- Bilo je poleg tistih, ki so povzročile odstope tudi precej takih, ki bi ga lahko, pa so se za las temu izognile.
Prav zato, da se bomo iz tega česa naučili, nameravam poleg zgodb o razlogih za odstope dodati tudi nekatera taka bližnja srečanja', ki sem jih 'iztauhal'.
Dick bi bil tudi skoraj ob jambor
- Dickova odpadla kobilica in o tem, da je brez nje preplul okrog 2000 NM vključno z 200-300 miljami Biskajskega zaliva, o kateri vedo vsi, ki jih to zanima, je nedvomno bila ena taka reč, kjer bi zlahka lahko prišlo do odstopa.
Ampak mnogi so verjetno spregledali, da se je - mislim da 7.1.2013 - ravno pri njem pri vožnji pri 30 vozlih vetra, pri plovbi na drugi krajšavi glavnega jadra in viharnem prednjem jadru zlomil element, ki je vezal prvo pripono jambora na premec, in torej bi mu jambor lahko padel čez krmo.
6 PM. Following this morning’s technical issue*, Virbac-Paprec 3 resumed his journey to Les Sables d'Olonne. Jean-Pierre Dick has set up a system which connects the solent to the deck. The situation is under control. The skipper of Virbac-Paprec 3 is finalizing his repairs.
* the strop (soft shackle) connected to the forestay which broke earlier.
Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA, Virbac Paprec 3):
It was a black Monday for me. What an awful day. I had to do my repairs in chaotic conditions. The piece which broke is the one that secure the mast. So I had to stop the boat because you don’t repair such a piece like that. I think I managed to do something good. But regarding the ranking it’s not positive. My repairs were very dangerous in these conditions
In to komaj dan, dva za tem, ko je že plezal po jamboru...
Captain's log, JP. Dick: " Everything is possible "
Newswires | Saturday 05 January 2013, 16:57
Comments 4
Jean-Pierre Dick © Jean-Pierre Dick / Virbac-Paprec / Vendée Globe
Having recovered from his mast-climbing effort on Virbac Paprec 3, Dick is slowly catching up with the two leaders and the Nice-based skipper thinks he can come back. " I'm feeling optimistic this morning, what a big change in the last 36 hours ! I was quite stressed out the day before yesterday because I wasn't sure I was going to manage to complete the needed repairs up the mast. But this morning, I can't help smiling, I'm feeling serene. I had some good rest last nigt because the wind was stable. I'm catchig up with the leaders, and then will be stuck in an anticyclone for several hours. I will come back and the race will get even more open when we sail in the Equator area. Now I can focus on the weather analysis, strategy and sailing fast. Everythig is possible! "

Tole zgoraj je bila slika, ko je prihajal k sebi po prejšnjem plezanju na jambor, potem pa zlomljen ta element, ki je pripenjal prvo pripono na premec.
JP Dick je uspel obrniti barko od vetra - tako da je veter jambor držal naprej - in potem dvignil večje prednje jadro (solent), katerega dvižnica je do popravila pripone vlekla jambor proti premcu, da ni mogel pasti čez krmo.
Malo manj sreče in spretnosti, žilavosti in duševne trdnosti - pa...
Elektrika
- Večina ve za Thomsonove in Stammove težave z elektriko, ampak tega je po vsem sodeč bilo še precej več. Bilo je kup od udarcev sesutih agregatov, od jambora odtrganih in na jamborih razsutih električnih zadev (radarji itn.) in drugega.
Če mislim prav, je bilo to z Dickovim jamborom morda samo kak dan po tem, ko je Stamm spet zadel neko plavajočo zadevo, mislim da malo potem, ko je - malo za rtom Horn - od jadralskega prijatelja dobil 150 l goriva za agregat. Ko mu je potem, ko je spet imel elektriko, spet delala radijska postaja, je sploh lahko uradno odstopil...
(Odstopiti je moral v bistvu zaradi Rusov, ki so šli dobronamerno pomagat, ko mu je blizu Nove Zelandije zaoralo sidro in ga je neslo v njihovo tudi zasidrano ladjo - predvsem zaradi pomoči druge osebe so ga potem diskvalificirali).
In spomnimo se - mislim da se je Stamm do tistega udarca v UFO, ki mu je sesul električno napajanje in kar se je potem nadaljevalo z usodnim sidranjem južno od Nove Zealandije , stalno motal v prvi peterici, torej niti žnj jadrnica niti žnj skipper...
In Stamm in Thomson nista bila edina pri težavah z elektriko.
Mimogrede, Thomsonovo popravilo je trajalo skoraj dva tedna, in je - električno - dihal podobno na škrge, kot Stamm.
Tule med drugim pravi
“I am in the middle of some very thick fog, and conditions at the moment are pretty light. But thankfully, as my heater is still out of action as I save power, it is starting to get warmer as I head up north. I spent a short time on a reach during the night, but today I am back on the wind. The current conditions don’t marry up to what is forecast, which can be frustrating but there is nothing I can do about it but to sail the best I can in the wind that I have, I am still making good speed and happy with my progress north.
With the warmer weather I should really be thinking about shaving my beard. It is by far the longest time I have ever gone without shaving. I am not sure what I think about it, but at the moment I have no choice but to keep it. It would take about half a bucket of water for me to shave, and at the moment with my power issues I can’t spare that much water!
10.1.2013, Thomson:
The big news is my hydro generator bracket is finally finished and the hydro is currently filling my batteries fully for the first time in a month! It has been a very long process from when it broke off in a collision a month ago but I am pleased I took my time with it and very happy to have been able to do it at sea and without stopping.
A big thank you to Caterham Composites, Farr Yacht Design and our team who together came up with a viable solution that was doable on the move.
It has been a difficult month saving power but hopefully, fingers crossed, I won't have any more issues and can start running the boat normally again. I can't wait to make a load of water and get this beard off my face for one!
Ni bilo dovolj elektrike, da bi je toliko 'vložil' v desalinizator (watermaker), ni smel vklopiti gretja v kabini - 5°C je bilo v teh okoliščinah že toplo - in problem je bil, da se v teh okoliščinah nič mokrega ni moglo posušiti...

Ko je bilo to poštimano - in ko se je odločil za drugo smer, ob obali Brazilije - je šibal takole in zmanjšal prednost Dicka, ki je imel zgoraj opisane zaplete in zato padel v spremembo vremena s slabitvijo vetra, na manj kot 10 NM.
Golding je imel dva brezhibna generatorja, ampak mu je skurilo kotnroler polnjenja, in ni mogel nič z njima.
Tule precej o elektriki na Vendee Globe na splošno; med ostalim tudi:
No RADAR,problems with power.
Have you had any problems with your hydrogenerators in this race?
Well, I can't tell a lie. Ours aren't working either! I have two very good hydro generators that are working extremely well, but the little box of tricks that does the conversion has fried itself. To be honest, it nearly caused a fire, I nearly had a fire onboard, so I wasn't that impressed with that. The irony is that I have two very effective hydrogeneators both fully attached to the boat, functioning correctly, but I can't use the power.
Radar bi kruto rabil okrog rta Horn, kjer so v bližini opazili plavajoči led, pa mislim, da ga je o tem obveščal eden od dveh, ki sta bila v bližini - morda Le Camm.
Ja, tudi Gutkowski in njegova barka sta v bistvu peljala zelo dobro, ampak kar mu je delal avtopilot - oziroma oba avtopilota in še druga električna ropotija (nagibanje kobilice) in elektronika - ampak o tem posebej. To in posledice tega so ga prisilile k odstopu.
- Avtopilot (za solista na daleč nepogrešljiv)
signalizacija (navigacijske luči, AIS, RADAR...)
razsoljevalnik vode (watermaker)
nagibanje kobilice
komunikacijska oprema, zlasti sprejem vremenskih podatkov
računalnik za načrtovanje poti
gretje, odmrzovanje zamrznjene in segrevanje in/ali kuhanje hrane; zlasti na skrajnem jugu tudi gretje prostora in sušenje oblačil
oprema za stike z okoljem, snemanje in pošiljanje slik, videa...,
tudi glasba, razsvetlitev prostorov, bralne luči - pomemben psihološki dejavnik...
Sicer skoraj ni reči oziroma vrste opreme, ki pri tako blizu njihovih skrajnih zmogljivosti gnanih barkah ne bi crkovala...
V glavnem, nameravam napisati povzetek za vsakega od odstopov...























