Thursday 8th May – 1400 hrs
The Gitana Team across the globe
Gitana Eighty 3 days from the start of The Transat
Gitana 13 bound for China
Yvan Zedda / Gitana SA
Whilst the countdown has begun in Plymouth for Loïck Peyron and Gitana
Eighty, the clock has also been ticking for Lionel Lemonchois and the crew
of Gitana 13 since the early hours of today (UT). The 2008 season for the
stable created by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild is keeping all its promises.
D-3 for the start of the 13th edition of The Transat
Like Gitana Team, its General Manager - Loïck Peyron – is sailing on all the
fronts. Winner of the crewed Grand Prix Petit Navire in Douarnenez a week
ago, the skipper of Gitana Eighty went directly onto the delivery of his 60
footer to the UK. On arrival in Sutton Harbour Marina, Loïck Peyron set off
for Switzerland, where he contested and won the Grand Prix Chopard in the
D35 last weekend. A packed programme incorporating numerous and diverse
sailing is something the sailor, from La Baule on France’s Atlantic coast,
considers to be essential for his preparation.
72 hours from kick-off in The Transat 2008, this year christened The Artemis
Transat, the thirteen Imoca monohulls registered are wisely sitting it out
in Sutton Harbour Marina, nestled in the Barbican area of Plymouth. Aboard
Gitana Eighty, the shore crew are busying themselves with the final details.
Yesterday evening, Loïck Peyron and his men went for a final test sail in
Plymouth's harbour so as to make the final checks prior to the departure for
Boston. The next few days will be dedicated to embarking the supplies as
well as the study of grib files and ice charts.
“The receipt of files and their analysis is intensifying with three days to
go till the start. For the time being, forecasts are indicating a downwind
exit into the English Channel in a medium wind. However, some radical
options should take shape from that point. This transatlantic race promises
to be fairly open…”
Double winner of the event (1992, 1996 in the multihull category), Loïck
Peyron will set off on Sunday 11th May at 1400 hours (local time), at the
helm of the most recent of the Gitana fleet, in a bid for a historic triple.
Radio silence…
During the transatlantic, the sailors taking part in this 13th edition will
experience a 36 hour position black-out. Indeed, in line with the weather
situation and the tactical intrigue, race management will select a day
during which competitors won't have access to the positions of the rest of
the fleet. This initiative, thought-up in order to revive past conditions in
the early days of this legendary race, greatly appeals to the skipper of
Gitana Eighty.
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