09.11. 2006
The battle continues to rage for the third place !
TEMENOS is waiting for a better wind angle |
Although the first monohulls are unlikely to shatter the event record as the multihull category did, the intensity of the racing in the Imoca class will likely go down in history in this the 8th edition of the Route du Rhum - la Banque Postale. With its constant surprises and new developments, the daily ranking has rarely looked the same from one day to the next; the monohulls even racing within sight of each other at times. With less than 260 miles to the finish, Roland Jourdain seems unwilling to give up pole position, and 100 miles in his wake Jean Le Cam is equally keen to cling onto second place.
Behind this duo, the battle continues to rage. Virbac-Paprec has snatched back 3rd place tonight to the detriment of TEMENOS, who is paying dearly for its lateral separation. For the time being, the wind angle is therefore benefiting Virbac-Paprec, who is positioned higher up the course, making better speed. Contacted at 1600 hours, Dominique was waiting impatiently for the wind to veer, in the hope that his speed would increase. Although it was forecast on the weather models, the wait for a better wind angle is proving to be cruelly long, as Virbac-Paprec and Brit-Air power along to the North of TEMENOS.
"The wind is a bit light so I’m not able to get the best out of the boat. I’m awaiting the wind shift to make better speed.
The boat wasn’t making much headway last night. It was burying a lot and having problems taking the surf. I was constantly trimming. I changed the sail configuration on several occasions but that didn’t seem to alter the situation. In the early morning I inspected the keel to make sure there wasn’t any seaweed wrapped around it and whilst I was making a thorough inspection of the whole boat, I discovered the leeward ballast was half full."
Dominique gave no explanation for this unlikely, which was probably the cause of the boat’s reduced headway overnight. "I don’t understand what happened. I checked everything yesterday. The ballast was completely full when I gybed. I’m still wondering at what level the filling should be done, it’s really astonishing."
As regards the battle raging for 3rd place, Jean-Pierre Dick has the advantage for the moment. "I still haven’t got much wind. The leeward trajectory is better and Virbac-Paprec is managing to head up to the wind more than me."
On the approach to Guadeloupe, the wind is likely to drop off somewhat. TEMENOS may well make the Tête aux Anglais from tomorrow evening onwards and hopes to cross the finish line on Saturday morning (French time)
At the 1600 ranking TEMENOS was in 4th position, 211 miles behind the leader.
