Sailing in to trouble

Should we be alarmed that one of Andrew Pindar's two Volvo 60 boats has been seized by the Iranian authorities who say it strayed in to their territorial waters? The incident is a worry for British diplomats as it has occurred at a time of heightened international sensitivity after Iran announced an escalation of its nuclear enrichment programme.

The boat, The Kingdom of Bahrain, in Pindar's distinctive turquoise livery, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is only just over a week since Pindar launched its Sail Bahrain venture designed to promote sail racing in Bahrain in a programme similar to one developed in Oman.

The incident casts a shadow over several initiatives designed to raise the profile of sailing in the Middle East. It will re-enforce the view of Larry Ellison who had opposed a decision by America's Cup holder Alinghi to stage its forthcoming defence in the emirate, Ras al-Khaimah.

Ellison, who heads the BMW Oracle challenge for the 33rd America's Cup, had argued that the venue was too close to a dangerous region, a point that was upheld by a court in the US.

The UK's priority and that of Pindar, now, is to secure the release of the crew. If the boat, as seems the case, had been experiencing problems with its propeller, there would appear to be little justification for impounding either the boat or the crew. But as British diplomats know from bitter experience, nothing is straightforward when dealing with Iran.

Neither is this simply an issue between Britain and Iran. The fact that the boat is officially representing the Kingdom of Bahrain could complicate negotiations or possibly smooth them, depending on the standing of Bahraini/Iranian relations.

The things we take for granted

Brian Thompson has been writing on the Vendee Globe web site about the ordinary things in life that suddenly take on new meaning after a prolonged absence.

He says: "I am relishing the freedom to walk, to run, to go outside the 60 foot radius I was limited to. I am loving being with the family, and to see people and talk to them face to face rather than over a scratchy phone line. I am absolutely amazed to go to a shop and see a cornucopia of goodies that I was not able to have for so long; fresh milk - just go and pick it up, vegetables - take what I wish, chocolate - which flavour would I like? I am relishing listening to the radio, picking up a newspaper, going to the cinema, walking on grass, seeing the first daffodils appear. It’s all new and fresh to me.

"Do I miss those last few weeks and days of the race, being stressed and covered in hydraulic oil, coaxing Bahrain Team Pindar to the finish line to keep 5th place? Not really.

"Do I miss the Southern Ocean, the warm trade winds, the purity of the sea? Yes, I have been immensely privileged to see it once again, to live in that world for so long, to really understand we do live on a blue planet, wrapped by the sea. I am sure I will be back, hopefully in another Vendée, perhaps on another speed record attempt, and then one day cruising and showing the kids this wonderful world that we are entrusted with. I will never forget the finish of course, it was the most amazing experience, the most perfect morning to bring the circle to a close."

His comments brought back memories for me of a 43-day voyage across the southern ocean to New Zealand. His experience must have been far more acute because of the length of time at sea, the constant fight to stay in the race and the denial of normal social contact. As he points out, radio messages are not quite the same as meeting people in the flesh.

Such experiences lend a sharpness and clarity to the things that otherwise we might easily take for granted. This sharpness fades very quickly and so do the bad memories, which probably explains why so many sailors need to go back.

I remember that I adjusted so comfortably to life on board our boat that I was reluctant to step foot ashore. I enjoyed the cheering welcome but found the whole thing overwhelming. Most of my crew mates had family members to greet them but mine were on the other side of the world and I missed them.

The other thing I recall was a tremendous feeling of wellness. I had never felt better in my life. Whether it was because my body had been purged of alcohol and additives, or whether it was because the muscles had become toned by the constant movement, I have no idea.

Brian is a very grounded individual, a professional racing sailor who has spent hundreds of days at sea, so it's interesting to see that he too notices the differences of daily life. I wish these people who complain because of the colour of their steak or an inconvenient set of roadworks, would take time out occasionally to count their blessings. Sometimes when we go without for some time, it can helps us appreciate the things that really matter in life.

Brian Thompson, Earthwatch ambassador

One thing I forgot to mention in my Vendee Globe reports was the work undertaken by Brian Thompson as he was racing, making water temperature readings and reporting wildlife sightings for Earthwatch.

Earthwatch is an environmental charity that deals with science at the coal face where it's needed. Earthwatch scientists are not sitting in university offices but spend much of their time out in the field where hundreds of Earthwatch volunteers join them every year helping to collect data.

Who are Earthwatch volunteers? Well they are just like me and you, people who want to go out and do something. Some get the chance to go on expeditions through supporting employers such as HSBC. Others sign up for an Earthwatch study as an alternative to lazing on a beach during their vacation. Yes, you're paying to work and what a fantastic experience it is, learning about our world through dusty boots, not the sterile pages of a book.

I have written about their expeditions here and here. Don't confuse this with eco-tourism. At Earthwatch you're handling crunchy, robust science, discovering the stuff that makes a difference to our world.

As an Earthwatch ambassador, Thompson carried the charity's logo on his mast, a sponsorship slot donated by Bahrain Team Pindar. It's great that sporting competitors are joining forces with charities in this way. I'm a trustee of the charity and would be very happy to tell you more if you need it but don't expect an unbiased opinion. Earthwatch will change your view of the world. It changed mine.

French 1-2-3 as British trio back in port

The Vendee Globe rankings board now shows six finishers as Sam Davies, Marc Guillemot, Brian Thompson and Dee Caffari all came in to Les Sables d'Olonne in the past three days.

Davies was first among the group but had to relinquish third place to Guillemot, who pipped her by less than two hours with the time in hand he was granted for helping out Yann Elies earlier in the race. It was a great finish by both sailors but Guillemot deserved his place after pushing his boat without a keel during the run in.

Thompson was relieved to nurse Bahrain Team Pindar over the line after struggling with keel problems for the last part of the race. He looked, from photographs, as if he would be ready to sleep for a week.

Andrew Pindar, the Scarborough businessman who sponsors the team, had invited me to join him at the finish. But I had just gone for a couple of days to the River Tweed in the hope of a spring salmon. It was a shame as it would have been good to see the boats in.

It's easy to forget that this west to east solo circumnavigation was a first for all four finishers. For Dee Caffari, it means that she has the unique distinction of being the first woman to solo the world in both directions.

If that first solo circumnavigation brought Caffari recognition as an adventurer, her Vendee performance must establish her as a genuine racer, capable of handling and looking after a state-of-the-art racing yacht in the most extreme conditions. It's easy to forget that, in spite of her excellent sponsorship package with Aviva, she is relatively new to full-on ocean racing with less experience than Davies who learned her skills with the elite French squad.

Thompson too will have learned much, not least about the future potential of Bahrain Team Pindar for future solo round-the-world voyages. Is this powerful yacht too much of a beast for a single skipper? Certainly Davies was able to show it the way home on her much older, if well proven, yacht, Roxy (formerly two-times Vendee winner PRB).

When the last boats have finished the British sailors should get together and discuss their future prospects. For all the British achievements, it is French skippers who occupy the first three places and that will be no surprise to anyone in ocean racing.

If other nations, including the UK, are to groom sailors good enough to challenge the best French skippers in the Vendee, they will need to emulate the French squad system and engage in the Figaro series. While talented individuals such as Mike Golding and Ellen MacArthur have come close in the past, no other nation has succeeded yet in breaking the French strangle-hold on this event. It's no coincidence that Britain's highest placed skipper in this race, Sam Davies, came through the French system.

Vendee fight to the finish

While first and second places are settled in the Vendee Globe after Armel Le Cleac'h finished at the weekend, yet another dramatic change of fortune means that Sam Davies, the highest British entrant has a chance of snatching third place.

Her nearest rival Marc Guillemot on Safran has lost his keel, a similar failure to that suffered a week earlier by Roland Jourdain. With less than 1,000 miles to the finish, Guillemot is sailing on under three reefs. Although he is now in fourth place on the water he has a cushion of more than two days in redress after standing by while the injured Yann Elies was rescued in December.

That may be just enough to stay ahead of Davies on Roxy, but he cannot afford to take too many risks while Davies may be emboldened by the chance to effectively leapfrog two places as third place is to be shared jointly with Vincent Riou, already granted his position through redress. She and her shore crew will have been doing their sums. At present she is expected to finish later this week. Now she has everything to sail for.

Fifth place would be a marvellous result for Davies in a boat that is much older than the newer designs of those sailed by Brian Thompson and Dee Caffari in her wake. Third place would be remarkable. Meanwhile Caffari knows she has a fighting chance of overtaking Thompson's Bahrain Team Pindar which is unable to sail under full power due to problems with the hydraulic rams that operate its canting keel.

There is every chance now the only two women to have entered the race will be the highest placed British competitors - another shot in the arm for women's sailing in the UK.

Catching up with the Volvo Ocean Race

I'm flying to Singapore in a couple of days and wish I was looking forward to it. I hate long flights. I'm travelling there to catch up with Volvo Ocean Race and to sail with the crew of Puma.

In the last race I sailed on ABN AMRO during the in-port race out of Portsmouth. Spectators are allowed to stand at the stern of the boat. This time, as it's a training run, I'm hoping I will get more of a chance to look around the boat.

But I'm under no illusion that there will be a chance to pull on any ropes beyond a turn on the grinder, perhaps. It takes some time to get used to the workings of a powerful boat like this. While principles are the same as those on a cruising yacht it's like stepping out of your saloon car and in to a racing car. There's a steering wheel and pedals but don't expect anything else to be familiar.

I went on the grinder to hoist the mainsail on Bahrain Team Pindar and even with two of us it took forever. I think about that when I read about the Vendee skippers putting reefs in their mainsails. Still, it keeps them fit.

I'm disappointed to be missing the London Boat Show at ExCel although I always find these shows overwhelming. The best bit about them is the opportunity to meet people. Looking at the dates (9th to the 18th of January) I might get to the end of it. One good thing about the Singapore trip is that it will give me new leads and new ideas. I just wish it wasn't so far away.

Looking after Chuck

As the leading Vendee Globe skippers bear down on Cape Horn in preparation for the long haul northwards, Jean-Pierre Dick on Paprec-Virbac II is heading northwards in to calmer waters after damage to his second rudder ended his race.

Just half of the starting boats are left in the race and many of those have problems that are hampering their progress. I understand the mainsails on Jonny Malbon and Dee Caffari's yachts are deteriorating rapidly while Steve White has been struggling to repair his gooseneck - the bit that attaches the boom to the mast.

In spite of electrical problems, Brian Thompson on Bahrain Team Pindar has improved his speed over the past two or three days but Sam Davies has found herself in a pocket of slack winds. Davies has been one of the stars of this race, always upbeat and cheerful, always looking at the glass-half full. I'm sure that this attitude, added to her strong engineering skills, is helping her maintain consistency in a race where the "hares" keep falling by the wayside.

A few weeks ago there were a dozen yachts in front of her. Now there are five, all top class French racers. I don't expect Sam to have the raw speed to overtake them, but if she can keep her boat together, and one or two of the others in front have problems, a podium finish is not beyond her.

In her latest log she writes: "I used to be a "bow chick" (numero 1) on fully crewed boats, so I'm used to the tough jobs up forward whilst speeding along. But the difference now is that there is no back-up behind me, and I am no longer trusting a skilled helmsman not to "wipeout", "chinese gybe" or "stuff it" on each wave. I just have Chuck (the nickname she gives to her autopilot).

She also includes some new year's resolutions:

* Sail around the world.
* Take a photo of Cape Horn.
* Stop eating the Nutella out of the pot with my fingers.
* Do not fall asleep with the motor on charging the batteries.
* Sponge the bilges every day.
* Brush hair more than once a week.
* Eat more BUT eat less chocolate.
* Cancel the above resolution as it is impossible.
* Catch up some miles on the leaders.
* Be nice to Chuck, the autopilot.
* Take no risks.

The first one and last one are probably the most important reminders for anyone seeking to complete a round-the-world race. It's not bad advice for the potential winners, either.


During this mid section of the race I have been impressed with the way that Roland Jourdain has hung on to Michel Desjoyeaux. Every time that Desjoyeaux has looked like breaking away Jourdain has raised his game so that he remains just a few hours behind.

Roxy rocking along

Sam Davies must be cock-a-hoop that she has moved in to 11th position in the Vendee Globe, overtaking both Bernard Stamm, now in the Kerguelen Islands, and Brian Thompson.

Davies has a proven ocean racer in Roxy - a former Vendee-winning yacht - but its design has been overtaken by the newer, faster designs, including Bahrain Team Pinder. The Pindar yacht is powerful but it seems that Thompson has been finding some limitations in performance although it isn't clear from his reports what these may be.

Stamm has steering problems that have forced him to join Dominique Wavre in the Kerguelens. Thompson, meanwhile, seems to have lost out, opting for a route to the north of the Islands, the only boat to have done so, so far, although others following.

At the front of the fleet Jean-Pierre Dick has made the biggest break in the race so far, pulling more than 70 miles ahead of his nearest competitor, Mike Golding. Golding and the others must stay with Dick if they are to maintain their place in the same weather system. The boats are steadily becoming less packed than they were, as would be expected. It's extraordinary that they remained so tightly packed for so long.

A flavour of life on deck

Mike Golding's choice of a more southerly routing in the Vendee Globe - a bold move given that Sebastien Josse has retaken the lead on a northerly track - looks to be paying dividends, nevertheless, with an 18 kt average, better than his closest rivals, during the last session.

Golding is within 25 miles of the lead with five boats bunched inside this narrow gap. The Southern Ocean has provided relatively benign and near perfect sailing conditions in the past two or three days, but the ability of these skippers to maintain pressure on each other seems relentless.

Golding summed this up a couple of days ago in a short report: "Everyone is looking to do a breakaway. Sébastien Josse (BT) in the north might have a bit of leverage there, but everyone is looking for a bit of leverage to get themselves away. It is hard to imagine going around the world and not seeing someone split away. You may see the boats group up more and I am surprised that the entire spread of the fleet is quite so small back to back - whether this will continue or not remains to be seen."

He paid tribute to the skippers doing their best to stay in contention further back: "Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pinda) is still very clearly in play. You look at the split in the British competitors and it is not very big. Dee Caffari (Aviva) is currently less distance from the front than I was in the last Vendée Globe and I went on to lead up the Atlantic. However, the person who is sailing quite extraordinarily well is Steve White (Toe in the Water). He is doing well with the boat and has surprised a lot of people."

Golding is the only British skipper so far to be disrupting the all-French party at the front of the fleet. There has been little evidence in the last week to suggest that pattern may be altered. One of the fastest skippers further back has been Bernard Stamm who has moved in to 14th place between Thompson and Sam Davies on Roxy (15th).

Stamm has moved much further south than Golding and it will be fascinating to see whether his gamble pays off. It is the kind of move that can make a big difference, either way, in a skippers fortunes. The leading skippers have been unwilling to take such big risks but those further back have little to lose and everything to gain.

The ranking information and tracker boards can provide us with so much sophisticated information these days that the armchair race followers have almost as much information as the competitors.

But what the boards can't show you is just what it's like out there for the sailors. A coloured arrow for 25 kts of wind cannot describe the numbing wind on your face, the puffiness of sodden fingers or the cloying dampness next to your skin. Sam Davies gave some flavour of life on deck in an email where she was outlining the difficulties of making sail changes at night:

"I never cease to be overawed by these midnight manoeuvres, in a lot of wind, pitch black, up on the bow as Roxy hoons along. You get the feeling of immense solitude, coupled with the power of the boat and the wild waves. Everything is monochrome and the black silhouette of the mast and sails tower over me.

"Sometimes, when I am on the bow, and Roxy takes off on a surf, the bow is way out of the water and I almost feel like I'm flying. The down-side is that, quite frequently the surf ends with a nice wave over the deck, and that is cold! But before you say it, don't worry, when I am on deck I am always clipped on with my super Spinlock deck harness, so I don't take any risks."

Never mind what she says about being clipped on. Standing on the bow of a bucking boat in a 30 knot wind and a confused sea on your own at night, hundreds of miles from land, takes a rare inner strength. There is no-one to see you perform your heroics and you cannot expect sympathy since it's entirely your choice to be there. But you deserve admiration in bucket loads and you might attract a little envy too from those who understand that engaging with the elements at their rawest is living indeed.

Following pack fall behind

The following pack in the Vendee Globe now find themselves in a different weather system from the leaders. This one has lighter airs, meaning that it becomes ever more difficult to catch up. But there may be a little reordering in this group during the next day or two as both Bernard Stamm and Sam Davies are closing in on Brian Thompson.

Thompson seems to be struggling to get the best out of Bahrain Team Pindar which, in terms of its righting motion, is one of the most powerful boats in the fleet.

The followers, however, have the benefit of reading the strategies of those ahead and they would do well to recognise the advantage won by Jean-Pierre Dick in taking the most southerly route and stretching his lead to nearly 40 miles. Meanwhile Michel Desjoyeaux has picked off yet another of the leaders, moving to sixth place.

World title for Williams in Malaysia

Ian Williams, sponsored by Bahrain Team Pindar, won his second consecutive ISAF World Match Racing title today, at the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, the final event of the 2008 World Match Racing Tour.

He beat one of his closest rivals Mathieu Richard, of Team French Spirit, in the quarter final stages, then secured the title when Sebastian Col, French Team K Challenge, nearest to Williams on points, lost to former World Match Racing Champion Peter Gilmour, of PST.

Williams and his crew of Gerry Mitchell, Mark Nicholls, Simon Shaw and Richard Sydenham, knew the had to sail out of their skins to win as the three leading crews were closely matched on points. Sailing aggressively from the start today, they won three straight matches against Richard, ending the Frenchman's championship hopes.

Williams, who was reigning champion going in to the Cup match, said: "We are absolutely thrilled. It was quite a strange way to win as we were out on the water when the Col/Gilmour match was decided. It all came together today, the crew were amazing and we really sailed like champions – I don’t think we have ever beaten Richard 3–0 before."

"We will be giving it our all tomorrow to reach the final of the Monsoon Cup and hope to make it a double celebration."

Williams needs one more race win to guarantee his place in the final of the Monsoon Cup, where he would then face either Peter Gilmour in a repeat of the 2007 final, or Torvar Mirsky of Mirsky Racing Team.

Now in its fourth year, the cup is contested by some of the best match racing sailors in the world. Twelve crews were competing on identical Foundation 36 Yachts for a share of $295,000 prize money. The entries this year included Britain’s three times Olympic Gold medallist and ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year, Ben Ainslie, of Team Origin. Ainslie, who could only compete in a few of the match racing events this year, due to his Olympic commitments, is to contest the whole of the championship next year.

I hope the BBC has made a note of Williams' success. The UK doesn't have too many world champions and he deserves to be among those recognised during the annual Sports Personality of the Year evening on December 14.

Golding in the groove

Mike Golding appears to be sailing "in the groove" on Ecover III just now, breaking French dominance in the top 10 and shifting in to sixth place, his highest position since the start of the Vendee.

As the race goes in to its third week, it is still relatively tight with less than a hundred miles between the first and ninth boats.

The need for continuous checking and maintenance was underlined today when Jeremie Beyou was forced to head off towards Brazil for an unassisted pit stop in order to fix some damaged spreaders.

The top half of the order is divided in to two distinct packs now, with the top nine moving a hundred miles clear of Wavre, Guillemot, Thompson and Davies. If Golding can maintain his consistent 12+ knots progress he will soon be up among the leading boats within 50 miles of pace setter Loick Peyron.

If the race has demonstrated anything so far, it is the excellence of the single-handed French Figaro racing where the leading sailors have all cut their competitive teeth. The message for other nationalities has to be, either get in to Figaro racing, start a similar series elsewhere, or get used to the best French sailors setting the pace.

Of course fortunes will change as boats begin to suffer damage. Few, if any, of these competitors can expect to achieve a problem free rounding. The winner will be the one who can race consistently fast while keeping problems to a minimum.

Both Golding and Thompson among the British sailors have the quality to threaten although Thompson has been struggling with a sail repair. Sam Davies is sailing well too but her less powerful boat was always going to lack the speed of the leaders.

If Golding can keep his boat together - and that's a big if that applies to all the skippers - he could get in to contention for the latter half of the race. If Brian Thompson can keep his sails together and begin to exploit Bahrain Team Pindar's power advantage, he too could soon see himself in the top 10 but he must start to make an impression on the leaders soon. The reality is today he is 224 miles behind the leading boat after closing the gap to just over 180 miles last week.

Even more disappointing is the performance of Jonny Malbon on Artemis. This is a well funded boat, purpose built for the race, yet he has fallen 610 miles behind the leader in 20th place, trailing behind Steve White who had to scratch around for funding in a relatively old boat.

Much of the fleet must have passed Pete Goss in his Cornish Lugger on the Equator yesterday although Goss makes no mention in his blog.


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On shore woes

It's not looking good for Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss. Could this be this year's Vendee's first retirement?

Meanwhile it's sporting of Bahrain Team Pindar to be helping Derek Hatfield. You wouldn't see that in the Ferrari pit for Lewis Hamilton.