DAILY LOG
11/11/2011 #26
7
th
D+10 … .Sun , sea and ds the Trade Win t power .It is all abou e fore .Juniors to th W .57’ N 45 09.19’ Position_ 31 26 Speed_ 14.2 nds colate muesli
BreaKFAST_ cho MEAL 1_ omelette caramel dessert_ crème lognaise MEAL 2_ pasta bo
Sun, sea and … the Trade Winds
“We haven’t had a chance yet to think about ourselves, it is 20 degrees at the moment, the weather is beautiful and we are still sitting here in our fleece jackets,” said Dominique. “We have worked so hard over the last few days that we haven’t got round to thinking about our wardrobe, but it won’t be long before we are forced to pull out our shorts and t-shirts.” Dominique sounded happy when we spoke to him on the satellite phone. The sunshine had something to do with it for sure, but the main reason was the way they successful negotiated the high-pressure that parked up a big part of the fleet for 48 hours. Dom and Michele caught up very quickly and were lying in sixth place for a short time ahead of three of the favourites: Groupe Bel, Safran and Macif.
2 www.dominiquewavre.com
The fleet has at last reached the northeast Trade Winds that should carry them all the way to the Caribbean Sea. “We are still a long way off the Caribbean islands, so it is a bit early to say which way we will be going,” said Dominique. “Particularly as the Trade Winds are not yet established and there could very well be a few more surprises in store for us. Having said that however, we are edging closer and I can happily say that the North Atlantic lowpressures are firmly behind us.” Virbac Paprec, sailed by Jean-Pierre Dick, who also won the Barcelona World Race, is currently leading, followed by Hugo Boss and Alex Thomson.
It is all about power
While the IMOCAs are clearly wind propelled, they are also very power hungry. In addition to the electrics, the auto-pilot, the cabin and navigation lights, Mirabaud needs power to produce freshwater for the crew, to cant the keel, to run the ballast pumps and to send photos and videos to the race organisers. To power all these different elements, a boat would have to carry gallons of fuel to run a generator. Fuel is heavy and would affect a boat’s performance.
The Mirabaud duo have gone for an alternative solution and use solar panels and hydro generators, which are small propellers that they tow behind the boat to recharge the batteries. “The propellers slow us down a little bit, but it is negligible compared to the impact on our performance that 100 litres of fuel would have,” said Dominique.
facebook.com/dominiquewavre
youtube.com/DominiqueWavre
PLAY VIDEO www.dominiquewavre.com 3
Juniors to the fore
The Société Nautique de Genève Junior Sailing Team got together on Wednesday evening at the clubhouse to call Mirabaud and ask Dominique some questions. Thirty youth sailors ranging in age from seven to sixteen attended, plus some parents who couldn’t stay away! “What do you eat? How will you get back from Costa Rica, who will sail the boat back? Do you get scared? Do you get sea sick?” The Juniors, who sail Lasers and Optimists all over Europe and
occasionally further afield, jumped at the chance to bombard Dominique with questions for a good twenty minutes and the offshore veteran enjoyed every minute. He loves sharing his passion for sailing, racing and the high seas with young people, particularly ones that pay so much attention to the sport. “I started sailing on a dinghy just like you,” he reminded the youth sailors. “And if you are comfortable helming a dinghy, you will be able to steer any boat.” Juniors take note!
IMOCA RANKING 11/11/2011 - 14:00 GMT 1. Virbac Paprec 3 2. Hugo Boss 3. macif
0.00 +46.90 +283.40
... 6. Banque populaire 7. Mirabaud
+310.90 +341.30
www.dominiquewavre.com
Mirabaud & Cie, banquiers privés Laurent Koutaïssoff 29, boulevard Georges-Favon 1204 Genève T: +41 58 816 23 90 M: +41 79 786 78 93
MaxComm Communication Bernard Schopfer T: +41 22 735 55 30 M: +41 79 332 11 76 bernard.schopfer@maxcomm.ch
Crédits photos Thierry Martinez/Mirabaud Wavre/Paret