From: moinard@irisa.fr (Yves Moinard)
Subject: Vendee Globe, 25 jan
Organization: Irisa, Rennes(FR)
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 19:32:28 GMT

The news of this week-end:
Bertrand de Broc IS ASKED TO RESIGN by the ARCHITECTS of his boat!


1) Alain Gautier  (Bagages Superior)    (9h07)	57 deg 19 S 145 deg 35 W at  9 491 nm
2) Philippe Poupon (Fleury-Michon)	(10h50)	59 deg 17 S 175 deg 32 W at 10 349		
3) Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (Sofap Helvim)(10h50)	57 deg 11 S 179 deg 11 W at 10 504
4) Bertrand de Broc (Groupe LG)        	(9hxx)	55 deg 44 S 166 deg 59 E at 10 986 	 
5) Nandor Fa (K & H Bank Matav)   	(10h50)	57 deg 40 S 150 deg 25 E at 11 420
6) Jose de Ugarte (Euskadi Europa 93) 	(9h20)	54 deg 01 S 145 deg 08 E at 11 670 
7) Yves Parlier (Cacolac d'Aquitaine) 	(9h20)	53 deg 05 S 138 deg 06 E at 11 919 
8) Vittorio Malingri (Everlas-Neil Pryde)(9h20)	50 deg 31 S 127 deg 22 E at 12 331 
9) Alan Wynne-Thomas (Cardiff Discovery) (9h20) 47 deg 59 S 127 deg 16 E at 12 432
10) Bernard Gallay (Vuarnet Watches)    (11h)  	51 deg 02 S 123 deg 29 E at 12 543 
11) Jean-Yves Hasselin (Solo Nantes) 	(11h)	51 deg 05 S 111 deg 35 E at 12 932

Note: Some errors may occur. The time of the position is 25 jan UT.

AG is still well ahead of PP (more than 800 nm ahead),
even if water is coming into his boat, and he continue pumping,
with his ballast pump as he accidentally damaged a pipe of his ordinary pump.
Water is coming at about 60-120 liters/hour, the pump is OK (100 l/h).
He found the way the water comes, and is waiting for the good the good side of list
to make a reparation.


The very surprising news is that BdB has received a telex enjoying him to resign
and to go towards Wellington, which he is apparently doing.
As AWT apparently does not resign, this will be the first resign 
during the race (2 resigned at the begining, being in the starting point).
BdB was really upset and asked for moral support.
A few days ago he sewed his own tongue, which was not an easy job.
Till now, he managed very well in this race, being the first one to
pass the first official mark in the Canary Islands, which mesn that he 
has been the best in the rough cnditions of the first 10 days.
He economized his boat, being very careful not to break
(he had a slight reputation of a ``breaker'' but was young and now he seems to
master these problems), trying not to go too fast.


The death of Mike Plant before the race is possibly one reason why this resign 
order was given.
The problem is in the fixation of the keel.
This seems to be a serious problems with modern designs
(Mike Plant, Philippe Poupon in the first Vendee Globe 3 years ago lost his keel,
and in this one he came back for reparation because he was loosing it this time again
...).
What has been released to the public is that, following a problem to an Italian
boat (Brookfield?) of the same kind, the architects Luc Bonnet and Olivier Petit
realised that BdB could be in a dangerous situation.
It must be noted that BdB's Boat has some similarities with Loic Peyron's boat,
LP came back (and resigned) because the hull was delimanating itself,
so this problem seems unrelated.




Yves

From: barryf@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Barry Fowler)
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 17:21:07 GMT
Subject: Re: Split rec.boats??
Organization: HP Colorado Computer Mfg. Operation