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Day 1 and 2 Cape Finisterre

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It is now 24 hours after the start and race day +1 has officially started. My position is roughly 100 miles to the west-southwest of les Sable d'Olonne on the French coast. Conditions remain favourable with a strong breeze from the North East, but perhaps not for long Approaching the north-western coast of Spain is Cape Finisterre, the first major milestone of this race, and also one with high wind forecasts. It will be sailing downwind along the coast, however I have to take a less than optimal course. South by West would be perfect, however on that course I would end up on the rocks, so I have to steer South-Southwest. This small difference seems insignificant at first, but after the course change, I can see the fore course sail flapping and chafing. As a remedy, I have reefed the main course as well as the topgallant sails. I also have lost use for all the for and aft sails too. I have to make a decision now, either stay along the coast, or steer west again. Later on I will be b...
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Vendee Globe on a Painted ocean

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  Start day The Vendée Globe race began today 10 Nov 2024 at 12:02z from Les Sables-d’Olonne in Vendée. 40 solo sailors compete in a non-stop race around the world. The ships are 60-foot (18.3-meter) IMOCA class racing boats.  You can follow the race live online, and join the competition in several online sailing simulators, but I’ve chosen to sail the virtual race in "Painted Ocean" a unique, unfinished alpha simulator featuring a square-rigged frigate. While the simulator doesn’t provide real-time weather updates, I’m using windy to determine the actual wind, and manually adjust these into the simulator. I keep a log of trip in Excel and use Google Earth to plot the tracks, of myself and a few favourite boats in the real race. The Vendée Globe is a race to be won by the best of the best, but such a race is also a test of endurance. Not all skippers will make it to the end. Let's see how far we can keep up with the fleet.. Day 0 +6 H 18:18z Night has set in, conditions a...
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