Hugo Boss gains - Veolia Environnement take tow

by Event media on 30 Dec 2007
Overnight Hugo Boss made up miles on the leader and is sailing four knots faster than Paprec-Virbac 2 on the first position report of the morning. News in also that Veolia Environnement picked up a tow overnight and is heading for Fremantle - ETA early Monday morning.

At the 10:00 hrs report this morning, Hugo Boss was trailing Paprec-Virbac by 837 mn, but sailing faster, 21 knots compared with 14 knots for Paprec-Virbac.

Overnight, Roland Jourdain and Jean Luc Nélias on Veolia Environnement picked up a tow and are heading for Fremantle - ETA is early Monday morning, local time - in time for New Year celebrations! They are still 250 miles from the port, and taking into consideration the limited speeds they are sailing at stil have two days before reaching land.

They have only ten hours left of fuel but in today’s video conference the two Frenchmen announced that they will most probably be met this evening by a fishing boat to be towed to shore for the last few miles. Great news for the two sailors visibly relieved to be putting an end to what has been a tiring, boring and very slow trip since losing their mast.

Veolia is due to arrive in Fremantle on 31st December at around 1200 GMT just in time for New Year’s Eve. Their families will be their to meet them, as will Philippe Péché and Hervé Jan, two French sailors who are currently working in Australia.

Strangely the French group will have to look hard for somewhere to enjoy the traditional new year’s eve dinner since Australian customs forbid any food products arriving by sea – they will have to consume all the food that they have on board beforehand! Veolia Environnement is due to be loaded on a cargo ship and sent back home on 7 January.
Servanne frustrated but positive as always.

Barcelona race - Positions at 10:00 hrs 30 Dec 2007

1 Paprec Virbac 2 10,081 nm
2 Hugo Boss + 837 nm
3 Temenos 2 + 1539 nm
4 Mutua Madrileña + 2058 nm
5 Educación Sin Fronteras + 2881 nm