The Artemis Transat 2008 - It's still wide open in the North Atlantic

The Artemis Transat 2008
www.theartemistransat.com -
Übersicht

22.05.2008
Positionstabelle 22.05.08

Day12: The final battle just started
- Loick Peyron at the gates of an historic third victory?
- Less than 400 miles to go, and a coastal match race expected between Gitana Eighty and Brit Air
- 45-knot gusts last night for the leaders
- Safran escapes while Roxy, Cervin EnR and Akena Verandas battle it out in strong winds
- Sam Davies sails into a whale
- The jury grants Loick Peyron 2h30 to compensate for the time and route loss induced by Riou's rescue
- The leaders have passed the longitude of Sable Island
- Read our article about that landmark in our Features section

It's now a match race for towards Boston in The Artemis Transat, with less than 400 miles to go and the two leaders only some 20 miles apart in terms of distance to the finish. A figure that should be taken with caution, as Armel Le Cléac'h emphasised: taking into account wind shifts and final trajectory subtleties, Loick Peyron in fact approximately has a 60-mile advantage. Lighter winds expected off the south of Nova Scotia tonight may open the game... but the duelists today certainly remained very vague about their plans!

An attack from Brit Air? Loick Peyron didn't seem very convinced when we asked him if he thought Le Cléac'h would make his move. "I think Armel wants to be sure to finish, he needs to qualify for the Vendée Globe, he's not going to take any risks", answered a half-asleep Peyron. Yet he admitted feeling some pressure, and having raced against him on the Figaro circuit, Gitana Eighty's skipper knows what kind of competitor Armel is. Despite what he had announced yesterday, Le Cléac'h pushed during the night and reduced the gap throughout the storm, maintaining high speeds and keeping his brain gears spinning. The psychological warfare has begun.

"I'm going towards the coast of Nova Scotia, I've decided to play the tactical game 100%", said Brit Air's skipper. Looking at the wind files this morning, one could have suspected that a tack was inevitably on the cards for Armel, but the reality might have been different, so it was worth checking with the skipper... who smiled and declared "Well, that's the big question for today, but the shift might allow me to continue on this direct route and gain some miles." Consider this final duel as a match race - Loick Peyron took advantage of a lift last night to place himself well windward of his rival, which is a regatta textbook move, we're now looking at a finale where close-combat racing tactics apply. Lighter winds expected tonight will complicate the game, but the wise Peyron, contemplating a third historical victory in the event (but as one might expect not uttering a word about it) certainly envisaged every possible scenario and will defend his leadership at all costs. "I'm two days away from finishing in good place - I hope - in Boston, and even though I may have gone a bit far south, I think my position is rather good." The man sure knows how to make good use of understatements, and is mentally gearing up for a coastal finish. Behind him, Armel Le Cléac'h will put a continuous pressure, and one can expect his typical "Jackal" surprise attack tactics to come into the picture sooner or later.

The sun came out, the seas are flat and it's finally calmer... Well, for the leaders at least, who experienced the worst of the storm last night. 45 knots of wind at the most, very rough seas and the bite of cold North Atlantic temperatures have been on the menu, and in those conditions Generali proved very fast. The boat is at ease in strong breeze, and her skipper likes nothing but a good fight - remember that Yann Elies moved into the lead on Day 3 following what we described as a "windy, wet and wild night"! He is now less than 100 miles from the leader, and on his way to secure a place on the podium. Safran pulled away from the rest of the second pack last night, and the fight is now fierce between Roxy (suffering from daggerboard problems after a collision with a whale, see below), Akena Verandas and Cervin EnR, aboard which Yannick Bestaven said this morning: "It's blowing 28 to 30 knots from the North, boat speed oscillates between 17 to 19 knots, she's perfectly in her element. Seas are a bit rough, but it's full speed ahead." The final sprint at the front of the fleet may be at the centre of everyone's attention, yet the battle in the pack is also very close-fought and fascinating to watch unfold. And it's not over... look out for Aviva's comeback!

2h30 for Loick Peyron

The time allowance granted to Loick Peyron by the jury for having diverted and rescued Vincent Riou is 2h30, which takes into account the time spent but also the position change induced. Gitana Eighty's skipper does not face any penalty regarding the use of his engine during the manoeuvre. Peyron received the jury's congratulations for his swift operation. Commenting on that decision, Loick said: "That's a capital I hope I won't have to use, it would spoil everything."

Sam Davies sails into a whale
"I sailed into a whale - my starboard daggerboard took the shock and now I can only use half my daggerboard. Bit scarey! I was sittong at back of boat fixing my mainsheed padeye and doing about 13 knots. We had 36-37 knots of wind last night but was expecting more so had put 3 reefs in the main - unfortunately, the big wind didn't come so I was a bit down on speed. I am knackered from reefing then back to full main, plus a tack as well. Attach on Safran is quite hard and she is faster boat than me and its pretty impossible to defend on the 3 boats behind - if I defend on one another one could get passed. I will just sail my own race..."

For Further information, please contact OC Events T: +44 (0)870 0630218 E: info@ocevents.org mailto:info@ocevents.org