Sailboats

A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled in whole or in part by sails. The term sailboat covers a variety of boats. From large sailing tall ships, to tiny sailing vessels such as sailing dinghies.

The sailboat pictured above is a sloop, the most common sailboat type, which features one mast and two sails, a normal mainsail and a foresail. This simple sailboat configuration is very efficient for sailing towards the wind. The mainsail is attached to the sailboats mast and the boom, which is a spar capable of swinging across the boat, depending on the direction of the wind. Depending on the size and design of the foresail it can be called a jib, genoa, or spinnaker; it is possible but not common for a sloop to carry two foresails from the one forestay at one time (wing on wing). The forestay is a line or cable running from near the top of the mast to a point near the bow. In Bermuda, where a rig design influenced by the Lateen rig appeared on boats and came to be known as the Bermuda rig, a large spinnaker was carried on a spinnaker boom when running down-wind.

Vendée Globe

The lead in the Vendée Globe swings to Loick Peyron on Gitana Eighty as the leading boats enter the northern fringes of the Doldrums. Since Sunday night both Peyron and Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) have now lead five times apiece over the ten intermediate position schedules. Le Cam is now 22.5 miles behind the leader with Seb Josse (BT) in third. Speeds are widely different among the top boats as the breezes become more fickle. Relative gains are made heading south but the favored position to cross the Doldrums is in the west. Mike Golding sailing the yacht Ecover 3 remains top international skipper in eighth, but has conceded nearly 30 miles on the lead as he works for a position to the west. Dominique Wavre, SUI, (Temenos 2) rises to 13^th

Vendee Globe

.

The Vendée Globe lead swings back and forth between Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) and Loick Peyron on Gitana Eighty as the Vendée Glob vanguard slows into the stifling uncertainty of the Doldrums. The top spot has been held five times each by Le Cam and by Peyron since early yesterday (Monday) morning, according to the published intermediate position reports.

Tonight the advantage line has swung back in favor of Peyron, as Le Cam – aided perhaps by his three soft toy ‘stowaways’ – Bibi the puffer fish, the Pink Panther, and Léon the hedgehog - makes his move back from the extreme easternmost position.

Le Cam has consolidated, coming west to be 55 miles east of Peyron’s navy blue hulled Farr design. VM Matériaux is now second again with a deficit now of 22.5 miles.

In the East North Easterly breeze the leading pack crabs south and west in steps towards the favoured crossing point to break through the sticky, light winds of the Doldrums.

The gains of second wave of three – Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2), Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) and now Yann Elies (Generali) have now reduced – and behind them Mike Golding, GBR, the top international skipper with Ecover 3, has taken a painful 30 miles loss since the last report as he, too, tries to gain a more westerly position. Golding lies eighth.

But while the gains and losses may oscillate with the direction – South or West – that the leaders need to make, all are spending hours studying every the different meteorological files available to them as they seek to line up on the most pain free Doldrums route.

After a long hard night in the Vendée Globe, changing sail combinations in the more fickle breezes, anticipating the moves of their rivals, and trying to stay on top of the weather situation, it has been an equally difficult day. Heat and humidity on board the leading boats leave the skippers dripping with sweat. And tonight promises to be as long and tricky. No one wants to be separated from the pack as they work their way through the light, usually random winds.

“The Doldrums look quite active and difficult with the weather models not really coinciding, and so at this time it is important not to lose miles, because certainly the first to emerge always gets the advantage. I think it will be a slow crossing but from what I can see there should be breeze to get us through, even if it is slowly.” Said Ecover 3’s Mike Golding this morning.

Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia, continues in the fast lane, working rapidly on a western course. After starting again two days after the leaders, he has gained more than 225 miles on the leaders, passing Britain’s Jonny Malbon (Artemis) to gain 18^th place this afternoon.

Vendee Globe voices at sea

Séb Josse, in french (BT), 3^rd at +38.7 miles: The sea is calm and I’m sailing at ten knots with the wind from astern… It’s better than last night, when I came to a standstill for a few hours. I had a lot of manoeuvres to do and a series of tacks. I was kept busy on the winches. We don’t really have the normal pattern of trade winds. They are already disturbed by the Doldrums. I think we should reach them tomorrow (Wednesday) late in the afternoon. But it’s not easy to be more precise, as the situation keeps changing with each satellite photo, between yesterday’s and this morning’s. In any case, we’ll all be arriving there at the same time. The routing programmes show us (the leading group) arriving at the Doldrums with only ten miles separating us.

Dee Caffari, Aviva:16^th at + 345 miles “ I am getting there. Every day I get more confident. Aviva is doing a great job and I could not really ask her to do much more, now I just need to get her in the right place now.”“ I have to look at the bigger picture now, the short term gains look good for the day to day running, but it is a long way round the world and it is important for me to enter the Southern Ocean with a group of boats to race against, otherwise it is a very lonely place to be.” “ Sleep is more difficult because it is getting hotter and I am constantly thinking about if I have made the right decisions and am on the right sail plan.”

Michel Desjoyeaux, Foncia, 18^th at +456.3 miles “I’m sailing permanently between 15 and 17 knots having found some wind that wasn’t really forecast. I was just about to hoist the spinnaker and in the end I had to sheet in the sails. Ahead it looks a real mess, and meanwhile, I’ve moved up a few places. It was about time the trend was reversed.”

Vendee Globe

Vendee Globe 2008 Skippers & Yachts

1. Loick Peyron, Gitana Eighty, FRANCE
2. Michel Desjoyeaux, Foncia, FRANCE
3. Roland Jourdain, Veolia Environnement, FRANCE
4. Jérémie Beyou, Delta Dore, FRANCE
5. Jean-Pierre Dick, Paprec Virbac 2, FRANCE
6. Jean Le Cam, VM Materiaux, FRANCE
7. Samantha Davies, Roxy, GREAT BRITAIN
8. Yann Eliès, Generali, FRANCE
9. Arnaud Boissieres, Akena Verandas, FRANCE
10. Marc Guillemont, Safran, FRANCE
11. Rich Wilson, Great American III, USA
12. Bernard Stamm, Cheminées Poujoulat, SWITZERLAND
13. Dominique Wavre, Temenos, SWITZERLAND
14. Derek Hatfield, Algimouss Spirit of Canada, CANADA
15. Raphaël Dinelli, Fondation Ocean Vital, FRANCE
16. Unai Basurko, Pakea Bizkaia, SPAIN
17. Amel Le Cléac’h, Brit Air, FRANCE
18. Sébastian Josse, BT, FRANCE
19. Dee Caffari, Aviva, GREAT BRITAIN
20. Norbert Sedlacek, Nauticsport-Kapsch, AUSTRIA
21. Steve White, Spirit of Weymouth, GREAT BRITAIN
22. Jonny Malbon, Artemis, GREAT BRITAIN
23. Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty, Groupe Maisoneuve, FRANCE
24. Vincent Riou, PRB, FRANCE
25. Brian Thompson, Pindar, GREAT BRITAIN
26. Mike Golding, Ecover 3, GREAT BRITAIN

.

READ MORE about the Vendée Globe

• Vendee Globe 2008-2009 Start with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
  
• Vendée Globe Carnage - Crash, Dismast, Mechanical Problems - UPDATED
• Vendée Globe Race - Week Two Begins
• Vendee Globe Group with Vendee Globe blogs and videos from the solo sailors

Sailboat Art

Sailboat Art

Vendee Globe

A fleet of 30 boats answered the Vendee Globe start gun at 1202GMT on Sunday under overcast skies with a big swell and 13-18 knots of wind.

Mike Golding on Ecover crossed the start line too early for the opening of his third Vendee Globe and the British skipper had to restart and found himself playing catch up. Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia, considered one of the favorites, was also slow off the start line. Both were no doubt equally frustrated, but while the magnitude of the fleet and the early pace, is that of an inshore regatta, they have more than 26,000 miles and some three months to catch up.

Vendee Globe 2008-2009

Start of the 2008-2009 Vendee Globe singlehanded yacht race around the world - non-stop!

Read the full story here: Vendee Globe 2008-2009 Start with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston