The Imoca fleet has prepared and organised itself overnight for the approaching storm Thêta. While "Boss" Alex Thomson led the field on Friday morning at 9am German time with a lead of more than 30 nautical miles over "Oldie but Goldie" Jean Le Cam on "Yes We Cam", the sad reverser Jérémie Beyou is getting closer to the start and finish harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne and is expected there on Saturday. The current worlds of the two top favourites for the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe could hardly be more different. Thomson is where he always wanted to be - Beyou, on the other hand, will soon be where he didn't want to be until January. Boris Herrmann has worked his way up to 13th place overnight with strong speed. Pictures from the morning make it look as if the front runners are sailing straight into the eye of the storm. But Thêta is slowly moving eastwards, while the fastest Imocas are trying to pass the low to the west.
Boris Herrmann talks about his current work on board at 4 a.m. on Friday morning
Boris Herrmann reports on how he experienced the early hours of the morning
Sail trimming at time-lapse speed
Recent pictures from on board show how dynamically the "Seaexplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco" skipper thundered through the night, first under the stars and later under clouds. Boris Herrmann himself reports in a short series of clips from 4 a.m.: "I tried to make the boat fast overnight. I set a speed target of 18 knots for my autopilot. Why not higher? Because I want to sail as far east as possible. The autopilot will drop out if we get above 18 knots. Below 18 knots it goes up."
Herrmann sent another video at 5 o'clock in the morning, because an alarm signal had shooed him out of bed. "It was an alarm in case the tilt angle of the boat became too great. The wind is picking up and water is coming on deck. So it's time to switch to the jib top. But I'll try to get some more sleep before then." Finally, in the third clip, Herrmann can be seen trimming the sails at time-lapse speed.
This message from "Banque Populaire" skipper Clarisse Crémer, which reached headquarters early Friday morning, illustrates the extent to which the threat posed by Deep Thêta is preoccupying the fleet:
Hello,
You will conjugate together with me:
I walk around
You walk around
He/she walks around
I'm afraid what I'm really saying is that I'm a bit freaked out by the approaching low and have been contemplating what strategy to follow for some time now. I haven't had any serious damage yet. Of course, I've had my share of little dramas, annoying and energy sapping things (especially at the stress level of a debutante), but I feel like every strong gust of wind is jeopardising the health of my boat.
As I write this, the port side hydrogenerator has ripped out of its mount. This isn't a big deal because I have a second one and plenty of diesel, but it means more stress and came just at the end of a short series of short sleep sessions that have made me feel better. In the big picture, I just want to take care of my boat and my nerves and try to slow the boat down a bit and move west. I'm ready to spend some more time on the Atlantic, as long as Thêta leaves me alone....
If you have my competitive spirit, it's a strange feeling to steer a course that goes against your intuition. I'm tempted to jibe west, but writing here has saved me a bit from too much west. Anyway, I can't sleep now. My hydrogenerator is getting on my nerves.
Experienced routing friends and meteorologists: You can read between the lines of this message why you should be lenient with my route choices. At the top of my list of priorities right now is: 'Don't get f++ked'.
A kiss and good night
Clarisse
Here go to the Vendée Globe tracker.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
