Figaro Solo Transatlantic race 2005 15.04.2005 DAY 14 : SKANDIA CELEBRATES 3RD WITH CUP OF TEA... Skandia is a leading provider of long-term savings and pioneer of the highly successful multi-manager investment approach. IN BRIEF: * SKANDIA 3RD WITH A VERY HAPPY SKIPPER... * "IT’S SATISFYING TO SHOW THAT MY STRATEGY PAID OFF AND WHAT I DECIDED TO DO WAS THE RIGHT THING..." * "INSTEAD OF CELEBRATING MY THIRD POSITION WITH A BEER, I TOASTED SKANDIA WITH MY CUP OF TEA, EARL GREY OF COURSE, WITH MILK... " * CONDITIONS FORECASTED TO TURN UNStable IN NEXT FEW DAYS... * DOWNLOAD PHOTO SENT BACK FROM SAM THIS MORNING... * VIEW SHORT VIDEO CLIP OF SAM WITH A FRENCH MESSAGE FROM ATLANTIC... Sam feiert 3.Platz mit Tee Photo : OC/Sam Davies IN DETAIL: SKANDIA has continued to move up leader board and is now in 3rd, only 17.8nm behind the new race leader Eric Drouglazet (CREDIT MARITIME-ZEROTWO) who is just 9.9nm ahead of 2nd place Charles Caudrelier (BOSTIK), both previous Solitaire winners. SKANDIA is currently averaging 1.5 knots faster than BOSTIK. CERCLE VERT moves down to 4th, 14nm behind SKANDIA. Sam celebrated her 3rd place with a cup of her favourite tea, Earl Grey! "It’s satisfying to show that my strategy paid off and what I decided to do was the right thing, also it’s good knowing that I’m not in 3rd place by accident but because I took myself there." Click here to download photo of Sam toasting Skandia (for all images go to the Gallery on http://www.samdavies.com/skandia) The winter training at Port La Forêt training as part of the Pôle Finistère Course au Large team, has proved to be advantageous for those skippers involved, "It has definitely helped and it seems to be the Finistère Course au Large lot who are generally slightly further ahead than the others, so that’s a good sign for us that we have good boat speed." SKANDIA is again one of the southern most boats, 50nm south of CREDIT MARITIME-ZEROTWO and 100nm south of BOSTIK. "It seems that my position a little bit south is still a benefit and I have slightly more wind than those to the north of me..." The conditions over the next few days are forecasted to turn much less stable. Sam has been trying to rest as much as possible in preparation for this, "I think it will be tricky sailing to negotiate the next weather system, lots of shifts, changes in windspeed (even rain!) and I will need to be alert." SKANDIA has been spinnaker reaching in the same conditions for the past 8 days, this is expected to continue for the next day at least, after which Sam predicts they will tack as the cold front arrives. The northern boats will go through this depression earlier than the boats in the south, which also means the northern boats will leave it earlier... With only 30nm separating the top 4 boats, and 100 miles separating the majority of the fleet, every mile counts for the 12 skippers. Their objective - to be the first boat to get past this new weather system, out the other side and into the trade winds as quickly as possible. View short video clip of Sam, with a french message from the Atlantic, at the Audio/Video section of the website. EMAIL LOG FROM SAM (0300HRS) Hello from halfway between the Azores and the Turks waypoint! So, it is Friday night. For me the Friday nights are the most difficult, because my body tells me that I should be in "Le Bidule" drinking a beer, and not in a little boat in the middle of an ocean! It is also a way of marking the race: this is Friday night number 2, hopefully only one more Friday night to endure until the finish... So, instead of celebrating my third position with a beer, I toasted SKANDIA with my cup of tea (Earl Grey, of course, with milk). And I can continue to dream of that first beer at the finish, thanks to the "Palma Cristal" beer label that is stuck on my chart table (as motivation - Palma Cristal is "La preferida de Cuba") - a present from Estelle and Mumu! Today was again, another great sailing day. It seems that my position a little bit South is still a benefit and I have slightly more wind than those to the North of me, so I continued to make gains! We have been reaching on port gybe now for 8 days!! I am going to have one leg longer than the other soon!! My predictions are that in two days time we will tack, as the cold front passes over us! What a relief for my wrist too, which is pretty painful. I am trying to make the most of these last two days of "stable" conditions to get as much rest as possible, because I think it will be tricky sailing to negotiate the next weather system, lots of shifts, changes in windspeed (even rain!) and I will need to be alert because it will be really important to get out the other side and into the trade winds as fast as possible. But it isn't really easy to rest now either, because the wind changes all the time and we are tight spinnaker reaching... I will do my best! Sam x TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO WITH SAM How does if feel to be in 3rd? “It’s good, I’m very happy! It’s satisfying to show that my strategy paid off and what I decided to do was the right thing, also it’s good knowing that I’m not in 3rd place by accident but because I took myself there. I know sometimes you end up hooning up the ranking and you’re not entirely sure why or how it happened. I know why, so I’m happy about that.” We’ve seen you moving up the leader board, do you think that this can continue up to 2nd and maybe up to 1st? “Possibly, but I think I’ve taken my big gain now and I think now there’s going to be a bit more luck involved in getting through the cold front and out the other side in to the trades winds again. It’s really difficult to predict. Every new grib file says a different thing, even looking at the weather fax map it’s not easy to predict which way is the best route through. Hopefully I can keep my 3rd place, I don’t feel too threatened from Gildas (CERCEL VERT) because I think he’s too far north and I’ll try and hang on to BOSTIK & CREDIT MARITIME-ZEROTWO because they sail really fast and if I hold on to them I hopefully I should get a good finish." You’re surrounded by Solitaire winners – how do you get yourself to be in that position? Do you think it’s your winter training with the Finistère Course au Large team, at Port La Forêt that has helped you to get the right speed and right tactics? My winter training has definitely helped and it seems to be the Finistère Course au Large lot who are generally slightly further ahead than the others. That’s a good sign for us that we have good boat speed. I think the work I did with Jean-Yves Bernot (one of the world’s top weather experts) looking at the weather really helped. We did one session with Finistère Course au Large and Jeanne Gregoire (BANQUE POPULAIRE) and I had one session with just the two of us. This has given me more confidence in being able to make the decisions. When I went south I knew I’d lose miles to start with so you have to be brave enough to accept that and be confident in your feelings that you’ll gain those miles back again. That’s difficult and something that I’ve only just been able to start doing - being able to have confidence in myself and knowing that I do actually know enough and what I’m thinking is probably going to be right. I think doing the AG2R last year really helped aswell, it’s not the same route but it’s a similar crossing with the same weather scenarios.” Do you think CERCLE VERT, being in a different situation, might benefit from the unstable weather, which is forecasted? “Yes I’m sure that’s why he’s stayed north, and he hasn’t given up and dived south to follow the rest. He’s got nothing to lose where he is and quite rightly, he could do a riser. I have a feeling not but we’ll see…" Listen to the full audio from Sam at Audio/Video section of website. Communications thanks to BT Broadband LATEST POSITIONS 1000 BST 16/4/05 (boat name / average boat speed /distance to leader) 1. CREDIT MARITIME - ZEROTWO / 10.8kts /1808.5nm to finish 2. BOSTIK / 8.4kts / +9.9nm 3. SKANDIA / 9.9kts / +17.8nm 4. CERCLE VERT / 8.7kts / +32.3nm 5. BANQUE POPULAIRE / 9.5kts / +81.1nm 6. COUTOT ROEHRIG / 10.4kts / +84.2nm 7. AQUARELLE.COM / 8.8kts / +105.3nm 8. GEDIMAT / 7.9kts / +106.1m 9. TOTAL / 8.3kts / +138.0nm 10. ATAO AUDIO SYSTEM / 7.8kts / +174.2nm 11. ENTREPRENDRE AU PAYS DE LORIENT / 7.9kts / 202.9nm 12. LITTLE BLACK SHARK / 6.9kts / +221.5nm Click here for full positions report Official race website: http://www.trophee-bpe2005.com (French only) 2005 FIGARO PROGRAMME 3 April: Trophée BPE 2005 (St.Nazaire – Cienfuegos, Cuba) 6-25 June: La Generali Solo 2005 1-28 August: La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2005 PARTNER OF THE DAY : ASHFIELD HEALTHCARE Official Business Partner to Sam and the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team http://www.samdavies.com/ashfieldhealthcare Email powered by Active 24 For more information visit http://www.samdavies.com/skandia or contact : Josie Robinson (English) josie@offshorechallenges.com T: +44(0) 870 063 0210 Caroline Muller (Francais) bienvenue@welcomeonboard.fr T: +33 (0)6 80 40 00 24 Other information sources online: Finistère Course au Large Classe Figaro Bénéteau Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE