9 /3 /2004 ] Setting out from off Brest on the 7th November last year, VDH improved on the record set by Philippe Monnet aboard Uunet (151 days and 19 hours) back in 2000 by 29 days, 5 hours,...
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2004-3-9
122 DAYS 14 hours 3 minutes and 49 seconds
[9 /3 /2004 ] It was at 2.26 a.m. (CET) that Jean Luc Van den Heede aboard Adrien crossed the finishing line off the Island of Ushant in NW Brittany.
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2004-3-8
"Now it’s just straight on"
[8 /3 /2004 ] Jean-Luc Van Den Heede remains serene, on the eve of his arrival off Ushant after 122 days at sea.
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2004-3-7
" ADRIEN " AND VAN DEN HEEDE EXPECTED ON TUESDAY MORNING OFF USHANT
[7 /3 /2004 ] After 121 days at sea, VDH is less than 48 hours away from returning to the tip of Brittany, which he left on 7th November 2003.
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2004-3-5
D-day minus 5 «I’m just an ordinary guy »
[5/3/2004] Five days away from crossing the finishing line , VDH is once again back in the low-pressure areas, after a quiet period in the middle of the trade winds.
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2004-3-2
“It was only this weekend that I realised that I’d be finishing next week!»
[2/3/2004] Jean Luc Van Den Heede had got so used to being alone with Adrien, cut off from the world and civilisation...
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Press release of 2004-3-12 |
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Adrien back in her home port
[11 /3 /2004 ] Jean Luc Van den Heede is very discreet, but found it difficult to hide his emotion, as he brought Adrien alongside the Vendée Globe landing stage in Les Sables d’Olonne.
In Les Sables d’Olonne, the naval tradition grows ever stronger. In the hearts of the local people, the four “Vendée Globe” events clearly set a precedent in terms of the enthusiasm and admiration they feel for yachtsmen. Jean Luc Van den Heede is now one of them. By smashing Philippe Monnet’s record by 29 days, VDH entered marine legend last Tuesday. The welcome that was given to him late today was that much more heartfelt, as a few years back the sailor from Amiens made Les Sables his home port.
Among the crowds that had gathered on the landing stages, his loyal partners waited with pride and eagerness. It must have taken a lot of courage and solid commitment for Jean Luc to set out on four occasions to attempt this challenge, and his three sponsors also showed unwavering trust, loyalty and support through all those years.
It was also a moving occasion for Michel Adrien, a stalwart supporter and former sailor himself. He could easily imagine the difficulties Jean-Luc must have encountered in order to achieve his performance: «If a record was well deserved, it was this one» was the essence of what he said, while breathing a sigh of relief. Alcan was pleased that Jean-Luc’s boat had benefited from the latest Alcan/Pechiney aluminium technology. Its lightweight and resistant qualities allowed him to face the extreme conditions in the westbound circumnavigation.
The aluminium monohull had to be modified year after year to be up to the Global Challenge. As for his partners, they too evolved over the years. Thus, Pechiney became Alcan, the world leader in the manufacture and technological development of aluminium for marine use, and Adrien is nowadays called Michel Adrien, after the founder of the Group, who set off himself back in 1956 from Les Sables d’Olonne, at the helm of his fishing boat to head for Africa.
Gilles de Robien offered his warm thanks to Jean Luc Van den Heede for having raised so high and spread so far the colours of the Amiens metropolitan authority, and announced that he was pleased to be present for his arrival back in Les Sables. In the name of all the inhabitants of the 27 councils within the metropolitan area, monsieur Gilles de Robien and all the councillors of the Greater Amiens area sent Jean Luc Van den Heede their most sincere congratulations and admiration.
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Press release of 2004-3-9 |
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Jean Luc Van den Heede congratulated
[9 /3 /2004 ] Jean Luc Van den Heede’s performance on board Adrien has led to people everywhere showing their admiration and first on the list comes the reaction of the French President.
Jacques Chirac, the French President decided he had to congratulate the "superb performance which will be written into the annals of maritime history, and which together with your talent provokes admiration in us all". To conclude, in his letter of congratulations, Jacques Chirac wished every success to Jean Luc in his future challenges.
The Minister of Sport, Jean-François Lamour offered his congratulations on Tuesday to the great sailor, Jean-Luc Van den Heede. "Setting out from Brest on the 7th November of last year, you crossed the imaginary finishing line last night between The Lizard and Ushant. Smashing the record by 29 days in this round the world attempt, you overcame all the difficulties. Your courage, your resistance, and your motivation were really outstanding. I could feel it when I talked to you from the Paris Boat Show last December. Your fourth attempt was the successful one! Going beyond this fabulous record, you knew how to share a marvellous human endeavour and some unique moments with all those fans, but also with the French people", pointed out the Minister of Sport.
Michel Adrien, Chairman of the Adrien Group, was unable to hide his relief when he saw Jean Luc reach home. "First of all I am able to take a deep breath of relief. I used to sail and am aware of the danger involved in such a challenge, in spite of Jean-Luc’s caution and professionalism. The superlatives expressing admiration will pour in from everywhere, and that’s only normal, as if a record deserved to be broken it was this one. I remember how when he lost his mast last year, when he was in the greatest of difficulties and exhausted, he asked me if we would be ready to follow him on another attempt…"
The Metropolitan Authority of Amiens, which has also backed VDH since his first attempt offers their “warmest congratulations to Jean Luc Van den Heede for having worn the colours of the Amiens area so proudly and for such a distance, and they will be pleased to welcome him back on Thursday, when he returns to Les Sables. In the name of all the inhabitants of the 27 districts that make up the local authority, monsieur Gilles de Robien and the elected councillors of Amiens and the surrounding area send Jean Luc Van den Heede their sincere congratulations and their admiration following the exploit he has just achieved. By beating Philippe Monnet’s record, VDH enters into maritime legend. He has shown what a great sporting talent he is, with his temperament and determination that puts him up there with France’s greatest yachtsmen".
The Alcan Group and Pechiney: "Thank you, Jean Luc, for your fantastic exploit. Having been with you since the start of the construction of your aluminium boat, we are particularly happy and proud to have placed our trust in you. The values of tenacity and your intrepid nature could only lead to this victory. The Alcan Group in addition to the Pechiney teams congratulate you and offer their warm thanks to you for letting them share in this adventure."
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Press release of 2004-3-9 |
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"Words cannot express what I feel"
[9 /3 /2004 ] Setting out from off Brest on the 7th November last year, VDH improved on the record set by Philippe Monnet aboard Uunet (151 days and 19 hours) back in 2000 by 29 days, 5 hours, 50 minutes and 47 seconds. He will thus have covered 25,564 miles in 122 days, 14 hours, 3 minutes and 47 seconds.
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede has just finished his round the world trip « backwards » from East to West in brilliant style after doing 4 round the world trips (2nd in 1986 and 3rd in 1995 in the BOC Challenge, 3rd in 1989-90 and 2nd in 1992-93 in the Vendée Globe). This was his fourth attempt against the winds and currents. In 1999, his first attempt aboard his monohull Algimouss, had to be abandoned because of a leak after he hit some flottsam . In 2001, during his first attempt aboard Adrien, his current monohull (which hadn’t yet been perfected at that moment), he was forced to abandon the attempt because of a problem with the keelboard. Finally, in January 2003, it was his mast that let him down, when it broke off Tasmania. This was extremely difficult for him to take, as half way through the challenge VDH had 18 days lead over the record set by Philippe Monnet. "I had to go on, and it was by trial and error. There were very few examples of racing boats racing around the world in that direction. The forces on the boat were not very well known. The stresses and strains sailing upwind, when the boat slams down into the waves are completely different from those experienced during the Vendée Globe. I therefore experienced a few failures. This time, when I arrived in the south, I was more confident. We had really taken care of the solidity of the boat. The only unknown element was my mast, which was brand new and lighter than the previous one. I must admit that at the start I was a little worried about the rigging. This will be the first time I have been around the world without having to climb up the mast. In the past, I had to climb up quite often… To be honest, we didn’t have much time to go out in a gale, but I soon experienced that as I came out of the Bay of Biscay. There, I was able to see how Adrien reacted and I started to feel a little more confident. When I arrived in the South, I was fairly relaxed. But I always felt the need to remain cautious during this adventure. I never left the boat with too much sail up. As soon as I felt the wind getting up, I took in the sails... "
The definition Jean-Luc gives of this Global Challenge is extremely simple and clear whatever the circumstances. "In the Vendée Globe, you are pushed along by the wind. Here, you have everything head on. It’s the same difference between a cyclist going up a hill and one going down. It’s the toughest thing a yachtsman can do in a single-handed event. "
As for his extraordinary lead over the previous record, VDH explained: "I thought about it in the following way: Adrien sails 10% faster than than Monnier’s yacht. I thought I would beat him by a fortnight and then taking into account the problems Philippe had, I thought I could get five days more. I thought I could get up to 20 days better. 25 just seemed out of the question,. I really treated it as a competition against a virtual enemy. Every four or five hours, I checked out where he was. I did that all the time. The advantage was I didn’t have all the constraints of a race. There wasn’t any pressure from a competitor catching me up. There were times when I slowed down, whereas if I had an opponent 10 miles behind me I wouldn’t have done that. "
Philippe Monnet said he went through hell, while for VDH everything went much better: " Philippe Monnet said he had 10 days of pleasure with 140 days of struggling. Personally, I would find it difficult to find 10 days of hard slog. I really enjoyed myself throughout the trip. Especially off Cape Horn. Rounding the mythical rock in a 40-knot wind behind me in that direction, is something extremely rare and I couldn’t have dreamt of that. Incredible, while last year, I went through a really bad gale just as I passed by it. Going through the Doldrums was the most unpleasant part, 30 hours to do 30 miles, is really tough. In spite of that there was a lot of physical work to do. First of all, the boat moves around a lot. It was violent when there were sudden lurches. I went flying two or three times. But I didn’t hurt myself fortunately. I didn’t have to open the medical box once. I took two aspirins during the whole trip plus a vitamin pill everyday. That’s all."
Pierre Lasnier of MétéoMer could not hide his pleasure. "Jean-Luc managed to get, some really great conditions. What really counts is avoiding tough situations and light winds. He kept an eye on things. The elements were with us, especially off Cape Horn. Sometimes, I had to really argue my case, particularly in the difficult areas. I’ll be in Les Sables d’Olonne to welcome him and congratulate him. " The appointment has been noted: On Thursday, Adrien will arrive in the harbour entrance to Les Sables d’Olonne at 5.15 p.m. CET
Video link available from Serte Paris at 10.55 a.m. GMT.
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Press release of 2004-3-9 |
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122 DAYS 14 hours 3 minutes and 49 seconds
[9 /3 /2004 ] It was at 2.26 a.m. (CET) that Jean Luc Van den Heede aboard Adrien crossed the finishing line off the Island of Ushant in NW Brittany.
Having setting out on the 7th November 2003 to beat the round the world against the winds and currents record held by Phillippe Monnet, who achieved it in 151 days on 9th June 2000, Jean Luc Van den Heede crossed the finishing line located off Créac’h lighthouse on the Island of Ushant in NW Brittany at 2.26 a.m. CET. after 122 days 14 hours, 3 minutes and 49 seconds at sea. VDH has thus reduced the reference time by 29 days, 5 hours, 50 minutes and 47 seconds according to Claude Breton, the WSSRC (World Speed Sailing Record Council) official timekeeper. As soon as he has taken on board his technical team on Ushant, VDH will head off towards his home port of Les Sables d’Olonne in Western France, that he will reach on Thursday 11th March at 5 p.m. CET.
A complete bulletin will be issued later this morning (Tuesday)
Contact : Riva Com – Véronique Guillou – +33 (0)6 70 10 91 25 – veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-3-8 |
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"Now it’s just straight on"
[8 /3 /2004 ] Jean-Luc Van Den Heede remains serene, on the eve of his arrival off Ushant after 122 days at sea.
" I don’t have a lot left to do tonight. After, I will have two days to cruise back to Les Sables d’Olonne and get back into the normal swing of things. It’s the end of a great story. I’m really happy and pleased to have succeeded in reaching my goal this time after looking forward to it for ten years. There’s no question about it, it’s really a clear victory. 29 days ahead. It just feels great. I hope that whoever my successor is will have as just as much pleasure as I have had."
The climb back up the North Atlantic took place in ideal conditions, as when he left the Doldrums behind him, he was 24 days in the lead, and tomorrow, as he crosses the finishing line early in the morning, he will be 29 days ahead of Philippe Monnet’s record.
With a 25-knot wind with the solent raised, and a reef in the mainsail, Adrien is soaring along towards the finish. Jean-Luc has been awake since three o’clock this morning. After crossing without any difficulties the downward shipping lane the cargo ships take, he was able to zigzag through the extremely busy upward shipping lane. "I finished off my duck à l’orange this lunchtime, and had some mashed potato with it. Everything is fine and I’m really over the moon to be meeting up once again with all those I love".
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Press release of 2004-3-7 |
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" ADRIEN " AND VAN DEN HEEDE EXPECTED ON TUESDAY MORNING OFF USHANT
[7 /3 /2004 ] After 121 days at sea, VDH is less than 48 hours away from returning to the tip of Brittany, which he left on 7th November 2003. Looking forward to reaching the island of Ushant, “I should, if all goes well, cross the finishing line of my round the world backwards trip early on Tuesday".
Jean-Luc Van den Heede admitted that after four months of single-handed sailing against the prevailing winds and currents he was very much in demand; "Between the many phone conversations with the media and the organisation of my arrival in Les Sables d’Olonne, which is planned for Thursday at 5 p.m. with the tide, I don’t have any spare time. I don’t really know where to start... I only just had enough time this morning to cook my final loaf of bread and to cook myself some duck “à l’orange”, which I’d reserved for my final Sunday at sea!"
For the time being, after four months of being alone, “looking forward without feeling any stress to getting back into civilisation and meeting the people I love”, the yachtsman from Amiens in Adrien, his 26-m maxi aluminium monohull, described to us the sailing conditions as he approaches the Bay of Biscay: "I’ve got 20 knots of wind. I’m sailing at an average of 10 knots upwind on a sea that’s a bit lumpy, but doesn’t pose any problems and everything is fine on board".
Fully aware that "the circle isn’t yet complete", Jean-Luc is keeping an eye on the radar all the time, «...even if I’m several hours outside of the shipping lanes and I haven’t seen any boats for two days. However, I did just miss a crab pot last night, which just goes to show that you have to be careful right up to the end".
If Jean-Luc Van den Heede pushes the imposing bow of Adrien across the finish before 8.15 a.m. on Tuesday 9th March, he will have taken less than 123 days to finish this extraordinary non-stop voyage around the world and will bring to a marvellous end "the most beautiful single-handed sailing trip you can imagine against the elements". VDH should therefore, unless something unexpected happens, smash the record still held today by his friend, Philippe Monnet, by more than 29 days (151days 19h 54’36’’), which the Cannes yachtsman achieved on the 9th June 2000 at the helm of Unet.
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Press release of 2004-3-5 |
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D-day minus 5 «I’m just an ordinary guy »
[5/3/2004] Five days away from crossing the finishing line , VDH is once again back in the low-pressure areas, after a quiet period in the middle of the trade winds.
«Last night a front went over with 35-knot winds, and as I sailed upwind the seaspray hit me in the face. I can confirm that seawater really is salty. »
Between the Azores and the Portuguese coast, Adrien is doing well. The outside temperature has clearly gone down, and there are some big, dark clouds moving across the sky. Crossing the finishing line is still planned for Tuesday. After that, it will take two days for Adrien to reach Les Sables d’Olonne. In fact, Pierre Lasnier of MeteoMer is forecasting light winds for when Adrien heads back down.
So close to the finish and to achieving a spectacular success in his challenge, Jean Luc remains calm and concentrates on the job in hand. «My radar is on 24 hours a day. I don’t want to have any accidents at this stage. Apart from that, I’m not too worried, I’m keeping Adrien moving along, my days have been full of the same routine jobs since the start of my adventure, but at this point I must say the media seem more and more interested. I’m spending a lot of time on the phone».
When asked what he would like to eat when he finishes to make a change from the tins, Jean-Luc replied without any hesitation: «Some seafood, grilled sole with boiled potatoes and some apple tart. Nothing exceptional. Like I’ve always said, I’m just an ordinary, traditional guy… » and to finish to pay homage to the French singer, Claude Nougaro, who has just passed away, Jean Luc sang «Armstrong, je ne suis pas noir, je suis blanc de peau… » (“Armstrong, I’m not black, my skin is white...”).
RivaCom/Véronique Guillou 0670109125
veronique@rivacom.fr
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Press release of 2004-3-2 |
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“It was only this weekend that I realised that I’d be finishing next week!»
[2/3/2004] Jean Luc Van Den Heede had got so used to being alone with Adrien, cut off from the world and civilisation, that he had almost forgotten that this close relationship he has would one day come to an end
«In fact, I got up so close to Foro in the Cape Verde Islands that I could see the houses, roads, cars and everything. I said to myself “Crikey! It’s true that land is getting ever nearer. Today I have less than 2000 miles left to cover. Having said that, on board, that doesn’t change anything. I still do my utmost to keep Adrien moving along as best I can. Meanwhile, I do my sums with my friend Pierre Lasnier to try to find out when we can have a celebration. If all goes well, I should be back in Les Sables d’Olonne two days after crossing the finishing line off Ushant. I plan to reach Ushant on Tuesday or Wednesday, but it’s more likely to be Tuesday (9th March). If all continues as planned, I will beat Philippe Monnet’s record by four weeks. That pleases me no end. Today, I had a look to see where he was on his 116th day, and he was just rounding the Cape of Good Hope».
VDH’s satisfaction can also be heard clearly in his voice, whenever he speaks of Adrien: «She is in fine form. The sails will finish the race, I don’t have any particular worries, with the pilot, the rigging, the electronics or the electrical system. And this will be the first time I’ve been around the world without having to climb the mast. Quite exceptional!»
For three days now, the boat has been covering 300 miles a day. If her appetite continues like this, Adrien will be able to be back in her homeport on Thursday 11th or Friday 12th March. «I’m not really someone, who likes being alone all the time, so I’ll be happy to be back in civilisation. After four months of being alone, I don’t feel any stress. I’ll no longer have to eat canned food and I’ll be able to have a big party in Les Sables on the evening of my arrival».
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