November 26, 2009 – The answer’s blowing in the wind

At the 8:00 am ranking, the last before we get the final result at the finish line, expected for this coming night, the red monohull was just 15 short miles from its main rival W Hotels. Roland and Jean-Luc seem to have kept up very honorable speeds overnight while Alex and Pepe sailed into some softer breeze. Compared with the gap reported yesterday, Veolia Environnement has therefore sliced about thirty miles from the distance it was trailing behind the Spaniards. However, the speed differential is due to the different latitudes at which the two boats are sailing, and the breeze is again expected to be very soft as they approach Puerto Limon.

As the boats descend towards the finish line for this Transat Jacques Vabre, their pace should slow considerably. The final stretch to the finish certainly promises to be full of suspense. For the moment, there’s no way we can find out more. Then, 65 miles behind them, another battle is being fought out between Akena Veranda and Aviva. That 65 miles is enough to provide a decent safety margin for the first two boats, but not quite enough to think that the tail-enders can’t catch up when the squeezebox effect kicks in, especially as they too have switched to ‘stealth mode.’ We’ll just have to wait at the finish line to find out who will take fifth place in this ninth transatlantic race in the coffee road series.

VB.

Roland Jourdain, in his midday report:
“It’s going to be boiling hot, and I’m not just talking temperature! The boat’s white hot today so that no one recognizes us while we are in ‘stealth mode.’ The deed is done, but you’ll have to wait till the finish line to know just what our fate will be come tomorrow evening. The wind is still very variable and the sea is increasingly choppy. Yesterday evening, we hit a tree trunk, but there doesn’t appear to be any damage. Mind you, there’s just too much swell to see.”