Solo Round Britain and Ireland Record
Saturday, August 12, 2006 -
Image August 10, 2006
Solo Round Britain and Ireland Record
Sodeb’O: 84 mile lead at midway mark
Cartography, weather, onboard videos, eye witness accounts from the skipper www.sodebo-voile.com
Press downloads click here
The skipper describes the rather unsavoury conditions Sodeb’O was sailing in this morning. 3 miles from the rocky outcrop of Saint Kilda, to the North-West of Scotland, the trimaran had slowed, trapped since midnight in a windless zone that was invisible on the charts. In three days and three nights, the skippers has covered 950 miles since the Isle of Wight, that is over half the course (reference total distance: 1787 miles), at an average speed of 13.2 knots. Sodeb’O currently has a lead of 84 miles over the reference time of the French monohull Adrien.
Last night the trimaran’s speed dropped by between 3 and 6 knots. Twelve hours on, it still hadn’t passed the little island of Saint Kilda. The supposed 20 knot N’ly wind had vanished for no apparent reason. Frustrating when you’re up against the clock; especially near the coast where the land is often shrouded in mist and the pervading grey doesn’t exactly inspire you to linger. It’s hard on the nerves too when you’ve been going into the wind for the past 70 hours with big waves sweeping over the deck. Despite all that, Thomas speaks animatedly of this hostile region that has seldom, if ever seen the single-handed sailor pass by in a multihull.
RADIO ALERT
To listen to and download the interview click below:
>> Thomas Coville: “I’ve only slept for 2 hours over the past three nights. I am currently off Saint Kilda to the North-West of Scotland. I’m keeping my spirits up as it’s a legendary place that I’ve dreamt of coming to since my childhood." Length 2’08
>> Thomas Coville: "The boat is responding well in the difficult conditions and the more miles we get under our belt the better I become at anticipating the critical situations. It’s very satisfying." Length 1'06
Interview free of rights to the press by simple request (broadcast by RNIS line, telephone or email).
Contact Windreport’ on +33(0)2 40 84 30 00 or radio-sodebo@windreport.com
Being alone in this zone: “I dreamt of coming here. The Rockall plateau is a childhood memory of listening to the shipping forecasts announcing crazy winds. The Hebrides is another place like that; battered by storms for centuries. Sailing near these places and reading their names on the chart is something else.”
Skimming along the coast: “Saint Kilda is a big piece of rock that looks like it’s appeared from nowhere. To describe it to you, there are some very big black squalls passing over me with showers. The islands disappear and reappear with each shower, and with the drift, the current and the swell, I close in or distance myself from them. It’s like yo-yoing between ghosts that are constantly moving around. Not a place to run aground…”
Gaining confidence in your boat: “I’ve regained my trust in Sodeb’O after the reconstruction, but after what happened to myself and Jacques (Vincent, see the Transat Jacques Vabre) I’ll never have the same certainty as I did before. It is nonetheless very enjoyable to sail in these difficult conditions and know that I have a boat that is safe and responds well.”
Gaining confidence in yourself: “By dint of going through the basics and racking up the miles, I sense a kind of personal satisfaction in that I never feel out of control in a situation, which could be critical. On a 60 footer, on a multihull, single-handed, the reaction time necessary in relation to the speed, movement and brutality of events, implies that you practically have the instincts to respond immediately. It’s good to be at this level, even it requires a lot of work. I’ve always believed in talent but I believe above all in hard work.”
Straight ahead, the archipelago of Shetland, the most N’ly passage point for Sodeb’O. Situated 640 kilometres South of the Arctic Circle, these islands are at the same latitude as Saint Petersburg or Anchorage in Alaska. They are also one of the main bird sanctuaries in the North Atlantic with a population in excess of a million. Thomas is set to reach them on Saturday morning and will then begin his descent along the West coast of Scotland. He has 750 miles to go to loop the loop. The finish is shaping up to be between Sunday evening and Monday morning.
Solo records held by Sodeb’O
> Discovery Route from Cadiz-San Salvador (July 2005) in 10d 11h 5’46’’ with an average speed of 15.41 knots
> Miami-New York (July 2005) in 3d 5h12’’ at an average speed of 12.3 knots
>Channel Crossing from Cowes-Dinard (July 2006) in 7h 55’47’’ |
