#vendée globe

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

I know I haven’t made a 2024 version of the Vendée Globe PowerPoint yet and I’m sorry for that. I had to work a 6-day week last week and I spent a lot of this week getting over some digestive issues. When I tried to unzip the folder I had the original document saved in today on my laptop, my computer said the file was invalid. But I can absolutely try to make a version of it one way or another, since I think collectively the 2016 and 2020 versions represent the most popular original content this blog has ever produced.

(Did any of you reblog the 2020 or 2016 versions for me to reference in case I can’t get into the original file?)

[watchilove]

Ulysse Nardin Diver NET Vendée Globe

The Ulysse Nardin Diver NET Vendée Globe is a remarkable synthesis of cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and marine heritage, crafted to celebrate the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe — the world’s toughest solo, non-stop sailing race around the globe. Continue reading Ulysse Nardin Diver NET Vendée Globe

[jbrasseul]

Un coin de paradis

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

If Vendée Live counts, I’m either an IMOCA skipper or commentator, so that’s pretty cool either way.

[juergenfeytiat]

Tagebuch (11): Die „Fürth“ in den Roaring Forties

Über Segelführung, Wellenöl und einen Schiffsrat Aus aktuellem Anlass wiederhole ich heute den Blogartikel vom 14. März 2020. Die Segler der Vendée Globe befinden sich aktuell (Anfang Dezember 2024) im südlichen Indischen Ozean auf ihrem Weg  zwischen dem Kap der Guten Hoffnung (Südafrika) und Kap Leeuwin (Westaustralien). Das Tagebuch des Frachtdampfers „Fürth“ vom Juni 1914 gibt einen guten…

[huguesdelabarre]

Pour suivre les aventures de Jean (et des autres skippers du Tour du monde à la voile en solitaire du Vendée Globe 2024-2025), une seule adresse sur Facebook :

[ejcmedia]

Affaire Clarisse Clémer : une vague de discriminations qui pourrait changer l’histoire du sport féminin

La place des femmes dans la compétition est un sujet délicat. Le changement du règlement du Vendée Globe qui pénalise la navigatrice Clarisse Crémer en raison de sa maternité montre combien le sport et ses sponsors restent conservateurs en matière d’égalité. Clarisse Crémer, skippeuse de l’Imoca Banque Populaire ©Désirée de Lamarzelle/ Forbes. « J’ai appris vendredi dernier que Banque Populaire…

[none-ofthisnonsense]

I'm crying at the beauty of humans coming together to save each other

[arikihalloween]

Welcome Home × Soul Eater AU ramble

I had announced it, I shall now share it !

Behold, WH SE AU

Context :

In the world of Soul Eater, there are people who can transform into weapons (called demonic weapons), a genetic trait coming from some witch experimenting on humans centuries before. To avoid having those "weapons" go out of control, Shinigami, a god of death, created a school called Shibusen, where those weapons could learn how to control their powers. There are also people who come to this school to partner with the weapons and wield them, those are called meisters.

In this AU, our colorful cast of Welcome Home characters are students at this school in their last few years of studies (18-23 years old) and decided to create a race to the top before their graduation. The goal ? Get their weapon partner to the "death scythe" level by getting as much evil souls as they can. Who will win ? Who knows 👀

Let's present our six duos !

Julie Joyful and Frank Frankly (butterfly net)

Barnaby b. Beagle and Wally Darling (big apple hammer)

Howdy Pillar and Poppy Partridge (scythe)

Sally Starlet and Lucero Starlley (guitar axe)

Suave Moonwatcher and Eddie Dear (shield, later on a giant pair of scissor)

Nyxie Moonwatcher and Calypso O Octave (musical saw/violin)

And of course we can't forget out dear silliest, Home as Shinigami !!

Full page :

Lucero and Calypso belong to @kokoiep

Ramble :

Okay so this AU is actually over a year old, I had old designs and dynamics I wasn't 100% happy with because this AU was co created

Idk how the other creator is doing, I haven't talked to them in a loooong while, so I decided to rebrand the AU a little

Now, I'll explain my choices and lore

For one, I believe in keeping the canon personalities. So, when deciding who's a weapon and who is a meister, I tried to go along how the characters would act and what alligns with their silly selves. The characters that ended up as weapons needed to be weapons, otherwise it doesn't fit their personality to come to Shibusen to become a meister (reminder, meister can choose to go to Shibusen, weapons are kinda obligated to)

For the clothing, I just had fun with the "school uniform" concept as given in the Soul Eater and Soul Eater Not manga series.

And for the pairing, I included a lot of ocs, ik, but I wanted the pairs to truly match in energy and personality, and also I love my and Koko's oc and it's my AU I do what I want !

Joking side, here are some more funfact on how they ended up there

Julie followed in her siblings footsteps

Barnaby came to partner with Wally, the two are childhood best friends

Sally and Howdy came for fame and opportunities that come with being a meister

Nyxie and Suave where raised in Shibusen for lore reasons 👀

Julie and Wally are dating !

Frank and Eddie are a bit more on and off, because Eddie is an anxious mess and Frank doesn't like competion

But at the same time, the shipping in this AU is "yes" because : Julie and Wally are a thing, but Julie is very close to Frank, who is on and off with Eddie, and Eddie is quite close to Howdy, and Sally likes to flirt with Eddie and Poppy, but Lucero has a crush on Sally, who might have a lil crush on Julie, but Nyxie has a crush on Lucero, and Barnaby and Wally are reaaallly close

Good luck, may the ships all sail at once like it's the Vendée Globe :D

Other funfacts

Nyxie and Suave are actually weapons too, Nyxie is a frying pan (because what else would she be) and Suave is undetermined. Both are very unstable and thus can't really be weapons full time, hence why they meister others

Everyone has part time jobs !

Nyxie and Suave work at a bar, Eddie works at the post office, Sally works at a theater, Lucero works with Caly at a music shop, Frank works at a library, Julie in a hairdresser salon, Poppy and Howdy work at a little retail shop, Wally and Barnaby work in a clothing store.

They all live in the same appartement complex, all neighbors and they visit eachother all the time ! Each pair live together too, platonically.

I think that's about all I can say

This AU is a lil special to me because I love Soul Eater and the lore and ik there is probably already some other SE Wh aus but I wanted to get this out anyway and see if people enjoy my silly rambling

I posted it on tiktok already and people ate this up lol, I'm kinda hoping they would too here as well ? We'll see.

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

[x]

[carraways-son]

Mercredi

Ce matin, goélands et mouettes rieuses n'hésitaient pas à tremper leurs pattes frêles dans la Garonne. Demain, mes amours seront sur l'île de Hokkaido (ci-dessus, souvenir de Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill, qui domine la ville de Sapporo). Les colis de noël sont arrivés à temps à Kyôto ; reconnaissant, je salue les avions qui étirent leurs traînées de condensation dans l'azur glacé du ciel. J'élargis virtuellement mon horizon en me laissant piéger par Top of the lake, série anglo-australo-néo-zélandaise de Jane Campion, en faisant défiler Tumblr, ou en suivant sur mon écran les voiliers du Vendée Globe Challenge dont les premiers filent déjà vers le cap Horn, ou encore en contactant des pays lointains sur les ondes courtes (j'ai passé le cap des 1500 contacts depuis le début de l'année). Voilà...

[continuations]

Lessons from a Voyage

I have just returned from an exciting voyage: crossing the Atlantic on a sailboat. You can find updates from along the way on the J44 Frolic website, Twitter/X and Instagram accounts. In this post I am gathering up my lessons learned. Some of these are just about sailing, in particular passage making, and some are broadly applicable life lessons.

Offshore sailing is intense. I always had great respect for offshore sailors, and in particular solo sailors, and this voyage has only deepened that. To be successful requires lots of different skills: navigation, sail trim, anchoring/docking, mechanical, plumbing, electrical (AC and DC), fishing, cooking. Not everyone on board needs all of these but it is good to have all of them as part of the crew, ideally redundant. If you want to follow exciting single handed racing, I highly recommend the upcoming Vendée Globe race. On each of these skills, experience makes a huge difference. Going into this adventure there was a lot that I understood theoretically but had never done (I had zero offshore experience). So I was thrilled to do this with my friend HL DeVore who has extensive offshore experience, including two prior Atlantic crossings.

Technology has made passage making much easier. The voyage also increased my respect for what it took to cross the oceans in the past with minimal technology. We had access, via Starlink, to up-to-date weather information. We had redundant chart systems including on board but also on our phones, so we knew at all times where we were and how quickly we were making progress. We had a fantastic auto pilot that was able to steer accurately even in fairly confused sea states. We were able to make fresh water on demand with an advanced filtration and desalination system. We had fresh food in a fridge and frozen food, including ice cream (!), in a freezer. We had an electric kettle for fast water heating. An ice maker to add ice cubes to our water. A hot pot for making rice and other dishes. You don't have to go very far back to get to a time when none of this was available. And yet people crossed the oceans routinely.

Clear and non-defensive communication is essential. Everything on a boat has precise terms to identify what it is and what action is supposed to be taken. It is essential to learn this language to be able to communicate quickly and precisely. There are some areas where different sailors will use different terms and so it's good to converge on terminology for the boat. Beyond precision it also matters that communication has to be non-defensive. Everybody on board can speak up at an moment if they see or hear something that others should know. And when someone speaks to you, you always acknowledge that you have heard and understood by saying "copy." For example you might say "small craft 5 boat lengths out at 2 o'clock" and helm will acknowledge with "copy" even if they have already seen it. So much miscommunication can be avoided simply by acknowledging what has been said.

Alertness is crucial. Always be on the lookout for things that look or sound strange. A line hanging slack that is normally tight. Or a clanging noise that wasn't there before. All of this requires a high degree of alertness and also intimate knowledge of the normal state of the boat. For example water flowing by the boat often makes a gurgling sound when you are below deck and close to the sides. But at one point I heard a gurgling sound coming from an unusual location. We investigated and it turned out that a hose had come loose and we were spilling fresh water.

Know your boat inside out. Some people may be tempted to buy a new boat for an adventure like this. But every boat handles differently. And new boats often have small issues that will only bet detected while out at sea. We bought a used J44, a boat that my partner in this adventure has been sailing for over a decade. We then completely overhauled the boat and took it on several shake down cruises and races, with the ultimate pre passage shake down being the Newport Bermuda race. You also want to know the details of systems performance. For example fuel consumption of a diesel engine varies non-linearly with RPM. For example on Frolic the fuel consumption goes up by 33 percent from 1800 to 2000 RPM.

Life is supported by systems. Spaceships are called ships for a reason - they are both life support systems for humans. The ocean is not quite as uninhabitable for humans as space but it is definitely not where we can live without technology. Our water maker was a great example of that. In its absence we would have needed to bring a large quantity of freshwater along and hopefully catch rainwater (we would likely have to ration water which risks being dehydrated). Systems need redundancy in case they break and you can't fix them. We always had some water in jugs to tide us over, but we also had a mid sized and even some handheld desalination systems).

Observation matters. It is always important to complement what electronic systems spit out with what we can observe directly. Modern weather forecasts are amazingly accurate. But local weather can still differ significantly and sometimes forecasts will be wrong. It really helps to understand the weather at different scales, from the very large (the entire North Atlantic), to the region you are in (e.g. the Azores), down to the specific location. Another example of a system that helps tremendously but needs to be complemented with observation is the Automatic Identification System (AIS). It uses VHF to communicate the identities of boats, along with their location, heading, and speed. This makes it much easier to identify and avoid potential collisions. When we were approaching Portugal we had to cross through shipping lanes and it would have been much more challenging without AIS. But we did encounter two cargo ships that were not properly broadcasting. One was highly intermittent (and would only show up on our chart plotter occasionally), the other one not at all. We encountered the second one at night and had to fall back to visual observation and hailing the other vessel.

Slow is fast. Take the time to talk things through, such as a spinnaker take down. This means making sure everyone understands their role and the sequence of tasks. Prepare everything that can be prepared, such as getting any lines properly coiled that need to run out or having sail ties at hand. Move deliberately around the boat . Something going wrong is not only dangerous but will usually take a lot more time to fix than getting it right in the first place. This is even true when something has already gone wrong. We did great overall but did wind up with one accidental jibe. The instinct might be to rush and fix that immediately but it is much better to take the time to make sure everyone is ok, the boat is ok, and then make a plan to jibe back in a controlled fashion.

Preparation requires anticipation. We were incredibly well prepared. We had all the tools and parts on board we needed. We had all the medications on board to treat everyone on the crew for a variety of thankfully small issues. We had enough fuel to get through some of the light or no wind stretches. All of this was the case because we anticipated what the problems might be that we could encounter. You can't get stuff onto your boat once you are in the ocean. Our planned path via the Azores is notorious for people running out of fuel or food or both because of the extent of the Azores high.

Safety is not negotiable. Our default was to wear harnesses when on deck and to clip in. The only times we would not do that was during the day time in extremely calm sea state while motoring. All it takes is one wrong step for someone to go overboard. And at night or with six foot waves it is not only hard to see someone, especially when the boat is flying along at 10 knots, but also tricky and dangerous to get back to them and get them back on board. Another key rule is "one hand for yourself and one hand for the boat." This is where the expression "single handed" sailing comes from. I violated this rule once by trying to bring two bags below at the same time (coming back to the boat at the dock). I missed the last step down the companion way, twisted around and fell backwards into the galley, hitting my head on the stove. I was lucky and came away with some scrapes and bump on the back of my head but it could have easily ended badly.

Good food makes everyone happy. We were fortunate to have my son Peter Wenger on board as a chef. He had pre-cooked some meals which we carried in our freezer. But he also made many wonderful things fresh, such an incredible Mahi Mahi ceviche from a fresh catch. And of course my personal favorite: French toast for breakfast.

Great on shore support really helps. There is some fear associated with being far out on the ocean where help can be a long way away. And so it is wonderful to have strong on shore support. Psychology really matters for well being and stress. When I fell down it was great to do a call with med team and get concussion assessment. We relied on Katie and Jessica from Regatta Rescue for medical support. They were terrific and also had put together an incredible med kit for us to bring along. We also got daily macro weather updates from Ken McKinley at Locusweather. Finally, it was fantastic to have family emotional support, in particular from Susan "Gigi" Danziger, who also helped with logistics, such as getting to Newport, and joined us in Bermuda, for cruising in the Azores, and in Lisbon upon arrival.

All in all this passage was an incredible adventure and I feel fortunate to have been able to experience this passage. I hope this will not be my last one and am already thinking about what bringing the boat back across the Atlantic might look like. In the meantime I am keeping my fingers crossed for a safe passage of Frolic through the Straight of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean.

[salmonromarin8]

Le bateau prêt à repartir : nouvel étai largable, nouvelle gazinière qui s'est décrochée de ses cardans dans les violentes secousses de la traversée après 32 ans de bons et loyaux services, nouveau foc 1 qui donnait des signes de faiblesse et que j'ai toujours connu sur le Romarin depuis 1986 ! Nouvelle bande anti-UV pour le gênois, nouveau système efficace pour éviter que les lattes s'envolent de la grand voile en pleine navigation, réparation du bimini déchiré lors de la tentative de sauvetage en hélicoptère, bandes antidérapantes sur le plancher du bateau, il nous reste à recevoir 8 nouvelles cellules au lithium pour la propulsion. Mais nous ne serons pas au bout de nos peines. De nouvelles difficultés nous attendent : le passage du détroit de Gibraltar avec ses courants, ses vents forts, son trafic intense et les attaques d'orques toujours plus nombreuses entre Cadix et Gibraltar. Certains défenseurs des orques trouvent plus juste de parler d'interactions avec les orques plutôt que d'attaques. Les orques s'attaquent uniquement au safran, partie du gouvernail immergé, des voiliers, jamais aux hommes envers lesquels elles ne montrent aucun comportement agressif. Les attaques sont presque quotidiennes aux mois de mai et juin au large du cap Trafalgar, Elles semblent liées au passage des thons rouges qui remontent dans le détroit à cette période. Une autre hypothèse consiste à dire qu'une orque blessée par un bateau enseignerait à ses jeunes d'attaquer les safrans par vengeance. Ou encore, les voiliers apparaissent comme des concurrents dans la chasse au thon dont le nombre a beaucoup baissé avec la surpêche. Les orques sont des animaux intelligents et protégés qui communiquent entre eux. On en dénombre à peu près une soixantaine dans le détroit. Les équipages des voiliers qui ont subi ces interactions en sont quittes pour une bonne frayeur. Certains voiliers ont dû faire appel aux secouristes n'étant plus manoeuvrant. D'autres ont eu des voies d'eau importantes et ont coulé. Nous avons rencontré Sébastien Destremeau, skipper du Vendée Globe et deuxième à la Route du Rhum dans la catégorie Rhum Mono en 2018, en escale forcée à Puerto America à Cadix qui a eu son safran détruit, voici le récit de son interaction avec les orques : Alors qu'il convoyait un bateau et naviguait au large du cap Trafalgar, une dizaine d'orques se sont attaquées à son safran. « on les a vu arriver d'assez loin, j'ai cru que le vent se levait et on a compris que, cette fois, c'était pour nous. » Selon son récit, 20 orques ont nagé vers son bateau. Le groupe s'est ensuite scindé en deux et au moins 8 animaux ont commencé à viser le navire et notamment son safran. Comme le recommande la procédure en cas d'attaque du GTOA protocole, Sébastien met alors à l'arrêt le voilier et affale les voiles. Après cette expérience, je ne suis pas du tout convaincu qu'arrêter le navire soit la bonne stratégie, confie t'il à posteriori. Alors que le bateau de 15 tonnes est arrêté, les orques continuent à le viser jusqu'à endommager le safran. «Une heure sous les coups de boutoir, c'était très impressionnant et on avait très peur. C'est terrifiant de sentir un bateau de 15 tonnes se faire secouer comme une coquille de noix. On en menait pas large à bord. J'avais vraiment peur que le bateau coule. A bord de ces bateaux, il n'y a pas de cloison étanche, comme sur un bateau du Vendée Globe» Le navigateur raconte qu'il a finalement remis le moteur au bout de 20 minutes, avançant et reculant en fonction des orques pour les empêcher d'approcher le gouvernail. «Comme les orques n'en démordaient pas, j'ai commencé à faire des ronds très serrés avec la barre à fond et au bout de quelques minutes, ils sont partis.Mais j'ignore si c'est cette manœuvre qui a été utile ou s'ils seraient partis de toute façon. » a détaillé le double participant au Vendée Globe. «Ce qui est sûr, c'est qu'on est sur leur territoire » estimait-il, alors que de plus en plus d'attaques d'orques sont justement rapportées entre Gibraltar et les côtes portugaises et espagnoles. Durant l'incident, les services de secours ont été prévenus et se tenaient prêts à intervenir si la situation empirait. Finalement, les mammifères sont partis au bout d'une heure, laissant l'équipage secoué mais sain et sauf. Le skipper s'est néanmoins retourné un doigt pendant une manœuvre et une escale est prévu à Cadix en Espagne afin de réparer le safran endommagé. Sébastien précise que les orques ne semblent pas agressives envers l'homme et qu'elles tentent de nous transmettre un message, mais lequel ? On rencontre désormais beaucoup d'appréhension chez les marins qui doivent aborder ce parcours. Des stratégies se développent, plus ou moins efficaces : naviguer de jour, près des côtes pas au-delà de 20 m de profondeur, émettre des ondes répulsives à l'aide d'un pinger : inefficace et interdit : les orques sont en voie de disparition et sont protégées. Naviguer en convoi, à plusieurs bateaux pour se secourir mutuellement en cas d'attaques, d'autres envisagent même des mesures plus radicales inavouables, ...

[alphasailgroup]

The Vendee Globe

The Vendée Globe is a single-handed, non-stop, round-the-world yacht race. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Department of Vendée, in France, where the race starts and ends. The Vendée Globe is considered an extreme quest of individual endurance and the ultimate test in ocean racing. The next Vendee Globe race…

[stephanedugast]

📢 [BILLET] L'affaire fait grand bruit, et pour cause ! La navigatrice Clarisse Crémer vient d'être évincée par son sponsor Banque Populaire.

Raison invoquée ? Clarisse n'est pas en mesure de se qualifier pour le prochain Vendée Globe en raison de règles de sélection qui oblige les skippers (qui n'ont pas de bateau neuf) à participer à un certain nombre de courses qualificatives. Courses auxquelles l'intéressée n'a pas pu concourir pour cause de maternité. Les femmes, la compétition et la mer, le débat est relancé. Des thématiques que j'aborde dans mon dernier livre illustré.

Extraits :

LA NAVIGATRICE : « Skippeuse, entrepreneuse, communicante, conférencière et bientôt maman, Clarisse Crémer sait tout faire. Sa participation au dernier Vendée Globe l’a rendu médiatique avec à la clef un titre de prestige, celui de femme la plus rapide autour du monde à la voile en solitaire. Derrière ce conte de fées se cache du travail, de la stratégie, du cœur et un soupçon de chance »

LE FÉMINISME : « La voile n’est plus aujourd’hui la chasse gardée des hommes, tout comme le féminisme ne doit pas être celle des femmes, mais au contraire devenir un projet de société à débattre entre tous, avec lucidité, courage et sagesse »

« Navigatrices, portraits d'aventurières de la mer », un livre illustré paru aux Editions Vagnon. En savoir + 👉 https://urlz.fr/kcCG