Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

03.05.2003
THIERRY TAKES THIRD
Latest update: 23:35:57 local time: Ocean Planet has finished.
Latest update: 23:05 local time: Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet is 3 miles from the finish. He's tacking upwind and expected to finish in about a half an hour.
Latest ETA's: At 21:15 local time Bruce Schwab was 14 miles from the finish sailing at 8 knots. His ETA is for 11:30 local time. Brad Van Liew on Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America was 36 miles doing 7 knots. Brad's ETA is 03:00 local time.
Original Story: By the time Thierry Dubois arrived in Newport on Solidaires, the chill and grey skies of the morning had given way to bright sunshine and the water of Narragansett Bay sparkled as if it had been sprinkled with diamonds. Once again Solidaires looked immaculate and the skipper smiled and acknowledged the fleet of spectator boats that were out to greet him. Then as if to show that he was still giving it his all, Dubois set his huge Amnesty International spinnaker and the boat really started to fly. The spinnaker had been painted by schoolchildren at each of the stopovers and the colorful graphics were a reminder of the good that Dubois has done for children around the world. He has devoted the last ten years to human rights, especially the human rights of children, and they would have been happy and proud to see the spinnaker flying high as Dubois sailed across the finish line to complete the Around Alone.
Thierry is the comeback kid of this leg having been in last place during the early stages, but an eleventh hour charge and some fast sailing catapulted him into third finishing less than eight hours behind Simone Bianchetti on Tiscali. More importantly he finished ahead of Bruce Schwab on Ocean Planet and by doing so claimed the final podium position for Class 1. His second place overall was never in question, but still it must be rewarding to know that that despite being beaten by Stamm that his performance throughout the race was exceptional.

Thierry Dubois. Second overall in the Around Alone - Roy Riley Marinepics

Solidaires approaching the finish under full sail - Roy Riley Marinepics

Amnesty International spinnaker flying on Solidaires with Coast Guard plane flying by - Roy Riley Marinepics

It had not been an easy leg for Dubois who is used to being at the front of the pack, but Thierry was not disappointed. "I knew that I had to try something different from Bernard," he said. "I could not just follow him so I took a course to the east." Dubois’s strategy for the leg was to sail to the east of the fleet in order to position himself for a better wind angle once he reached the northeast trades north of the equator. The idea was sound, but the wind gods did not cooperate. He soon found a series of private parking lots and while the boats to the west were making good tracks, Solidaires was going nowhere slowly. It was a character building time. Once across the equator the wind filled in and for a short while it looked as if his strategy might indeed pay dividends. Solidaires was flying north while the frontrunners were slowed up by a large high pressure system. Unfortunately it was too little too late, and Stamm and Bianchetti sailed into new wind and out of reach leaving Thierry to battle it out for third.
At that point he set his sights on Bruce Schwab. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Dubois was in a canny mood willing to try anything. He retrieved a chicken he had been given in Salvador (a rubber one I should point out) and sacrificed the bird on the aft deck. The photos (in the gallery) show a bloodbath on the deck, but the sacrifice worked. Two days later Solidaires overtook Ocean Planet and there was little Schwab could do about it. As Thierry sailed into Newport he retrieved the headless chicken from below and strung it from his antennae platform. It was a gesture of thanks to the toy bird that had changed his fortunes.
The final five miles of the leg were sailed fully pressed on the edge of control. The spinnaker was sheeted tight and the keel canted all the way to windward. Solidaires took off at 15 knots while the skipper perched himself on the aft deck as if he was out for a short day sail, and relished the moment. Thierry Dubois’ career as a solo sailor officially ended when the finish gun fired. Dubois has devoted a decade of his life to racing single-handed and doing so in the name of human rights. Now it’s time for him to devote his attention to his small family and to find another cause for his boundless energy. He will be sorely missed on the international circuit. Best wishes Thierry; you are one heck of a guy.
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net