Vendee 2020

[MicHughV]

Alex dropped back to 15th place.....900 nm behind leader...not sure how he is going to get out from under this...

I agree with the above poster...the Vendee sailors are a cut above...just finishing this race counts you as a winner....

[Fuss]

He said he can’t fix it , he retired and is on his way to Cape Town

[mglonnro]

Quoted from their Facebook page:

With great sadness, we announce that we are no longer racing in the Vendée Globe.

A statement from Alex and the team:

*******************

After incurring damage to the starboard rudder of the boat, Alex has ceased racing in the Vendée Globe and is now sailing the boat towards Cape Town.
Alex last night disconnected the starboard rudder and has since been sailing the yacht with just one rudder. After assessing the situation today, Alex and the team have decided that the only course of action is to cease racing and sail the boat to Cape Town.

Alex said: “Unfortunately, a repair is not possible. We therefore accept that this will be the end of the race for us. Myself, my team and our partners are of course deeply disappointed. We believe the best was yet to come in this race”.

Alex is currently 1,800 nautical miles from Cape Town and it is expected to take him around seven days to make the journey. He’ll do so without the use of his starboard rudder and so will proceed safely and cautiously.

Our technical team will travel to Cape Town to meet the yacht upon arrival.
On behalf of Alex and the team, we thank you for your support during this time.

[250224]

Originally Posted by Fuss

He said he can’t fix it , he retired and is on his way to Cape Town

ps: too much ufo trash in the oceans

[Northernguy59]

That is sad news about Alex.

Is there an English version of this tracker ? I have not been able to find it.

https://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/cartographie

Thanks, Dale

[Yellowtulip]

Originally Posted by Northernguy59

That is sad news about Alex.



Is there an English version of this tracker ? I have not been able to find it.



https://www.vendeeglobe.org/fr/cartographie



Thanks, Dale

https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/tracking-map

[Northernguy59]

Originally Posted by Yellowtulip

https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/tracking-map

Thank you !

[MicHughV]

urgh....that hurts...Alex was my boy...he was definitely in there with a chance....this is big bummer...not sure if he'll try again...

but for sure.....the biggest fear of any Vendee entrant is hitting something at sea....being singlehanded obviously compounds this issue as you cannot be awake the whole time...

for sure, there is a lot of junk floating around, but it could have been anything...a tree trunk....something tossed over the side from any number of ships...Alex is a trooper, I can't see him giving up unless there was less than glimmer of hope to fix anything....

but...Charal is bulldozing his way down....

and the story of the day must be Jean Le Cam.....he is still hanging in there....it simply would not surprise me to see him win this thing....that man is truly one with the sea....he just plugs into the boat and the boat obeys him like a trained horse....

[Knotical]

Sad indeed.

Do we know for sure he hit something, I may have missed it but didn’t see it mention anywhere?

I believe these racers deserve solid boats to race with and be allowed to show their sailing skills rather than constantly repairing/fixing something. There is so much emphasis on keeping the weight down that the boats are built on an edge, you push them a little bit and things start breaking down. I am surprised at the amount of repair materials they carry on board, that has to add to the weight - then why not just beef up the boats at stress points?

[250224]

Originally Posted by Knotical

Do we know for sure he hit something, I may have missed it but didn’t see it mention anywhere?

Yes according to the telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sailing/...g-irreparable/) he hit something.

“At about 19:00 UTC last night, I was averaging 21 knots, flying the small gennaker and one reef in the mainsail,” Thomson said. “I was down below when there was a huge bang and the boat broached violently. The steering system was jammed and all I could do was roll the sails away. Once on deck I could see the rudder blade was broken and swinging around with a large piece of fishing gear jammed into the cracks. So I think I must have hit something. It certainly looks that way.”

[DDabs]

Alex's luck with objects at sea is so upsetting. He is arguably the best sailor in the fleet and I feel like he could have easily made up those miles. The race was just getting started. I can only imagine his heartbreak, my heart goes out to him and the BOSS team.

[MicHughV]

these days....every fisherman out there is chasing a $$$...Alex probably hit a long line...these can stretch for miles...and miles...and then some more miles...curious that his rudder snagged something, but neither the keel nor the foil did..

regardless....I agree, the Vendee was just starting to amp on as the boats entered the southern ocean, which is where they really do their thing...

but, I also have to agree, that these modern Vendee boats are created right on the edge of insanity...true, with their foils, etc, they are a sight to behold under full clip.....but one teeny tiny mistake...and it's race over...

the other aspect off course, is that they are single handed....you set the course.....you try to take a nap.....and the boat is basically sailing itself......

well, I feel for Alex, no question he is not a happy camper today....

[Knotical]

Originally Posted by blu3534

Yes according to the telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sailing/...g-irreparable/) he hit something.

“At about 19:00 UTC last night, I was averaging 21 knots, flying the small gennaker and one reef in the mainsail,” Thomson said. “I was down below when there was a huge bang and the boat broached violently. The steering system was jammed and all I could do was roll the sails away. Once on deck I could see the rudder blade was broken and swinging around with a large piece of fishing gear jammed into the cracks. So I think I must have hit something. It certainly looks that way.”

Thank you blu3534, I missed seeing that telegraph article.

[DomPerignon]

I would like to see pictures of that broken rudder.
We got good video and description of the structural damage in the front of the boat last week. I think we deserve the same about the rudder.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Alex's luck with objects at sea is so upsetting. He is arguably the best sailor in the fleet and I feel like he could have easily made up those miles. The race was just getting started. I can only imagine his heartbreak, my heart goes out to him and the BOSS team.

I think Alex would agree that Jean Le Cam is the best sailor.

It will be interesting to see how many of the Foilers end up compromised or DNF by the end of the Race.

The next evolution in design will have learned a lot from this one.
I am guessing structural failure of composites, due to high frequency harmonics, will be part of the data