BT Sébastien Josse - Vendée Globe 2008

Equator tonight...

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Position / Team Distance to leader / finish

1Gitana Eighty	20796.4

2BT	19.6

3PRB	33.1

4Paprec-Virbac 2	34.6

Speed10.9 kts

Course189°

Updated: 2008-11-21 14:30:00

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2 Hrs AgoGift for Neptune?

It's hardly time to relax exactly but with the stable south-easterly airflow expected to be in place for a few days now, it gives time for Seb to recoup as the procession heads south with BT holding onto second: "For now, we have good conditions that will stay for 48 hours then we will see.." Later tonight Seb will cross the Equator for the nth time! Read today's full story below to find out if Seb will make a gift to Neptune...

6 Hrs AgoVideo updates

Click on More Video to see this week's round-up video plus the latest footage from onboard BT - the windless zone of yesterday's Doldrums and dolphins play around BT's bow as Seb attempts to communicate in their language...!

7 Hrs AgoEquator Ahead

Now sailing in steady ESE'ly winds, BT is slipping along nicely at 12-13 knots of boat speed. The respite from the Doldrums now means Seb will have more time to rest and recoup in the more stable conditions. Although 'sandwiched' between two pre-race favourites - Loick Peyron 19 miles ahead and Vincent Riou 10 miles behind - there will be no respite from the intense competition. The Equator lies ahead - approx 180 miles - and already the skippers will be planning how to skirt the St Helena High (area of little wind) and whether it will allow BT a direct route or if a move to the west is required.

10 Hrs AgoDeliverence!

The leading pack are out of the Doldrums, and with speeds above 12 knots in steady ESE'ly winds - as opposed to the NE'ly winds before entering the Doldrums - BT is currently the second and fastest boat in the leading trio. The frontrunners are heading south towards the Equator, 190 miles ahead. The top 10 boats are within less than 75 miles of each other, and there is a clear break (100 miles) between 10th placed Jean Le Cam and 11th placed Dominique Wavre. 2004 victor, Vincent Riou moved into third just in front of Jean-Pierre Dick, some 10 miles behind Sébastien... The situation is still tough - the Doldrums did not create huge gaps, to say the least!

22 Hrs AgoSébastien holds on tight to his 2nd place

Extremely tense times on the race course! Seb is still hunted down by Jean-Pierre Dick, but now has a 4-mile margin (if 4 miles can actually be considered safe...) while the previous position report saw Dick less than 3 miles away whilst being 3 knots faster. The leaders have picked up speed, and Loick Peyron maintains a 20-mile lead. The southeasterlies are just in front of the leaders' bows, they can start to take advantage of them, and once they will have definitely caught them, it will be a matter of the rich getting richer!

26 Hrs AgoDick getting dangerously close

Sébastien is under direct threat from Jean-Pierre Dick, less than three miles away but in the west and sailing almost three knots faster! Vendée Globe leader Loïck Peyron is moving again after having been almost stopped this morning, and obviously Sébastien, in his wake, is anxious to benefit from the new breeze himself. As anticipated, the concertina effect results in the 10 first boats being back within 80 miles of each other - they were only 6 in 100 miles this morning.

31 Hrs AgoWeather Forecast

The first boats of the fleet are now slowed down in the Doldrums. Check the weather forecast of the day opposite.

31 Hrs AgoHeading straight towards a wall?

40 miles behind Peyron at the 5:00 postion report, Sébastien is now only 14 miles away from the leader who seems to have hit a wall… Gitana Eighty's speed has dropped to 2 knots while BT's twice as fast - which still remains quite slow! Jean-Pierre Dick is back in third, threatened by Vincent Riou less than a mile away, but if the pursuers are still sailing at 8 knots, they should logically slow down in the next couple of hours.

34 Hrs AgoTension in the Doldrums

Sébastien performed several gybes to find his way between the calms and the potential squalls this zone brings. This morning, he is still in second place but has now a 40 miles deficit on Loick Peyron. The 4 chasing boats now led by Armel Le Cleac'h are only 15-20 miles behind. Surprisingly, the fleet sailed at 5-6 knots through the night, and 8-9 since early this morning. Respectable speeds in this area, well known for its lack of wind!

46 Hrs AgoDoldrums mania

Having been the hot topic of conversation amongst the communications teams in the last few days, Sébastien, with the 10 first boats of the fleet is now encountering the Doldrums. Loick Peyron, who is still leading the fleet, has gybed this afternoon as Sébastien followed the direct route, SSE. They are both sailing with an average speed of 6 knots while the chasing pack, now 25 miles behind are only making 2 or 3 knots. The night is going to be long as Seb must remain vigilant both in the calms and the potential squals this zone brings. See full story below and read the Doldrums story in the Features section.

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Day 12: In for another 'get together'?20 November 2008

"I'm alright, I could be more tired… Right now it's hot, I have no wind and with the swell the boat is a bit shaken", says Sébastien. Fighting light winds at the front - but could the exit to the Doldrums...

Day 11: Touching the Doldrums19 November 2008

“It’s good to be in 2nd going into the Dodrums – I hope we have the same position after! It is never easy going across, things change in a few hours…”. Equator record unachievable – the record time of 10...

Day 10 - The great compression18 November 2008

BT, third, gains in the West to strengthen his ranking. "Weather files keep changing, but we should enter the Doldrums tomorrow afternoon", says...

Day 9: Negotiating the Cape Verde Islands…17 November 2008

Loïck Peyron reprend le contrôle de la flotte après avoir empanné autour des îles de Cap Vert tandis que Sébastien perd quelques milles pour se repositionner dans...

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Week 2 Round Up: BT Clears the Doldrums in 2nd 21 November 2008

Having emerged from the inaugural storm off Cape Finisterre unhurt, Sébastien Josse aboard BT stuck to the leading pack and brilliantly held his place in the...

A look at the Doldrums17 November 2008

The doldrums – technically known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone – is an area that circles the globe near the equator and is characterised by very...