OT: The Great Race

Britain's Dee Caffari on the racing yacht Aviva gestures to supporters after her 99 days at sea. Photo by Olivier Blanchet

Congratulations to Dee Caffari of the United Kingdom, whose sixth-place finish in the Vendée Globe 'round-the-world sailing race made her the first woman ever to successfully sail solo and nonstop around the world in both directions. She accomplished the feat only 18 months after taking up sailing in Open 60s...which is like placing sixth at the 24 hours of Le Mans 18 months after getting your driver's license.

Her countrywoman Samantha Davies finished fourth, another splendid accomplishment. Arnaud Boissières placed seventh, Brian Thompson fifth, and Armel Le Cléac´h second.

Michel Desjoyeaux and Foncia triumphantly approach the finish line at Les Sables-d'Olonne, France, in the Bay of Biscay. Photo by Jacques Vapillon

The race was won this year by Michel Desjoyeaux of France in the yacht Foncia in an official time of 84 days, 3 hours, 9 minues, 8 seconds.

Skipper Marc Guillemot of the Safran, the third-place finisher. An Open 60 is a glorified surfboard, designed for sledding down 80-foot waves in the Southern Ocean. Photo by Jean Marie Liot

The Vendée Globe (which, like the Olympics, takes place once every four years) is one of the world's most arduous and hazardous sporting events. The rules are simple: you must sail around the would, alone, without aid or pause.

Of the thirty skippers who started the race, seven have finished, four are at sea (including Rich Wilson and Great American III, the only American entry), eighteen have retired, and one, defending champion Vincent Riou, is at Puerto Williams having been dismasted in a successful attempt to go to the aid of a fellow sailer in distress, Jean le Cam. (At the tip of Cape Horn, in Tierra del Fuego, Puerto Williams is the southernmost town in the world.) Under the rules of international sailing, Riou has been given redress, which means he will be able to continue the race when his boat is repaired. Redress is given when a racer has to change course to attempt a search or rescue.

Jean Le Cam's VM Matériaux capsized off Cape Horn, January 7th. Photo courtesy of the Chilean Navy

Rich Wilson on Riou's coming to the aid of Le Cam: "Huge relief at hearing the news of Jean Le Cam's rescue. The whole episode was 200 miles east of where we capsized in 1990, so that brought back many scary memories, of the dark, the cold, the water, inside the boat. I think that Jean Le Cam showed incredible courage, courage beyond description, to depart the bow compartment. Think of it, he must have had to go down into the cold water, the survival suit wanting to buoy him upward, against the deck, sails in the water, or ropes or stays, could trap him, or tangle him, or hook onto him, he would have had to go down deeper to get past the lifelines and outside the perimeter of the boat to then get back to the stern to hopefully climb on the bottom and hold onto a rudder. He really had no idea what he would find then. He had heard Vincent, but...stunning courage, no words to describe...and Vincent, to make 3 passes and on the fourth push it so close to save his friend that he damages his own boat, deck spreader against the keelfin, to do anything for a friend, what skill, what courage he showed himself. Speechless here...."

An Open 60 in ideal conditions can reach speeds of around 40 knots, about the speed of an average small speedboat of the type used for waterskiing (albeit a considerably hairier ride!).

More race photos here.

Mike

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Comments

[MBS]

“…like placing sixth at the 24 hours of Le Mans 18 months after getting your driver's license.”

Not sure if you intended it, but that sounds to me as if you are implying the Ms Caffari had never sailed until 18 months prior to this 6th place finish. Not quit true. In 2005 or 6 she sailed solo around the world (it took her 6 months) and became the first women to ever sail alone around the world against the prevailing currents and winds (which is why she is now the first women to ever sail around the world in both directions). This was only four months after she captained a crew in the 2004/5 Global Challenge Race, a race that lasts 10 months. She was the only female skipper among the contestants. She started training for that race after watching the finish of the 2000/1 Global Challenge Race. Before that, as far as I know, she had never sailed competitively, certainly not in any of these endurance races.

None of this is said to diminish what she accomplished. What she has done is remarkable (see how many people are remarking upon it…). Apparently she has a habit of watching something, saying, “Hey. I want to do that,” and in an absurdly short period of time, doing it.

[John A. Stovall]

I used to mess around with sail boats and this brought back memories of the 1969 Golden Globe race with Bernard Moitessier 1 and 1/2 times around the world, Robin Knox-Johnson's win and the mysterious death of Donald Crowhurst.

[Steve Selinger]

Likes sailboats too, no wonder I enjoy your site so much.

[Bryan Willman]

Having actually driven the 24hrs of LeMans, twice (and not finishing it either time), and knowing how exhausting, and isolating that 24hr race is, an 80+ day race without any crew or co-sailor support is indeed a feat.

In fact, these are among the very few people on earth crazier than I am...

[Bron Janulis]

What, no Passe Partout?

Oh, my.

Bron

[bob wong]

Thrilling sport, brave contestants and inspiring rescue.

But, I can't help thinking... What bozo designs a boat for these conditions, that is not self righting.

[Mike Johnston]

Bob,
They're very strongly self-righting--in fact they have to pass rollover tests--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIplsOf_DBQ&feature=PlayList&p=D6661DC53CC2D898&playnext=1&index=5

...But not without their keel weights!! Look at the capsized boat picture carefully--no keel bulb.

Mike

[Dave Kee]

Open 60 racing, like digital photography, a hobby for the super rich.

[Mike Johnston]

Dave,
Not really, because not many of the skippers pay their own way. They go out and drum up sponsors (it helps if someone in power at the companies is enthusiastic about ocean racing), the sponsors pay the bills (and slather their advertisements all over the boats--sometimes they name the boats after their companies). The race gets more popular (in France, at least), and the sponsors get advertising value from it. It's not like a lot of skippers are rich guys (and women) out for a lark and buying their own boats and paying their own expenses. Although there are exceptions--I believe Larry Ellison of Oracle and Rupert Murdoch's son are ocean racers, although I heard the latter swore off it when his boat got pounded nearly to bits in a storm and he came within a skinny sliver of becoming an ex-rich-guy.

Whether ocean racing is a responsible use of corporate funds is something you'd have to take up with the sponsors.

Mike

P.S. I'm really only an occasional fan of this sport (like I'm a horse racing fan on Derby Day and a baseball fan for the Championship games and the Series), so don't impart too much weight to my slender knowledge!

[Gordon]

They believe the boat hit a container that was floating just below the surface and it took the keel bulb clean off. Hitting these shipping containers which occasionally fall overboard and large whales pose the biggest danger to these racing boats.