Monday 5th November 2007, morning
Safran: First in line
Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier, aboard the monohull Safran, have snatched the lead in the Transat Jacques Vabre overnight, thanks largely to a superb tactical call off the tip of Brittany. This masterstroke has left them with a 14 mile lead at this morning's 0800 hour position report over duo Peyron / Levaillant (Gitana Eighty); the fleet of sixteen other monohulls now snapping at their heels.
No two nights will be the same for Safran. During the first night's racing, the tandem Guillemot/Caudrelier were caught under a black cloud but managed to hatch a plot to be the only crew daring enough to thread their way between the tip of Brittany and the Iroise islands (Ushant, Molène and Sein), otherwise known as the infamous Chenal du Four and the Raz de Sein. The upshot of this was that they managed to open up a considerable lead in the fleet of seventeen 60 foot monohulls. "On the advice of Sylvain Mondon, our weather router, we passed through the Chenal du Four and via the Raz de Sein" said Marc at the 0400 hours radio session with the race organisation. "Charles did a first-class navigation for us through the rocks, grazing the coast so as we had less counter current. At times, I saw a rock loom up out of the darkness, but Charles told me it was normal. Long live the electronics!"
The crew of Safran are now ducking due South into the Bay of Biscay, at the latitude of île de Sein and the longitude of the Spanish town of Gijon. Now is not the time to celebrate this rise to power by cracking open the champagne however: "We're going to have to sail with one eye on the barometer because there are a number of pockets of air lingering across our path. We will be able to rest up a little though as we've been in the throes of battle since the start. Foncia even forced us to starboard right in the middle of the channel!"
Marc and Charles still have a lot to do but they've got off to a fantastic start in this 8th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre…
Intranet summary No.1
Weather
The wide anticyclone brightening up the North of France at the moment is extending into the Bay of Biscay creating light, shifty winds. However, this wind should gradually fill in gently as Safran plunge due South into the Bay of Biscay. There is currently between 5 and 10 knots of NE'ly wind and the monohull is on port tack under large spinnaker or large gennaker.
Race strategy
Safran took the head of the race overnight by opting for a strategy which grazed the rocks between the islands of Ushant, Molène and Sein (Chenal du Four and Raz de Sein) whilst their adversaries took the outside track around the Breton islands. This morning the grey and orange monohull began to track across the Bay of Biscay.
Radio session
Marc Guillemot, contacted by the race organisation at 0400 hours this morning: "On the advice of Sylvain Mondon, our weather router, we went into the Chenal du Four and along past the Raz de Sein. Charles did a first-class navigation for us through the rocks, grazing the coast so as we had less counter current. At times, I saw a rock loom up out of the darkness, but Charles told me it was normal. Long live the electronics! We're going to have to sail with one eye on the barometer because there are a number of pockets of air lingering across our path. We'll be able to rest up a little as we've been in the throes of battle since the start. Foncia even forced us to starboard right in the middle of the channel!"
Eyewitness account from Loïc Lingois, Safran's boat captain
Loïc Lingois, 39, is the man in charge of the Safran monohull. He spends 100% of his time on the boat and replaces the skipper when he's not there. He participated in the design of the monohull, notably in terms of the deck layout as well as its construction of course. Four full-time preparateurs work on the boat, supported by two extra preparateurs prior to a race start. "As a preparateur, my aim for this Transat Jacques Vabre is to validate the work that has been carried out on the boat and ensure that Marc completes the return transatlantic to qualify for the Vendée Globe. Once that is achieved, we can tackle this winter's job list on a boat for which we have a deeper understanding. Since Safran was launched, we've wanted to sail it as much as possible to work out what our priorities are. The benefit of this is that we know exactly what we need to keep on our job list. The downside of it is that we can't do any little jobs on the boat during this time. As a result, our preparation was a bit rushed in relation to the other boats. To change the rudders three days before the start is not exactly reassuring for a preparateur, but it was necessary."
His analysis of the start of the race: "a start in light airs, which is comforting for us personally, on a technical level, as not a lot can happen. These are the kind of conditions where it is very easy to get left behind and a lot harder to stay with the leaders. Aboard it's rather nerve-racking to say the least, particularly as the crews are very good and very honed. You can see evidence of that in the various rankings where the positions are constantly changing."
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