OceanPlanet Updates:

[McGizmo]

Hi guys,
I hope you don't mind but I would like to keep a sticky here where I can add text from Bruce's E-mailed updates. Feel free to add comments or criticisims (if you must /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif )

I'll start with the latest update, I just got today. I have no idea if this will paste cleanly here or not...

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Ocean Planet update:
Tuesday, October 5, 2004

Arrival in Les Sables d'Olonne.

Well, here we are. The last time I was in Les Sables was for the start of the last Vendee in 2000, which seems like yesterday and a hundred years ago, at the same time. We have come so far, but there is still so far to go in the next few and very short weeks.

The trip across took roughly 10 and 1/2 days, from 4 p.m. ET Thursday, September 23rd to the harbor entrance this morning at 0530 ET--0930 UT. We were lucky to miss a few hurricanes, winding up with only two rough fronts (one was an extension of the remnants of Hurricane Lisa).

However, we were not so lucky in the underwater department. The press release below tells it like it is, and I will know more tomorrow after I dive under the boat to inspect the damage.

Bruce

MEDIA ALERT

Obstacles in North Atlantic Threaten Lone American World Racer

PORTLAND, MAINE (October 5, 2004) – After a decade of preparations, American sailor Bruce Schwab was counting on an uneventful crossing to France for the start of the single-handed Vendee Globe round-the-world race. Instead, while dodging hurricanes in rough seas, his boat, Ocean Planet, collided with unknown submerged objects twice in two days.

In a satellite e-mail to his supporters Schwab reported "both times we were traveling at 15 knots (nearly 20mph) when there was a deafening crash. I don't know what we hit but I'm certain they were not whales or sea life. We will haul out in France and assess the damage. We're in a race against time."

Schwab estimates these unexpected emergency repairs along with other last-minute preparation costs will top $50,000.

He does not have the money.

After years of fundraising, Schwab has received donations from thousands of supporters, but has yet to gain the corporate support to match his top European competitors.

Schwab's goal is to achieve a breakthrough in U.S. sailing by becoming the first American to finish the race. He is the only American qualified to compete.

He and his small delivery crew arrive in France today.

Ocean Planet supporter and development manager Geoff Lamdin said a lack of funds could force Schwab to withdraw. "He is so close. What Bruce has accomplished to get this far is absolutely amazing. He has rallied unprecedented public support from over 37 different states as well as several other countries. One reason for this is people see his dedication to the long-lasting success of the Ocean Planet education program."

The prestigious Bigelow Marine Laboratory of West Boothbay Harbor, Maine has partnered with Schwab to offer an inspirational Ocean Sciences course tied to his Vendee Globe race. Thousands of students following Schwab are on edge, hoping he makes the start. "It will be a tremendous loss for those kids if Bruce doesn't find the support he needs to make the race," said Donna Lee Cheney, chairman of Bigelow Marine Laboratory.

"My desire for a top placing is strong, but my desire to make something meaningful from all this is even more so." said Schwab.

Schwab and a small delivery crew left Portland on September 23. Pressed for time and dodging hurricanes Karl and Lisa, Ocean Planet is expected to arrive in Les Sables today, giving just enough of a window to effect repairs before the race if Schwab can raise the funds he needs in time.

The quadrennial Vendee Globe is one of the world's most challenging and extreme sporting events. Competitors must sail non-stop and alone around-the-world, without help. The race starts in Les Sables d'Olonne, France on November 7.



Bruce Schwab, Skipper
USA 05/Ocean Planet
Web: www.bruceschwab.com
Education: www.oceanplanet.org
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 843-670-6582

This American team for the Vendee Globe is made possible by your donations to The Made in America Foundation (www.bruceschwab.com/support.cfm)

 

[McGizmo]

Ocean Planet Vendee news:
Friday, October 8, 2004

The latest news....

--Diving on boat with the local officials

--Emergency financial help from International Ocean Planet supporter!

--Press release from race organization

Well folks, it looks like we might pull this off after all. I dove under the boat yesterday with some help from the local diving club (including the Vice Mayor of Les Sables!), and what I discovered that the damage from our collisions is not severe. What a great big sigh of relief! However, we still need to haul out and do minor repairs for some abrasions and reglass our keel winglets. At least there is no major structural damage, which I have to say makes me feel very good about this boat and the durability of the keel. Given the impacts that we had it is amazing there so little damage. Schooner Creek Boat Works built one tough boat!

I'm the one in the lower right in the pic below:

Over the past couple of days there have been many donations that are really helping to keep us afloat. However, it hasn't been enough to meet the overwhelming costs for our haulout, minimal sails and sail repairs, required liability insurance, payments on our many debts, and a million other details. In an amazing example of support, longtime FRENCH supporter Serge Martial has offered The Made in America Foundation an emergency loan of $50,000 to help get us to the starting line. Serge has already donated several times to Ocean Planet and although he could not donate more he is a committing a good chuck of his personal savings. Serge is joining a very brave group of donors and lenders who believe in our dream. YOUR DONATIONS WILL HELP US TO REPAY THESE LOANS, some of which are very very old...

Thanks to Serge and especially everyone who has made a contribution at this critical time! We are the American boat with International supporters! Is that cool or what?!

The suspense builds! Here's the latest press release from the Vendee Globe organization:

VENDÉE GLOBE 2004 : 8 DAYS TO GO BEFORE THE VILLAGE OPENS AND 30 DAYS BEFORE THE START

With just thirty days to go before the start of the Vendée Globe and only 8 days before the official village opens, the excitement is building in Les Sables d'Olonne, where the race village is being set up. As for the entrants, Anne Liardet has confirmed her entry and Patrick de Radiguès is bowing out. Here is a look at what is happening 1 month away from the start of the single-handed trip around the world.

22 skippers lining up at the start
The little family of skippers has now been reduced to 22 competitors, since the Belgian yachtsman, Patrick de Radiguès announced today he is standing down, after his sponsor Harmony Capital Group could not confirm their support. Anne Liardet, on the other hand, has had more success, as she announced today that she has signed with a new sponsor. Her boat will now be called Roxy, taking the name of Quicksilver's women's sportswear brand.

5 boats already in Port Olona
PRB (Vincent Riou), VMI (Sébastien Josse), Ocean Planet (Bruce Schwab), Austria One (Norbert Sedlacek) and Raphael Dinelli's yacht are already moored up on the Vendée Globe landing stages in Port Olonna. While the technical staff and preparation team are busy making some final adjustments to these craft, the rest of the little armada is expected by the race organisers by 9 a.m. on Saturday 16th October at the latest.

Forthcoming appointments
3 p.m. on Friday 15th October: the official inauguration of the race village in Les Sables d'Olonne, 10 a.m. on Saturday 16th October : first briefing with the skippers and opening of the village to the public.

Internet: D-Day minus 5
Designed to offer the general public the possibility of following the course as it happens, the new official site for the Vendée Globe will be "opening its doors" next Wednesday. A press section will allow you to obtain an accreditation and download all the documents meant for the press. Make a note of the address: www.vendeeglobe.org

Technical information: the press room, opening from the 15th October, will be equipped with freely available high speed digital links + Wi-Fi Orange access (this requires a PCMCIA card and a subscription to Orange Telecom).

Media Contacts
Written press - internet Caroline Concetti +33(0)6 07 57 28 02
Written press - radios Soazig Gueho +33(0)6 62 08 75 44
French and International TV stations Laetitia Briand +33(0)6 60 76 92 78
International press: Sabina Mollart-Rogerson and Ophélie Théron +34(0) 666 759 530

(Media contacts for Ocean Planet: U.S.: Tami Kennedy: [email protected], Europe: Aline Galvez: [email protected])

Ok, I'm back to work!

 

[Kiessling]

Although it is an American boat I supported Bruce.
Why?
He is a man with a dream, with a goal in his life. He is on the quest for his personal grail, sacrificing a lot on the way. Something most of us, including me, miss. Badly miss. Such men shall be treated with respect. I want him to be able to be there.

bernhard

 

[tvodrd]

Same here Bernie!

Larry

 

[McGizmo]

Oops, I am behind on posting these!
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Ocean Planet Vendée Globe Update:
Friday, October 15, 2004

Waiting and rushing in Les Sables.

As I sit at our team's favorite new headquarters, the cozy "Cafe Cuisine" internet cafe near the harbor, my head is spinning with all that has occurred in the four years since I was here in 2000. It seems like yesterday that I wrote these stories:

http://www.oceanplanet.org/op/news_hldr.cfm?art=news/pre-race/update_11_02_00.cfm

http://www.oceanplanet.org/op/news_hldr.cfm?art=news/pre-race/update_11-04_00am.cfm

The race village is taking shape for this Saturday's official opening, and it is a madhouse of trucks unloading and of construction. The Vendée Globe is this town's (or the state's?) biggest event and they pull out all the stops. We were going to haul out on Wednesday to take care of our details on the keel, but the predicted weather made it doubtful that we could relaunch today (Friday). It is mandatory for all the boats to be on the pontoons tomorrow for the opening, so we will haul out on Monday instead. Here is an attempt to fit the race village that is being constructed into three pictures:

The press coverage of all this is amazing, and journalists are everywhere. I have been in the paper or on TV several times already and our press attache', Aline Galvez, now has to schedule all of my interviews so that I can get something done. My own team has to work to get my attention as I am pulled in so many different directions!

By tomorrow morning all 22 of the boats will be here, and the 'Zone Technique' will be filled with all of the team's trailers and containers. At least one team is setting up some kind of portable office building...sheesh.

Meanwhile, I am very excited about how all of the pieces of our preparation puzzle are coming together. Over the next couple of weeks, we will have FOUR new sails arriving: special Cuben Fiber mainsail by Maine Sailing Partners, along with a Doyle Vectran D4 staysail, Doyle carbon/Vectran working jib, and Doyle heavy duty fractional kite that I always have wanted! We have been secretly building a new boom (a secret no more!) of my design, with structuring engineering by Ted Van Dusen of Composite Engineering. It is being built by team member (and fabricationist extraordinaire) Will Rooks of Falmouth Boat Works, Maine, and it is really amazing that we have pulled this off so economically! Will started it in Portland, and we shipped it over in our MOT Intermodal/Shipco container. I will send pics soon, but you will have to imagine it for now...;-)

Another project I am jazzed about is our new completely custom furling swivels made by Equiplite. These brilliantly designed fittings will save a lot of weight aloft as they weigh only about a third of our old ones! I am nuts about Equiplite fittings, and I have them all over the boat. I will do a feature on Equiplite soon, but here is a pic of the new working jib swivel and a sailing shot of our floating jib lead system:

We are having some fun too. In fact, tonight I have been invited to do a guest guitar appearance at the most popular sailing bar/night hangout near the harbor. The fact that I play guitar seems to be a kick to many here! Let's hope I play okay and can sell some of my CD's!

That's enough for now...it's 5 in the morning and I have been up most of the night writing this... yawn...

 

[McGizmo]

Ocean Planet Vendée Globe Update:
Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Hi folks!

Busy day as we lifted our trusty steed up onto European soil for the first time......

We'll be working like mad for a few days to get things touched up and then back in the water before the weekend.

Last weekend there were THOUSANDS on the docks, and I can't imagine what the crowds will be like in a couple of weeks.

We have had tremendous assistance from various resources here in Les Sables, for instance, Stephane (pictured drilling above with Mario guiding) who works on a local Open 50, "Defi Vendeen." Since we borrowed the stand from PRB and the formed top from "Defi," Stephane worked like crazy to get the cradle put together. It took a lot of diddling to get the boat safely supported to avoid any (more) dents or scratches. Also, a local boat building school has let us take the new boom inside their shop to finish and paint it. Way cool!

You will see the new boom soon... and I am SO jazzed as it weighs about 80 lbs. less than our old one along with being safer. BIG thanks to Ted Van Dusen of Composite Engineering (in Concord, Mass.) for the engineering assistance on my design.

More news.... click here to check out this nice bit in Mainetoday.com. .

More soon, but right now I need to get some sleep for tomorrow!

 

[McGizmo]

Ocean Planet Vendée Globe Update:
Friday, October 22, 2004

Here is the first special journal for our Ocean Sciences website with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences! Please take a minute to visit, at www.oceanplanet.org!

Vendee Race Journal #1

What's this all about? I will try to explain....

The Race:
The Vendee Globe happens every 4 years, and the 2004 race will be only the fifth time it has been held with this name. The first actual solo nonstop race around the world was the Golden Globe race, which started in England in the late 1960's. Out of nine starters, only one sailor, Robin Knox-Johnston, finished the epic event.

It wasn't until 1989 that another solo nonstop race was held. Named the Vendee Globe and starting from France, this race was organized by ocean racer Phillip Jeantot. He had a vision for a round-the-world race that would challenge sailors and their boats to the absolute limit. The first race saw 13 competitors line up for the start. Of that 13, only seven finished. Today, there are 20 skippers competing. By February 2005 a new chapter in racing history will be written -- it is exciting to be a part of making that history happen!

What does it take?
An Open 60 racing boat is very complex, and you need to be familiar with a lot of systems and rigging to be able to operate these amazing machines. Even though I have sailed most of my life and have been solo racing since 1984, I have had to learn a lot over the past four years. Racing in the 2002/2003 Around Alone race was an important part of gaining the experience needed to sail non-stop around the world.

A Weighty Issue:
To get ready for The Vendee Globe 2004, I spent over a year on the coast of Maine working on Ocean Planet. I wanted to cut down the weight on the boat since so much more stuff comes onboard for the 3-4 month race. The lighter the boat, the more easily driven and the less of a load on sails, gear, and me. In the Around Alone, the boat weighed less than 20,000 pounds. Now, counting all the modifications she should be under well under 19,500 (before provisions come aboard). Part of the weight reduction is our new boom (about 75 pounds) and our new Cuben Fiber mainsail (not sure yet, but could be as much as 80 pounds lighter!).

Saving Energy:
Ocean Planet is very energy efficient, but we do burn a bit of power since the autopilot, radar, and computer are all on 24 hours a day. I have a diesel engine with two alternators but will also rely heavily on my new Solara MP solar panels. Racing non-stop at sea for 3-4 months makes it difficult to carry enough fuel for that length of time, so the panels will provide at least half of our power when the sun is out. Of course, when it is cloudy the diesel auxiliary is the main power, but it is amazing how well the Solara panels work. Another very special system is our water maker/desalinator. I use a Spectra water maker which is VERY efficient and draws only 5 amps at 24 volts while producing nearly 10 gallons per hour.

Rigging:
Ocean Planet has a very unique mast, as it is unstayed (no side stays) and rotating. This type of mast, which is a bit flexible and very hard to break, has much fewer parts and pins and is simpler in general than a standard mast. It is certainly getting a lot of attention here....and a lot of questions! But it is exactly the system that I want, and has already been around the world. Our new boom is about five feet shorter which will save weight (see above), be easier to use, and also safer. Our new "Cuben Fiber" mainsail will also save a lot of weight aloft which is a big gain in both performance and safety.

Navigation:
During the race, knowing exactly where you are and forecasting the weather is a big job. I will have a lot of tools to do this but it often takes 6hrs or more of analyzing each day in order to make the right decisions. For charting, I use all 'digital' charts, that is I feed GPS data to my laptop where I am running both Nobeltec navigation and seaPro racing software. Going online with our Iridium phone, I can download small weather data files (called "Grib" files) via the internet for areas that I specify with special software. Then I can display computer predicted weather maps on the PC for different time periods and even run little movies. But they are just computer predictions so one has to carefully look at them and of course the conditions that you ACTUALLY have on the boat. For instance, I have a very accurate barometer which helps to spots pressure trends and compare real-time data to the models so you decide how much faith to put in them.

I am busy in Les Sables for the next few weeks prepping all of the above before the race begins... But I hope this gives you a good idea about our boat and the adventure we are facing together in the Vendee Globe race! Join me, Ocean Planet, and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences for over 26,000 ocean miles! You may be an 'Ocean Expert' by the time we finish....

Bruce from Les Sables d'Olonne, France.

Btw, yesterday I visited a local school here and met the students. Their enthusiasm was incredible! I've never signed so many autographs....

Bruce Schwab, Skipper
USA 05/Ocean Planet
Web: www.bruceschwab.com
Education: www.oceanplanet.org
Email: [email protected]

 

[McGizmo]

Ocean Planet Vendée Globe Update:
Tuesday/Wednesday, Octocber 26 & 27, 2004

It's late at night here in Les Sables d'Olonne, which at the moment is the Mecca of solo ocean racing.

It is impossible to describe how BIG of an event the Vendée Globe is. They have to limit the amount of people on the docks, and last Sunday the "waiting" line was amazing. The official tally (there are folks with little clickers in their hands at the top of the docks that keep track of how many go on and off) was over 20,000 for the day, and that was with two weeks to go.

I can hardly work on the deck of the boat, for as soon as the crowd on the dock realizes that "one of the skippers" is there, you are stuck signing autographs! What happens is that someone with one of the many "official" printed programs spots you and then they get excited. A crowd starts to grow which attracts the attention of more... pretty soon there's 200 people or more clustered around. Of course I'm not complaining, as it is great to have so much attention! Also, the enthusiasm and excitement of the many kids that come to see the boats is totally infectious:

We are working hard (frantically?) to get ready, and I have to give a huge thanks to the volunteers helping me: Serge & Aline on Logistics and European PR, our systems/electrian pro Dave (Dodson, of Portland, Maine), and some American(!) residents of Les Sables: Corey, Heather, and Glenn. Another EXTRA huge thanks to our fabricator Will Rooks (Falmouth Boat Works, Maine), and our Operations Manager Mario Espin (also Manager of the West Marine store in Key West, Florida). Will and Mario had to leave today to go back to the U.S. Will has certainly earned some "hometime" after five months straight out with us. Mario will be back on the first of November, which is good!

Showing up this weekend are Ocean Planet Team stalwarts Stephen Hodges, Jason Winkel, Greg Nelson, Andrew Roberts, and my girl Jeanie. Jeanie and I have seen each other a total of six days this year, since I have been so flat out working towards the Vendée. Crazy, I know.

There is a little bit of stress waiting for shipments to arrive in time. Some very valuable rope sent by our rope supplier sponsor Samson Ropes accidentally wound up in Germany, and we didn't find out where it was until today (NOT Samson's fault, I'm sure). Our sails were ordered at the last possible second (we didn't have the $ to order them sooner), but thankfully Doyle Sails and Maine Sailing Partners have both been really hustling to get them here.

So, we still won't be able to go test sailing until the final week! Yes, I'm nervous, but you should see the boat with the new boom, she looks GREAT.

....Ok, now it's 7 a.m. here and I just got off the phone with our Team rigger Jason Winkel (Argo Rigging). It's 10 p.m., Tuesday in Sausalito, and with the nine hour time difference, a good time to communicate. He and the gang are all set for this weekend, and our new video cameras have arrived for them to fly over with. I hope to get some good footage during the race, of course.

Am I rambling on here? I'd better get another short nap before heading down to the boat this morning. Talk to you later!

Oh wait, another bit of news! Yours truly will be giving a live "concert" on the music stage in the Vendée Village on Friday, at 7:30 or 8 p.m. local time. It is getting a bit of press on the radio and in the papers (I did an interview and played on Radio France Bleu on Monday), so there should be a good crowd. Let's hope I play halfway decently....;-)

Ok, too late for a nap, gotta run!

Bruce Schwab, Skipper
USA 05/Ocean Planet
Web: www.bruceschwab.com
Education: www.oceanplanet.org
Email: [email protected]

 

[McGizmo]

Ocean Planet Vendée Globe Update:
Friday, November 5, 2004

Down to the wire...

I don't know if you've been following the great Vendée Globe website (www.vendeeglobe.fr/uk/), but we have been really going at it to get ready. Our four new sails arrived Wednesday night and it has been a flat out effort since. Today our solar panels arrived along with Mark Weiss of Solara Energy (www.solaraenergy.com), and we are installing them right away.....we may be up all night!

We actually went SAILING today with our beautiful new sails! We have four, including a special Cuben Fiber mainsail (www.cubenfiber.com) made by Win Fowler and team at Maine Sailing Partners (Win is a Cuben Fiber expert). Also, there are three new sails by Doyle Sails (www.doylesails.com) - a carbon/Vectran paneled working jib that looks rocket fast, a new D4 staysail for when it howls, and best of all a new fractional 2.2 poly asymmetrical kite that I have wanted for a long time. There were some great pictures and video taken of us zooming along with the new kite, but I don't have them in my hands yet.

The crowd level is INSANE. I can not even begin to try to go up the dock through the crowd, so at the moment I'm hiding below writing. And, of course, giving directions when needed....;-) I even made lunch on the boat with my some of my huge stash of freeze-dried "chicken fajitas." Not that bad, really!

There is probably twice as much food aboard as I need, but better safe than sorry and it's good to have a variety. One of the really great additions to the on-board cuisine is a large selection of munchies by Blackbird foods that I really like. Check out www.blackbirdfood.com!

So much is going on at once....innumerable rigging projects, cleaning, solar panels, etc, As I sit here at the nav station, I am listening to the sound of a hacksaw underwater. It turns out that my keel winglets hum too loud for me to stand it for three months, so I talked the diver, who is cleaning the bottom, into cutting 1/2 of the length off of each one. A crazy thing to do at the last second, but we didn't know how loud they were after reglassing them until we went sailing today! I hope the cut doesn't rust too badly before I get back to Les Sables when we can haul out again.

Anyway, it's back to work for me as I need to start up the diesel heater and run a pipe outside to try to keep the dew off the deck as we get ready to glue the panels down. Sheesh, what a struggle.

One bizarre thing is that almost every time I walk through the crowd in the Vendée Village, I hear my own CD over the sound system.... Hardly anyone knows that it is me, but what a strange feeling to be in a crowd of thousands hearing your own guitar playing wafting through the hubbub.

Bruce Schwab, Skipper
USA 05/Ocean Planet
Web: www.bruceschwab.com
Education: www.oceanplanet.org
Email: [email protected]

 

[McGizmo]

Well since I have been remiss in updating this thread and since there are band width issues with the forum anyway, I am going to unsticky this and let it drift off.........

I must have 20 updates I have not got around to cutting and pasting.

 

[Kiessling]

If you find the time ... a littel short update would be nice nevertheless ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
bernie

 

[Fitz]

I was kind of wondering how things were going myself. I was just too lazy to look it up on my own. Looks like he's in 12th place at the moment?