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Vendee report 11-6 (am)
La Merde!! The start has been postponed again to Thursday! This means I will have to miss it. This is of course a big disappointment for me, but it is a good decision. It is WAY nasty outside. Even the fishing boats who know the harbor well cannot go out.
Check out the attached pic of the harbor entrance. The walls of the breakwater are a good 20 feet high so you can see how big the crashing waves are. No psycho windsurfers today!
Skipper focus of the morning: Josh Hall, EPB/Gartmore, British. Josh is another one to watch. A handsome and easygoing gent, it is quite inspirational that he is still going at this after what he has been through. In the 94/95 BOC, he hit a submerged object and began to sink. He managed to stay afloat until he was picked up by Aussie hero Alan Nebauer. Then in 98/99 he lost his rig in the Southern Ocean in Leg 3. But he is back, and his boat is the lightest in the fleet. Look for him to do well through the doldrums which may give him a tactical jump. But I’m sure it will be great for Josh and his fans to just make unscathed.
Actually, in this race my feeling is that is the priority for everyone! Especially when they look out to the sea here today.
I met another one of the favorites today, Michel Desjoyeaux. He talked openly about his very progressive boat PRB. His rig is lighter than I thought, but not as light as ours will be….hee hee. Honestly, PRB is very impressive. Michel is definitely one of the big favorites.
Damn, I’m bummed about this weather! But C’est La Vie!
Later,
Bruce