Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008 - (Page 24)

TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE 24 HOURS WITH Jean-YvesBERNOT During the Transat Jacques Vabre, OceanRacing was invited to be present alongside the router, JeanYves Bernot, who was offering his weather and strategy advice to several competitors. We were thus able to explore the wizard’s den and the ins and outs of routing… A typical day in a router’s den is very strictly organised, because the information appearing regularly on the computer screens pops up at precise times. Apart from this schedule determined by the weather, the router remains available 24 hours a day, in order to reply to any questions from a racer or to follow a particular phase of the course. With Jean-François Cuzon and Wouter Verbraak, each with responsibility for a boat, Jean-Yves Bernot explains to us the various sequences, which make up the day’s routine. various environmental data (wind, temperature…)." 8 AM 30 Breakfast taken together and routers’ briefing to set up the overall strategy of the day. 5 AM 10 The weather charts from midnight GMT have been studied and interpreted by the forecasters, who make them available on the various websites. "Data really starts to arrive from five to ten in the morning: we have to deal with that in order to publish a first bulletin at around nine with all the latest news of the day, which confirms or invalidates what was announced the previous evening." 10 AM 07 Analysis of the wind using a satellite model concerning the Doldrums. "The data that is broadcast is picked up via satellite and is capable of establishing the wind strength and direction by analysing the slightest wave on the surface of the sea. These are satellites passing over a zone at regular times and which operate from a height of 850 km almost in real time, on artificial strips measuring 300 km across." 4 AM 05 Reception of all the fleet’s positions. The router analyses the different trajectories made by the boats during the night, as there is a blackout on that information concerning their positions between 20h00 and 04h00. "We automatically receive the positions of the boats that we follow at regular intervals with the 8 AM 08 New information about the position of the fleet. More precise analysis of the boats’ trajectories: "In the strategies that we put forward, we also indicate the tactical trends according to the other competitors, although during an ocean race, the overall strategy is more important than where you are positioned in the sail area." Weather report and complete strategy is issued to the boats being monitored. "We send off by e-mail a summary of what we would like the boats to do. This is essentially in text format, although sometimes 11 AM 10 Ocean Racing - december 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008

Cover
Edito
Contents
What they said
News
Portfolio - The news in the picture
Transat Jacques Vabre - Monohulls in power
In the words of the skipper - Michel Desjoyaux, A little bit more
Barcelona World Race - A couple sailing around the world
Imoca - Growth crisis in the Imoca class
Transat 6.5 - A whole series of records
Mini Class - Anatomy of a winner
Multihulls - What sort of trimarans tomorrow ?
Volvo Ocean Race - Second generation
Trials - Mach 45 : an unusual IRC
Match Racing - King Richard
Tactics - A good start
Portrait - Jacques Caraës
Lab - Tubular or wing mast ?
Forty years ago - Chichester, the lonely sea and the sky
Equipment - Shop window
New products - From the drawing board to the boatyard
Opinion - The mirage of worshipping technology

Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008