“This is paradise! I have 10 knots of wind, I sail across the wind, under Code 0, great sun, it’s good, 15°C: it’s great and it feels good!" The skipper Fives Group – Lantana Environnement has just entered the Pacific Ocean in very good conditions and, above all, he has just broken a nice speed record that allowed him to get back on his closest competitors. Right at the halfway point of its Vendée Globe, the match is relaunched at the head of the fleet of Imoca dinghies!
In just over 24 hours, the skipper of Fives Group – Lantana Environnement took back about 350 miles from Benjamin Ferré, 250 from Tanguy and 150 from Sébastien Marsset: “I find myself in the same situation as before my helm damage.”
I craved
“Yesterday and the day before was a crazy thing! It went better than expected! I worked hard to stay ahead of the front. I had to go faster than my routes, these are angles where the boat is fast: I managed to keep pace. The vessel was sailing between 19 and 21 knots on average at all times. I had never seen him like that, not for 24 hours in a row anyway! It’s a crazy thing. It’s really great!”
Record breaking!
“Over 4 hours I was at 21, 3 knots, which is not bad! (When Louis says «not bad» it’s that it’s really very good! ;-))
I even broke the single-handed record for this generation of boats in 24 hours: at Imoca, that record dates back to the 2008 Vendée Globe when Jean-Pierre Dick had made 450 miles in 24 hours. Between 2 points I was recorded at 469 miles. And, if we drag this one-hour score I made 472 miles (on the slot taken into account by the organization, Louis maneuvered what had slowed down the boat a little).
The boat is moving fast! And it was on the edge of my rudder bar repair so that’s validated! That’s not bad!” (…you now have the translation), smiles the Normand again, who has been rewarded for his years of work on his boat.
A very nice shot
At 11 am this Sunday, there are only 56 miles between the 2nd Imoca (Monnoyeur - Duo for a job) and Louis 4th: the match is restarted, their beautiful fight continues!
“Tanguy The Turk did a good thing when he left north: he was already high and a little ahead, he seized a great opportunity. I don’t know if it’s gonna work?
Benjamin Ferré has found himself stuck in the bubble, he has no choice but to go straight, and he may be able to escape. And we, with Sébastien Marsset, have no choice but to continue south to go around the ridge along the exclusion zone, and try to touch up the wind a little lower...”
As always in anticyclonic situations, the forecasts are uncertain but one thing is certain: Louis has managed a very nice shot!
2 soft and uncertain days on the horizon
The beautiful conditions of this Sunday morning (evening for him) will not however last. “The wind will fall and it will be long and complicated enough to find an exit. Everyone will stop at their own level. It’s very uncertain, sir. Normally, we have a chance of having a little bit of wind in the south, but it’s going to be low.”
Who says no wind, says DIY
The Norman will take advantage of these announced calm to repair what must be. The long hours of calm will be busy.
“I will reinstall my Fractional 0, the sail before I repaired. It is unrolled in the boat, the little time will allow me to send it back and roll it cleanly.
Code 0 needs minor repairs too, I’ll take it down.
I’m gonna drain the water that’s seeped all over the boat. Do some tidying, cleaning. I may also lose my mainsail again this time, changing the hook that is blocked again.”
Living in UTC at the antipodes
Beyond the weather puzzle that is coming, Louis is struggling with another dilemma: «For us it’s evening, you it’s 8 am: so I try to make one in between since we must continue to live on UTC time. The day rises at 11:00 UTC. I’m completely out of touch. I sleep for the first half of the night, the other one I sleep… But I get to rest well and eat when I’m hungry!”
Competitors and friends
Ocean racing is really a sport apart: they are competitors, friends, solidarity. They work H24 to fight, while exchanging jokes. They share an extraordinary adventure that is undoubtedly building strong ties, for life, between them. “With Guirec we exchange a lot. As soon as I get closer to Benjamin, he sends me a little note! I sent a note to Kojiro to thank him for his excellent rice. There are some nice exchanges between us…”
A hot shower in the 50th
This entry into the Pacific Ocean and this half-round-the-world trip is therefore an opportunity for a strategic, technical and… human reset!
“This morning I took a super hot shower, heated with Jetboil, a good shampoo and soap: I was happy! New set of clothes and I'm as clean as can be!"
A respectuous and circular sporting event
The Fives IMOCA is an "upcycled" boat. Thanks to Louis, it lives a 2nd life!
Louis and his team gave a new life to a very damaged IMOCA because of a fire. This refurbishment undertaking was a real technical challenge... that succeeded in only 10 months!
Louis and his team continue to apply this upcycling principle and optimization research with a constant effort on sobriety throughout this Vendée Globe program.
Louis is also very keen on respecting everyone's work and giving a chance.
The Fives Group, a major partner in this Vendée Globe program, has been seduced by such commitment and values, as it shares the same values and responsibilities.
Fives, your partner for a more virtuous industry
For over 200 years, the Group has designed the breakthrough solutions and technologies that make industry what it is. From the first railways to the Eiffel Tower, through the spatial conquest, Fives always spearheaded the industry of the future. Pioneering decarbonization, the Group is an unconditional partner of the industry's energy transition. Through digitization, the promotion of a circular economy and the development of new processes and new energy sources, Fives puts its technological leadership to its customers' service.
www.fivesgroup.com