Day 148: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede rounds Cape Horn and gains on all but Mark Slats

Susie Goodall praying for rain
Istvan Kopar facing major steering problems
Tapio Lehtinen – tested by head winds
Mark Sinclair and Igor Zaretskiy to stop in Australia

Dateline 14:00 UTC 26.11.2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede led the Golden Globe Race fleet of solo sailors round Cape Horn at 19:16 UTC on Friday having extended his lead on all but 2nd placed Dutchman Mark Slats during a week when those trailing up to 8,500 miles behind all faced serious trials.

Both Australian Mark Sinclair and Russia’s Igor Zaretskiy are now heading for ports in Australia to clean off barnacles and make repairs. Sinclair, who is also running perilously short of drinking water, is heading for Adelaide, his home City after being thwarted by sharks on two occasions during the past week from diving over to scrape the hull of his Lello 34, Coconut.

Zaretskiy reported yesterday that he had motored to check drag the hull of his Endurance 36 Esmeralda and determined that the barnacles are now reducing her speed by 2.5knots. He now intends to slip the yacht at the old whaling port of Albany on the South West corner of Australia. When they stop, both skippers will be relegated to the Chichester Class, leaving just 6 of the original 17 starters still competing for Golden Globe honours.

The lack of breeze that frustrated progress in mid fleet for much of last week has been replaced by 20-30knots winds from the South and West, but Estonian Uku Randmaa, Britain’s Susie Goodall and American/Hungarian Istvan Kopar all face continuing problems.

Randmaa, who lost 300 miles on the race leader over the past 6 days, is back doing 6.2 knots in the right direction today, but has still to clear barnacles from the bottom of his yacht One and All. Goodall (DHL Starlight), now half way across the South Pacific some 2,700 miles from South America, is running desperately short of water, and American/Hungarian Istvan Kopar who, like Goodall, lost 400 miles on the leader this past week, has reported major problems with the pedestal steering system on his Tradewind 35 Puffin.

The bearings in the pedestal gearbox are breaking up under the strain and may not last much longer. In an effort to reduce the chance of a complete break-down, Kopar fitted his backup emergency tiller but that too failed within 12 hours. His last resort is to fit his emergency rudder but that will mean hand-steering for the remaining 11,000 miles back to the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne. To cap all this, Puffin’s main halyard snapped last night, and Kopar must wait for calmer conditions to climb the mast and replace it.

6th placed Tapio Lehtinen has dropped almost 700 miles behind this week, his barnacle infested yacht Asteria unable to make any real progress against strong head winds all week. Worse, forecasters are predicting this unusual easterly airstream will continue for another 5 days at least.

In a special radio hook-up with members of the International Cape Horners Association attending their annual meeting in Portsmouth UK yesterday, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede reported that repairs to the damaged rig on his Rustler 36 Matmut were standing up well. “I am on course to pass west of the Falkland Islands and have winds on the beam. I am taking it easy with three reefs in the mainsail. If I was racing, I would only have two. I do not want to stress the mast any more than necessary and will have to nurse it all the way back to Les Sables d’Olonne.”

The 73-year old Frenchman confirmed that this had been his 10th rounding of Cape Horn. “Six times the right way (west to east) and four times the wrong way (against the prevailing winds). “The last time was in 2014 when I was cruising in the area and we stopped to meet the lighthouse keepers. Conditions were good this time round and I was doing more than 8 knots when heading up through the Straits de la Maire.”

One old Cape Horner asked “What are you missing most?”

“Nothing” came the reply

“I chose to be here and am very happy. I know that my wife and friends are waiting for me to return and look forward to that.”

2nd placed Dutchman Mark Slats sailing another Rustler 36, Ohpen Maverick, crossed into the ‘Screaming Fifty’ latitudes on Sunday and reported “BIG SAILS ARE OUT AGAIN MAKING BIG SURFS. LOVE IT!”

Since Van Den Heede’s rig problems 3 weeks ago, Slats has clipped almost 700 miles off Matmut’s lead, but these past 6 days, the gain has been only 43 miles. To finish ahead, the Dutchman knows he must set an average 20% faster than the Frenchman. The first chance of doing this will come in 5 days time when he is expected to reach the Horn and when Matmut is slowed by head winds. But like Van Den Heede, Slats will earn his passage round this infamous Cape because forecasters are predicting another storm just as he rounds the Horn or shortly after.

Listen to Jean-Luc live

Monday 26th November at 17:30 UTC (18:30 French Time) the GGR Race Control Centre at Les Sables d’Olonne will be open to the Media and Public to listen to Jean-Luc Van Den Heede live during his weekly safety satellite phone call when he reflects on the race so far and his rounding of Cape Horn. Participants will have the opportunity to ask Jean-Luc questions.

This special chat session will also be shared live on www.facebook.com/goldengloberace/

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Day 145: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede set to round CAPE HORN Tonight

Dateline 12:00 UTC 23.11.2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France

Jean-Luc Van den Heede, the 73-year old French sailor leading the Golden Globe Race in his Rustler 36 yacht Matmut, is set to round Cape Horn at approx. 20:00 UTC tonight. Seventeen solo sailors set out from Les Sables d’Olonne on July 1st and 8 remain in the race. They have been a sea for 145 days and Jean-Luc has covered 20,000 miles, averaging 5.75 knots or 138 miles per day. This compares to the 4.02 knots averaged by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston for the whole circumnavigation during the inaugual Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968/9 when he became the first to sail solo non-stop around the Globe. Van Den Heede’s nearest rival is Dutchman Mark Slats sailing another Rustler 36 – Ohpen Maverick – currently trailing the Frenchman by 1,350 miles.

ETA at HORN: 20:00 UTC 23rd Nov (21:00 French time)

Expected weather: 35/45 knots North West wind and 6 metre seas
Weather will drop to 25 knots NW and 3 metre seas on rounding Cape Horn
Approx. 20,000 miles sailed so far and 7,000 to go to Les Sables finish line
He has been at sea 145 days. Average speed on course 5.75kts, 138 miles a day.
1,350 Miles ahead of Mark Slats.

He is 86 days ahead of Sir Robin Knox Johnston‘s yacht Suhaili, winner of the original Race in 1968/9.

He is 20 days ahead of the time set by Bernard Moitessier‘s French yacht Joshua to Cape Horn.

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede‘s Matmut suffered damage to her rigging when the yacht was pitchpoled 3-weeks ago. The Frenchman has made repairs but must slow down whenever the wind is forward of the beam to minimise the slamming effect on the rig when heading into the waves. This is expected to slow his progress on the final 7,000 miles back up the Atlantic to the finish at les Sables d’Olonne, giving Mark Slats the opportunity to close the gap and even take the lead. The big question is how quickly Slats can run Jean-Luc down? If the Dutchman can sail 20% faster, then both will finish together during the first or second week of February. It promises to build up to an exciting finale!

For timely updates on Jean-Luc‘s approach and rounding of Cape Horn go to

goldengloberace.com/livetracker/ or visit www.facebook.com/goldengloberace/

Listen to Jean-Luc live
Monday 26th November at 17:30 UTC (18:30 French Time) the GGR Race Control Centre at Les Sables d’Olonne will be open to the Media and Public to listen to Jean-Luc Van Den Heede live during his weekly safety satellite phone call when he reflects on the race so far and his rounding of Cape Horn. Participants will have the opportunity to ask Jean-Luc questions.

This special chat session will also be shared live on www.facebook.com/goldengloberace/

The post Day 145: Jean-Luc VDH set to round CAPE HORN Tonight appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

Day 142: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede – 400 miles from Cape Horn

Istvan Kopar penalised for encroaching southern ocean No-Go Zone
Uku Randmaa chased out of the water by a shark

Dateline 14:00 UTC 20.11.2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France

The damaged rig on race leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede’s yacht Matmut has weathered two more southern ocean storms during the past week and the 73-year old Frenchman is now within 400 miles of Cape Horn. He is on course to round America’s southern tip sometime on Friday and has a 3-day weather window to slip around before the next series of storms approach. He may just make it in time.

Jean-Luc has climbed up the mast five times to check repairs made two weeks ago to the lower shroud tang connections and is satisfied that sailing downwind at least, the mast is safe. Remarkably, Matmut has been averaging between 5.5 and 6.5 knots in recent days with just a headsail set. Yesterday, he reported: “My mast holds up for now, the mainsail has been down for 3 days, and I have only the staysail set, sometimes partially furled.

The sea is very strong, so strong that a wave broke the top rail holding my water generator. By some miracle, I managed to catch one part and I am making a repair using the car adjuster for the genoa. I manage quietly, I hope to be in Cape Horn in 3 or 4 days.”

Second placed Mark Slats who reported light winds and an uncomfortable sea early today, has now reached the eastern limit of the southern ocean NO-GO Zone and has begun a southerly decent down the latitudes towards Cape Horn. At 09:00 UTC today, his yacht Ohpen Maverick trailed Matmut by 1,386 miles, and though her speed was 6.3knots against 5.5 for the leader, the Dutchman has gained only 87 miles over the past 7 days. Slats has to average 1knot more than Matmut over the remaining distance back to Les Sables d’Olonne if he hopes to win.

3rd placed Estonian Uku Randmaa aboard One and All, is one of the losers during the past week having dropped more than 200 miles behind Matmut and seen Britain’s Susie Goodall in the 4th of these Rustler 36 yachts, DHL Starlight, gain a further 60 miles on him. Randmaa had used the calmer conditions to dive overboard to clean the barnacles from the bottom of his yacht and had cleared 85% of the growth when he spotted a shark circling the boat. He made a hasty retreat back onboard – and has not been back in the water since!

Barnacles have also been responsible for the sluggish performance of Tapio Lehtinen’s Finnish Gaia 36 Asteria back in 6th place. He is currently battling to clear the lee shore around New Zealand’s southern tip and reported yesterday: ‘STRESSINGLY CLOSE TO LAND’. Then early today: ‘WITH BAD POINTING ABILITY DUE 2 BARNACLES, HAD 2 TACK 4 SEA ROOM. At 09:00 UTC, Asteria was still heading almost due south in gale force winds away from the threat of land, adding to the 500 miles lost to Matmut during the past 7 days.

American/Hungarian Istvan Kopar sailing the Tradewind 35 Puffin in 5th place, had been making up ground on Susie Goodall, before clipping the northwest corner of the Southern Ocean NO-GO Zone yesterday. The first incursion between 03:00 and 03:20 UTC yesterday was undoubtedly caused by a sudden change of wind direction, but then he did it again between 06:00 and 09:00 spending a total time of 3 hours 20 minutes in the orange zone. That has led to a 6hour 40-minute time penalty being added to the 24-hour penalty picked up when Kopar stopped in the Cape Verde Islands to repair his self-steering and used his satellite phone. Kopar has the added disadvantage of not having a serviceable SSB radio to pick up an accurate time signal (essential for celestial navigation) or weather forecasts.

The other big losers this past week are Australian Mark Sinclair and Russia’s Igor Zaretskiy. Unlike Igor, Mark is clearly enjoying this global cruise so much that having passed 330 miles south of Cape Leeuwin yesterday now appears to be heading towards his home port of Adelaide to say ‘hi’ to family and friends and re-enact Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s impromptu rendezvous 50 years before with the ship Kooringa, which passed on his position to Lloyds of London – providing the first news of Suhaili’s progress for more than 2 months

Sinclair’s other route departures, first to Cape Town to meet fellow Lello 34 owners, and then to cruise round the Cape of Good Hope and on up the east coast to Port Elizabeth have had consequences. Apart from the time lost on the fleet leaders, the Australian is now running perilously short of drinking water. Sinclair reported yesterday that he is now down to his last 37 litres, and unless he finds rain soon to replenish stocks, he is likely to be forced to stop at Hobart and take on fresh supplies, which will relegate him to the Chichester Class.

Zaretskiy may well be forced to do the same. His Endurance 35 Esmeralda is reportedly covered in barnacles and nursing a broken forestay secured at the top of the mast with temporary lashings. This might explain why Esmeralda was sailing at just 0.4knot today and has lost a further 600 miles on Matmut’s lead during the past week.

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They’re back in 2022!

Sleepless nights for a select group of sailors began in April 2015 when I launched the 50th Anniversary edition of the original 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe. A few months later they were lining up to sign on and by year end we had 30 entrants for the 2018 GGR. Then a growing wait list formed, and entries were effectively closed. It took just six months.

Many initial entrants faded well before the start, so for the 2022GGR we have made it a little harder to be invited. The hope is, that those bold enough to enter will be absolutely committed to the challenge. You need at least 4000 ocean miles and a nonrefundable AU$5000 deposit for the privilege to become a Provisional GGR Entrant. That combined with vivid stories of knockdowns, rollovers and barnacles from this edition scares off the not so serious keeping the 2022 entry list real! The challenge is clear and the road to the start well defined. The door is wide open for now. The question is when will it fill up?

A new wave of sleeplessness is appearing! In just 12 weeks, 37 invitations for only 20 places have been issued! The temptation and desire is great, but I smile when completed application forms arrive without the money, that is apparently “in the mail” and still is. He who hesitates is lost and for the organizer that is a good thing. Passion and confidence is the only way forward in this game. All 2018 Starters jumped straight in as soon as they heard of it. It was a common theme defining the 18.

2018 entrants and I are close. We have been family for years, but I was shocked to discover some are already thinking of doing it again! They talk between themselves on daily HF SSB chat sessions even between storms! They could do it faster with more fun if engines worked, batteries were charging, HF radios were working, or the right bottom paint kept barnacles away. Apparently two are very serious!

ERTAN BESCARDES from UK is back! Inner voices have been murmuring for some time. It was not his time to feel at one with the sea after starting on July 1st. It didn’t feel right. The strength of his honesty and power of conviction to retire just days in had to be admired. He was the last to sign on to 2018 and now he is one of the first for 2022. Now it feels right!

NORWEGIAN, ARE WIGG is clear on one thing. Unfinished business brings him back for 2022 with a new plan, in new boat, with a stronger rig and even more passion! ROBIN DAVIE of the UK missed the start by weeks when bad weather delayed the rebuild of his Rustler 36. It’s now finished and fitted with JL VDH new old rig. So begins what he believes is the most important part for planning a successful GGR and that is miles under the keel before the start. He heads across the Atlantic soon and hopes to have everything well sorted for his fourth Circumnavigation. In previous voyages he has been dismasted and lost his rudder, but feels very confident about his new GGR style boat.

MICHAEL GUGGENBERGER from AUSTRIA signed up for 2018, bought a beautiful Endurance 35 then fell in love with her so hard, he went sailing instead. Now he is ready to sail the 2022 GGR. Exciting characters like him are very welcome. ITALIAN GUIDO CANTINI has his Vancouver 34 and is already a certified Celestial Navigator. His initial refit is underway at the yard of Cantiere Del Argentario with sailing plans well advanced.

There are two CONFIDENTIAL entries, one from NORWAY planning on an OE32 yacht same as ARE WIGG and our first and only French Entry. Throw me into the mix in a JOSHUAGG Class II and we have eight signed on after just three months.

But did I mention that when ABHILASH TOMY learns to walk again he is going sailing! And NABIL AMRA has not said a word about his future? And what if GREGOR McGUCKIN cannot make the VENDEE GLOBE? Will he stay at home and watch TV for a change? KEVIN and PHILIPPE are gone forever, but never say never for FRANCHESCO CAPPELLETTI, or even LIONELL REGNIER or CARL HUBER and I wonder if the little voices have started for ANTOINE COUSOT! The door is still open, but I can feel a waitlist on the horizon one day soon. The Race to GGR2022 has started.

The GGR has a life of it’s own and a 50 year pedigree now re-established. Inspiring since 1968 it rolls freely toward the future. This cultural renascence is accepted and loved by all in the GGR Family. For Jane and I that is very exciting.

Finally, while ISTVAN declared in HOBART never again! His wife immediately commented that is exactly what he said when he returned from his first Solo Circumnavigation and this one is his third. Watch this space.

DON

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TOUGH, TOUGHER, TOUGHEST?

Is the Golden Globe Race the toughest sailing event in the world? Is there anything that even comes close in any individual sporting challenge that combines epic adventure, extreme endurance and human endeavor to this magnitude? There is faster, more complex and certainly more competitive, even more impressive, but anything tougher? Does it really matter? Probably not, but people are talking and are keen to compare.

The Atlantic swallowed six GGR entrants, for the simplest of reasons mostly determined by equipment choice or personal reckoning. This surprised many but was in line with my own earlier predictions based on simple statistics and a gut feeling. It was sad to lose them, but it was honest and real. That’s the way it works for any circumnavigation. Those who step out into the Southern Ocean have hardened up and are the best of the best, a necessity if you hope to endure four months of survival at the bottom of the world. Down there you have nowhere to hide, even from your own emotions and fears. Down there you are a volunteer facing your own reality in a dream planned over many years.

They are scared but not worried. The risk is high but mitigated. The physical demands are relentless day after day. The psychological pressure is a rollercoaster with no STOP button. Their isolation intense and passion never questioned as each follows a path over the horizon into the unknown. Their future is uncertain. With heightened senses they are happy to survive just one more day. Where else can you enter a competition with all this?

If you were watching the GGR LIVE coverage of entrants through Hobart, you met real sailors and special human beings. Mid adventure they opened their world with a glimpse explaining why and how they are doing. We laughed and cried together, slightly in awe at these incredible adventurers and warm fun personalities that made it look all very easy. We know it’s not.

Spray sailing at 24kts with bright lights around the world the now normal way is not them. They sail like it’s 1968. Four more did not make it to Hobart. That’s tough on everyone. Now we are eight souls sailing with huge ambitions. Meanwhile the GGR family of followers is expanding every single day as the stories get bigger and people are talking. News is absorbed in 50 countries. While I never worry about what people think, I often wonder how they feel about the GGR and I am starting to perceive a change and feel a consensus.

Early in the GGR a few thought the Atlantic retirements a bit too easy. When we started to lose masts in the Southern Ocean some were surprised. Inevitably followers and commentators around the world are looking for comparisons yet there are none. They are starting to realize that the GGR is like nothing the world has seen before, ever. They are starting to respect the sailors and understand the challenge. Some now say it is the TOUGHEST!
Being truly alone on a little boat with the basics for 240 days may just be tougher than the rest! You decide!

Mike Golding, considered as one of the world’s most successful offshore sailors, had this to say about the GGR in Yachting World, September 2018, Page 26:

Don’t for a moment underestimate the enormity of the challenge that the sailors taking part in the 2018 Golden Globe Race (GGR) are undertaking. It would be easy to think of the GGR as another ‘ARC style’ ocean rally – but that could not be further from the truth. The GGR is, without question, one of the toughest sailing challenges for many decades, and I hope the 18 competitors receive a supportive following…..When I saw that the French sailing legends Jean-Luc Van Den Heede and Philippe Péché had signed up to compete in the GGR, for the briefest of nanoseconds I considered entering the race myself. But, equally swiftly, I knew the limitations and restrictions would drive me completely and utterly bonkers……The GGR offers a refreshing opportunity to take on a huge personal challenge without the cost and complexity of one of the mainstream professional events. It’s entirely possible to fund an entire GGR campaign for the price of a single IMOCA 60 mainsail – which opens the door to a completely new band of solo adventurers…..

If the original race is anything to go by, only two of the 18 starters might complete the 2018 event as true Golden Globe finishers. Perhaps another four or six will need to stop but can still finish as ‘Chichester class’ entrants. Finishers or not, these 18 sailors from 13 countries will certainly have some amazing stories to share. And if the GGR produces even one more Robin Knox-Johnston and a scattering of Chichesters, what’s not to like?

DON

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