For those not following the Vendee Globe this video of Hugo Boss is worth a look! I would have preferred to see a lifeline used!
Select to expand quoteRamona said..
For those not following the Vendee Globe this video of Hugo Boss is worth a look! I would have preferred to see a lifeline used!
I remember an interview with one of the maxi skippers a few years ago who almost went overboard in the Syd-Hobart. He said wearing a life jacket is a good idea, but a tether would be a death sentence, the boats are simply going too fast
The tether should go to a position high on the chest. Of course the tether should preferably not be long enough so the sailor actually goes in the water.
In a comment below someone reckons he actually has one but I can not see it.
I think Ramona there was an element of showboating going on, the fact that there was an enormous great frigate and it's chopper on his beam might have had something to do with it. 
Alex certainly is the showman. I can't get over the heel angle! Shows how much of a difference the foil makes. (His foil on the stbd side is snapped off)
Yeah, the boat looks over powered.
Maybe its the right thing to do on these type of boats but not a standard yacht.
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
I think Ramona there was an element of showboating going on, the fact that there was an enormous great frigate and it's chopper on his beam might have had something to do with it.
Alex certainly is the showman. I can't get over the heel angle! Shows how much of a difference the foil makes. (His foil on the stbd side is snapped off)
yeah i thought he may have been looking for lost easter eggs in the boom bag 
Didn't the chinese solo death on the tri show the tether snapped at the stern of the boat.
This is a slightly longer vid of what Ramona has linked (3 minute) showing both Armel Le Cleach on BP, and Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss battling it out neck and neck for first and second place in the VG.
They're both in the same patch of ocean, (I think only 10 miles apart at the time) , both foilers, and yet the attitude and trim of of the boats is markedly different, partly to do with Alex's broken foil.
Match racing, round the world, solo, non stop. Utterly mad.
Magnificent footage These blokes are out doing it , their not sitting on a pontoon watching TV ,I've got 6 ocean crossing as a solo sailor, (never at that speed ) and like most single handler's accepted the fact if l ever go over the side l'm dead If Alex had a "safety line " connected high on his chest or around his ankle is totally academic the boat was hitting 28 Kn with a water temp of maybe 4 or 5 deg .if you go over the side in those condition's one of two thing's will happen , your going to get torn to bit's or die from hypothermia the moral is do not fall off your boat ! Go BOSS
there was a helicopter close by ,surely they would pick him up .
What a stunt that would be falling off getting rescued ,dropped back on board whilst sailing at 20 kts
Guess he would get disqualified with outside assistance.
Take my hat off to those guys sailing at those speeds day in day i for 3 months has to be the ultimate sport .
This is an earlier video from Sebastian Josse who is currently running third.
That is some autopilot. I'd shudder to think what an uncontrolled gybe would be like at those speeds.
You can see the boat speed at 0:30.
A bit of an article here that describes the different kinds of foils used. Amazing, all up weight for Hugo Boss for the race is 8 tonnes including sails, food, spares.
www.yachtingworld.com/features/why-do-the-new-vendee-globe-imoca-60-yachts-have-foils-100185
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
This is an earlier video from Sebastian Josse who is currently running third.
That is some autopilot. I'd shudder to think what an uncontrolled gybe would be like at those speeds.
You can see the boat speed at 0:30.
That video give some idea of the noise inside these machines. I believe it's actually a lot noisier and it must he hard to rest!
I can't help but notice one common denominator between all the skippers.
They're all grinning like idiots.
Must be their idea of fun!
Jean Pierre Dick.
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
I can't help but notice one common denominator between all the skippers.
They're all grinning like idiots.
Must be their idea of fun!
Jean Pierre Dick.
They are treated like rock stars, especially the French. Spending other peoples money. Know they have a rosy future in the sport. We would all be grinning like idiots!
Select to expand quoteRamona said..shaggybaxter said..
I can't help but notice one common denominator between all the skippers.
They're all grinning like idiots.
Must be their idea of fun!
Jean Pierre Dick.
They are treated like rock stars, especially the French. Spending other peoples money. Know they have a rosy future in the sport. We would all be grinning like idiots!
I don't think Jean Pierre Dick was grinning when he sailed 2hrs into the ice exclusion zone and then had to backtrack out, blowing 8hrs.
it's interesting to see the impact of media has as well, I've been enjoying watching Sébastien DESTREMAU videos and now hope he does well, where as Mr Rich Wilson does not have the greatest camera presence and I'm not fussed.
it would be a shame to see this popularity affect sponsorship and detract from the sailors ability to actually sail..
In the mean time go seb!
Select to expand quoteFreeRadical said..
Here's the new Beneteau Oceanis 30
It's a prototype for the Figaro Class, built by Beneteau.
Oceanis are their cruising range found in charter fleets. Foils for some charter clients would be a bad idea. 
Heh! I was having a bad day till I watched this.
Conrad had a fire on board which shorted out his autopilot. The resulting crash gybe destroyed his gennaker which is THE sail for the southern ocean. This is him trying to furl the gennaker to get the boat back on it's feet, then get the keel over, then restack everything onto the other side. Wow.
Everything in perspective.
Thanks Don,
Fascinating. I am trying to work out where Southace would cook his roast!
Sbastien Josse has retired from the race. Looks like he's headed to Perth?
https://www.facebook.com/GitanaVendeeGlobe2016/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf
www.gitana-team.com/en/a-1250/retirement-of-sebastien-josse-and-the-mono60-edmond-de-rothschild
Select to expand quoteDonk107 said..
A really interesting explanation on sailing one of these boats
Regards Don
Excellent video thanks Don. Lots of interesting stuff there. I like the jammer control line set up.
Apparently there have been other foils broken off in the last couple of days as these boats charge across the ocean at speed and I think the whales in the Southern ocean are a bit of a problem. Bad enough dodging them in daylight at 4 knots. Night time at 20+ knots it's a lottery.
