The Transat Race 2004 Plymouth - Boston - Start 31.05.2004 www.thetransat.com - zur Übersicht 22.06.2004 RECORDS TUMBLE IN CLASSIC TRANSAT RACE... The Transat 2004 proved, in many ways, to be a classic solo east-west transatlantic race, living up to its reputation as the toughest solo North Atlantic race in the world. But what set the 12th edition of the race apart from other previous editions, was the speeds the 37 skippers covered the 2800 mile course distance. In all classes from the extreme ORMA 60 trimarans to the 50-foot monohulls, the records tumbled. Although the competitors in the 2004 edition of the race were heading to a new finish destination in Boston (US) 2800 miles from Plymouth (UK), the difference in course distance to the previous finish port of Newport was negliable. In fact, the WSSRC ratified Francis Joyon's 2000 course record as 2800 miles so direct race record comparisons were possible. It was perhaps hard to comprehend at the start that the fastest boats in the fleet were going to break the nine day barrier set by Joyon in the heavy-going upwind conditions forecasted. Ultimately, the top three ORMA 60 boats - Geant, Sodebo, Groupama - achieved this and Foncia, Sergio Tacchini and Banque Populaire all finished ahead of Joyon's 2000 finish time of 9 days, 23 hours, 21 minutes. After this trend-setting performance, everyone waited to see how the other classes would perform and they did not disappoint. Seven out of the 12 finishers in the IMOCA 60 class crossed the finish line ahead of Yves Parlier's 1992 record of 14 days, 16 hours, 1 minute. Ecover, Temenos and Pindar AlphaGraphics all completed the course in less then 13 days at an average speeds of over 9 knots. Michel Desjoyeaux / Geant 1st ORMA 60 Multihull Image © Benoit Stichelbaut / DPPI Mike Golding Image © Benoit Stichelbaut / DPPI Kip Stone - winner of Open 50 monohull class In the 50-foot multihull class it was the same scenario - Trilogic set a blinding pace averaging 8.30 knots and finished in just over 14 days - 2 days and 11 hours faster than the 1992 record set by Hervé Cleris. And both second and third, Great American II and GiFi respectively, both finished well under 16 days. A day after Trilogic finished in the 50ft multi class, the first 50-foot monohull, Artforms, crossed the line at the entrance to Boston Harbour in 15 days, 5 hours, 20 minutes taking 13 hours off Giovanni Soldini's 1996 record. The 2004 race was a truly international performance - a total of nine different nationalities (French, British, Italian, Swiss, Australian, New Zeland, Austrian, American and Canadian) represented the 37 competitors that crossed the line at 1300 GMT on Bank Holiday Monday, 31st May. Not surprisingly, the French dominated the podium in the ORMA 60 class - there was only one Italian, Giovanni Soldini, that could have upset that! - but in the home-grown French IMOCA class the top 5 slots were occupied by Britain (1st Mike Golding, 5th Conrad Humphreys), Switzerland (2nd Dominique Wavre), New Zealand (3rd Mike Sanderson) and Australia (4th Nick Moloney). And in the 50-foot classes, it was the American skippers that out-paced many of their European competition. Kip Stone and Joe Harris, first and second respectively, dominated the 50ft monohull class and Rich Wilson, may not have been able to match the pace of 50ft multihull class winner, Eric Bruneel, but saw off the competition of Dominique Demachy (GiFi) and Etienne Hochede (PIR2) to finish second. The fleet collectively went the furthest north than in other previous editions of the race although staying as close to the shortest Great Circle route as possible. The North Atlantic weather was predictable for this time of year, dishing out depression after depression - Swiss skipper, Dominique Wavre, on Open 60 Temenos reported 58 knots of wind at one point during the race and many of the IMOCA fleet saw consistent 50 knot winds. In the ORMA class, these were the worst weather conditions the multihulls had experienced since the 2002 Route du Rhum race when the fleet were decimated by hurricane force winds. The third night of the race saw them tackling a giant North Atlantic depression bringing with it 45 knot winds and ferocious seas. Aiming straight for the centre of the first low the leading multis in the north tacked first and took a fast ride out of the back of the low before facing the next onslaught - in total the multihulls had to tackle three low systems. Due to their northerly route the direct route to Boston would have taken the boats through a densely populated area of icebergs to the east of Newfoundland, but in a gentleman's agreement, the skippers agreed upon an ice exclusion zone (47degN 47degW) moving their course south. From Newfoundland on the weather changed to the other extreme as the skippers were kept glued to their tillers, as they had to negotate extensive periods of light winds. The storm force conditions took its toll on the other fleets - Virbac and PRB dismasted and Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux lost her keel in the Open 60 class and 50ft multihull Crepes Whaou ! pulled a winch right out of her deck. In total the 60ft monohulls had to tackle four low pressure systems - not exceptional conditions for this time of year. Unlike the ORMA 60s the Open 60 skippers opted not to enforce an ice exclusion zone but the majority of the skippers stayed on the cautious side not going above 47 degrees N - although some skippers identified icebergs on their radar systems at night. Please find below a race summary for the Transat 2004: START DAY 31/05 Grey skies, 20 knot headwinds, 1-2 metre waves, gusts building. ORMA class: Mediatis Region Aquitaine (Parlier) returns to Plymouth Yacht Haven at 11:30 GMT with pilot problems for 20 minute repairs. Foncia (Gautier) returns with rudder problems; sets off at 15:40 GMT. Gitana X (Guillemot) penalised for starts with infringement. Geant (Desjoyeaux) wins Omega Seamaster Transat watch as first ORMA to Eddystone Lighthouse. IMOCA class: Hellomoto (Humphreys) and Skandia (Moloney) are PMS. Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux (Stamm) first non-PMS Open 60 across start line. Ecover (Golding) wins Omega Seamaster Transat watch as first IMOCA to Eddystone Lighthouse. 50ft class: trimaran Nootka (Birch) returns to Plymouth with pilot problems, followed by sister-ship, Great American II (Wilson), with broken halyard. 01/06 ORMA class: 20 knot headwinds on first night. ORMAs 90 miles ahead of leading IMOCAs off SW Ireland. Desjoyeaux (Geant): "I'm too old to take all these waves..." Gitana X skipper Marc Guillemot reports broken daggerboard and heads back to France officially retires from race. IMOCA class: Pindar AphaGraphics (Sanderson) first to Lizard. Ecover (Golding) takes lead and reports failed canting keel mechanism. 02/06 ORMA class: Groupama (Cammas) collides with whale and comes to complete stop with minor damage. Sergio Tacchini (Fauconnier) and Mediatis Region Aquitaine (Parlier) hit large pieces of wood. Banque Covefi (Ravussin) reports broken rudder. Sodebo (Coville) and Geant (Desjoyeaux) match race in thick fog close together. IMOCA class: High pressure ridge causes tricky, variable conditions plus many breakages and some injuries. Moloney (Skandia) in 10th place, falls down forehatch: "My morale is hurting more than my leg." Virbac (Jean-Pierre Dick) leading Ecover (Golding) and Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson) in "very challenging conditions" (Golding). 50ft class: multihull Trilogic (Bruneel) and monohulls Artforms (Stone) start to pull away from rest of class. 03/06 ORMA class: Fleet head NW into heart of depression in 30-35 knot southerly winds. Sergio Tacchini (Fauconnier) breaks-off to the south. Geant (Desjoyeaux) leads, followed by Sodebo (Coville). IMOCA class: Virbac (Dick) leads and moves to cover Ecover (Golding) and Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson). Fleet are now bunching north/south, spread by only 50 miles. 60s likely to encounter headwinds on lower edge of depression. First time Transat fleet have collectively headed so far north. 04/06 Transat fleet spread 957 miles west/east. ORMA class: Multis tacked south collectively during middle of night. Foncia (Gautier) breaks 4 battens. Gitana XI (le Peutrec) has problem as Solent headsail starts to unfurl at the top. Banque Populaire (Roucayrol) buries bows twice, bringing rudders clear of water. IMOCA class: Very tough night, all skippers exhausted. Ecover (Golding) overtakes Virbac (Dick). At approx 19:00 GMT, Virbac rolls 360° and dismasts in 50 knot winds and 6-7 metre waves. Skipper, Jean-Pierre Dick was inside the boat and is uninjured. Virbac positioned 490 miles from southern tip of Greenland. 50 class: 10:05 GMT, trimaran Crepes Whaou! (Escoffier) announces retirement with shattered daggerboard. 05/06 34 of original 37 yachts still racing. ORMA class: Groupama (Cammas) moves up to 3rd. Coville knocked unconscious as Sodebo hits whale. Geant (Desjoyeaux) increases lead on Sodebo to 100 miles and heading for Flemish Cap. Banque Populaire (Roucayrol) shreds indexsail and Banque Covefi (Ravussin) explodes storm jib. Skippers agree on ice waypoint. IMOCA class: PRB (Riou) and Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux (Stamm) move to 3rd and 4th overtaking Temenos (Wavre). Stamm in contact with Race Office as he sails straight over position of Virbac's dismasting and fears debris. Skandia (Moloney) and Hellomoto (Humphreys) opt for southerly route. VMI (Josse) plants boat up to the mast in the Atlantic. Hatherleigh offers to assist Virbac. Objectif 3 (Hedrich) reports engine failure and incapacity to charge batteries or move water ballast. 06/06 ORMA class: Geant (Desjoyeaux) 900 miles from Boston, 450 miles east of Nova Scotia. Groupama (Cammas) reports sailing through oil platforms and has sighted Grand Banks shipping that did not register on his radar. Sergi Tacchini (Fauconnier) moves to 7th as southern gamble seems to pay-off and reports a glancing blow from a whale whose tail narrowly missed shattering the rudders. IMOCA class: PRB (Riou) and Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux (Stamm) are to the north recording speeds double that of leaders Ecover (Golding) and Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson). Golding in area of lighter winds: "Yesterday must count as one of the hardest days I've had at sea." Hellomoto (Humphreys) and Skandia (Moloney) in light airs to the south. Hatherleigh leaves Portsmouth en-route Plymouth to bunker. 50ft class": Trilogic(Bruneel) crosses Mid-Atlantic Ridge 165 miles in front of GiFi (Demachy). Great American II (Wilson) within 3 miles of GiFi. Artforms (Stone) 65 miles ahead of Wells Fargo-American Pioneer (Harris). 07/06 ORMA class: Sodebo (Coville) closes to 49 miles of Geant (Desjoyeaux) with 433 miles to the finish. IMOCA class: 04:30 GMT, 3rd place PRB (Riou) dismasts in NW winds of 25 knots and rough seas 500 miles from Newfoundland. Riou is uninjured and integrity of hull is sound. Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux (Stamm) activates manual distress beacon at 06:45 GMT, 360 miles west of St John's Newfoundland. Stamm reports total keel loss and capsize to Race Office at 05:25 GMT. VMI (Josse) positioned 200 miles NE of Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux, requested to divert to Stamm's position by Race Office; stood down when MRCC Halifax identify vessels closer to Stamm. Hercules aircraft scrambled from Halifax for visual of yacht. Stamm transferred to tanker, Emma, at 15:45 GMT. Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson) 3 miles behind Ecover (Golding) due east of Grand Banks. Quicksilver (Anne Liardet) breaks boom. 50 class: Trimaran Great American II (Wilson) overtakes GiFi (Demachy). Northerly option by monohull, Wells Fargo-American Pioneer (Harris), brings results - just 13.7 miles behind Artforms (Stone). 08/06 ORMA class: Light shifty conditions as leaders approach Boston. Geant (Desjoyeaux) reports calm conditions as he crosses edge of continental shelf. Geant approaches finish line at 20 knots. Geant (Desjoyeaux) finishes 21:29 GMT Elapsed time 8d 8h 29m 55s Average speed 13.61 knots Breaks Joyon's record by 38h 52m Second-place Sodebo (Coville) 23:28 GMT Elapsed time 8d 10h 38m Average speed 13.47 IMOCA class: Ecover (Golding) and Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson) trade first place during the night, but Golding leads by 4 miles in the morning. Temenos (Wavre) closing on front pair. Moloney (Skandia) reports aft hatch blew open flooding lazarette while he slept. Awoke knee deep in water thinking the hull had been holed. Anne Liardet reports a broken boom on Quiksilver Edition, but will continue racing. 50 class: multihull GiFi (Demachy) back up to second, 100 miles behind Trilogic (Bruneel). Monohull Wells Fargo-American Pioneer (Harris) has 10 mile lead over Artforms (Stone). 09/06 ORMA class: Groupama (Cammas) finishes 21:29 GMT in 3rd; fourth Foncia (Gautier) 22:05:10 GMT; Gitana XI (le Peutrec) breaks off sacrificial crash box in collision with debris IMOCA class: Ecover (Golding) pulls 30 miles ahead of Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson) who stays north. Temenos (Wavre) on same latitude as Ecover. Skandia (Moloney) leads Hellomoto (Humphreys) by 16 miles. 50ft class: multihull Nootka (Birch) takes miles out of Great American II (Wilson). Monohull fleet less than two miles between Artforms and Wells Fargo-American Pioneer. 10/06 ORMA class: Sergio Tacchini (Fauconnier) 01:36:47 GMT finishes in 5th place; 6th place Banque Poulaire (Roucayrol) 03:05:27 GMT; 7th place TIM Projetto Italia (Soldini) 19:26:18 GMT; 8th place Sopra Group (Monnet) 22:28:23 GMT. IMOCA class: Sanderson reports broken daggerboard on Pindar AlphaGraphics from "Virbac Storm" (04/06). Temenos (Wavre) only 13 miles behind Sanderson with 522 DTF. Wavre reports having suffered two knock-downs. Skandia (Moloney) passes within sight of Hellomoto (Humphreys) and takes 18 mile lead. PRB (Riou) erects jury rig using retracted daggerboard as mast. Stamm announces salvage attempt on Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux. 11/06 IMOCA class: Temenos (Wavre) overtakes Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson) and Ecover (Golding) is northernmost of leaders. Skandia (Moloney) 77 miles ahead of Hellomoto (Humphreys). 50ft class: multihull Nootka (Birch) announces retirement due to auto-pilot failure. Monohull Okami (Jacques Bouchacourt) heads north and takes second place ahead of Wells Fargo-American Pioneer (Harris). 12/06 ORMA class: Banque Covefi (Ravussin) 17:27:04 GMT finishes in 10th place. IMOCA class: Ecover (Golding) 110 miles from finish. Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson) closes to within 4 miles of Temenos (Wavre) but drops back 10 miles. 50ft class: multihull Great American II (Wilson) 38 miles ahead of GiFi (Demachy) Trilogic (Bruneel) is furthest south. 13/06 ORMA class: Mediatis Region Aquitaine (Parlier)22:13:19 GMT finishes in 11th place - final ORMA 60 to finish. IMOCA class: 1st Ecover (Sanderson) 04:18:08 GMT; 2nd Temenos (Wavre) 07:22:03 GMT; 3rd Pindar AlphaGraphics (Sanderson) 09:54:33 GMT; 4th Skandia (Moloney) 22:13:19 GMT. At 09:00 GMT, Stamm and salvage team on Alex Gordon locate Cheminees Poujoulat-Armor Lux. At 10:45 GMT, Hatherleigh spots Virbac. 50ft class: multihull Trilogic (Bruneel) has 218 DTF, with 227 mile lead on Great American II (Wilson). Monohull Artforms (Stone) has 239 mile lead over Okami (Bouchacourt). 14/06 IMOCA class: 5th Hellomoto (Humphreys) 09:24:12 GMT; 6th Pro-Form (Thiercelin) 14:41 GMT; 7th UUDS (Laurent) 16:56 GMT. 50ft class: 1st multihull Trilogic (Bruneel) 14:23:37 GMT. In monohull fleet just 46 miles between Wells Fargo-American Pioneer (Harris) and Okami (Bouchacourt) in 2nd and 3rd. 15/06 IMOCA class: 8th VMI (Josse) 06:02 GMT. 50ft class: second multihull Great American II (Wilson) 13:19:40 GMT; first monohull finishes Artforms (Stone) 18:20:27 GMT. 16/06 IMOCA class: Austria One (Sedlacek) and Atlantica (Leibovici) in Gulf of indexe separated by 30 miles. 50ft class: 3rd GiFi 02:03:56 GMT. 17/06 50ft class: 2nd Wells Fargo-American Pioneer (Harris) 03:21:25 GMT. 18/06 IMOCA class: 9th Atlantica (Leibovici) 06:12:06 GMT; 10th Austria One (Sedlacek) 07:35:36 GMT; 11th Objectif 3 (Hedrich)17:12 GMT 50ft class: 3rd Okami (Bouchacourt) 12:17:GMT after running aground. 20/06 IMOCA class: 12th Quicksilver (Liardet) 0327 GMT 50ft class: 4th multihull PIR2 0245 GMT; monohull Branec III 1137 GMT finished outside of time limit. Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE