Saturday, 2nd August 2008
The next boats due to finish in Saint-Malo
Who will be the next to cross the finish line of this seventh edition of the Transat Quebec Saint-Malo early tomorrow morning at the foot of the ramparts in Saint-Malo? Which monohull will be the first to finish? The suspense is building with the last few miles looking particularly tricky. Some strong currents, changes in wind direction and coastal effects are among the parameters they will have to deal with. As the old saying goes, "It's not over until the fat lady sings... "
The Class40 leaders are tackling the final stretch of this Transat Quebec Saint-Malo. The two frontrunners, Halvard Mabire's Pogo Structures and Olivier Krauss's Mistral Loisirs - Pôle Santé Elior passed the longitude of Ushant this afternoon. As did Imagine, Pierre Antoine's 50' multihull. After the ocean race, time now for a coastal regatta with some strong currents with the spring tides in early August, changes in the direction of the wind, coastal effects and rocks. All factors that will have to be dealt with in the coming hours. Mabire, the leader of the 40-foot fleet for the past 36 hours has his own way of putting it: "You mix everything up with the weather, put it in a big bowl, stir and see what comes out," he explained during today's radio session this lunchtime. Hervé Cléris, the skipper of the 50' multihull in the livery of Prince de Bretagne, has also been looking ahead: "The Channel crossing is going to be a game of poker. There may be some great opportunities, but we
could be really held back. We're going to have to be very cautious and clever." And rightly so, for as long as the finish line has not been crossed, anything is possible.
Never giving up an inch
Whilst Pogo Structures had a lead of more than 33 miles over their nearest rival in the 13h GMT rankings today, the skipper reindexs cautious. "Since the start, we've been racing at an incredible pace and it's not over yet. We reindex humble and are concentrating on this final home run, although run is not really the right word. As the weather systems annoyingly move from west to east, the wind is likely to build from behind, increasing the pressure on us at the same time. Oliver (Krauss)'s crew hasn't had its final word yet," said Mabire. On board Mistral Loisirs - Pôle Santé Elior, they know it is not going to be easy, but they are not giving up. "It's going to be complicated to try and grab first place, but we will be doing our utmost to get as close as possible, taking advantage of changes in the wind direction and currents. Nevertheless, one thing for certain is that we're not going to attempt any radical options to go for victory and we are keeping a close eye on Telecom
Italia." For the moment, the latter is rather handicapped without his medium spinnaker and is worried about Novedia Group - SET Environnement (Tanguy De Lamotte), which is now only fifteen miles behind his stern.
Tomorrow morning in Saint-Malo
As for the 50-foot boats, while Imagine has a strong lead of 64 miles over Prince de Bretagne, Pierre Antoine knows that the last few miles could offer some surprises: "It looks like being rather tricky, as a calm is forecast for the finish." Cléris on Prince de Bretagne is still hoping for "some quiet weather, which may upset things." The verdict will come tomorrow morning. The first boats are expected around 4h GMT.
What they said:
Pierre-Antoine, Imagine trimaran: "The last 24 hours have been perfect, except that we got a bit too close to the centre of the low and were trapped by it. Finishing with the 40-foot boats is one of the little surprises in this transatlantic race. It is clear that our goal is to finish second overall and we shall be doing our utmost to achieve that, but the last few miles are not going to be easy, as a calm zone is forecast for the finish."
Halvard Mabire, Pogo Structures: "For the moment, it is not easy to try to predict our ETA, as we're tacking towards the finish and everything can change dramatically according to the changes in wind direction, but I seriously think we should finish in Saint-Malo tomorrow morning. For the transatlantic race, the weather strategy dominates, while for the coastal race ahead, there are a lot of other factors to consider, in particular the currents, which can be strong, especially at the moment with the spring tides, the effect of the coast. I shall reindex cautious right up the finish, as a lot of things can still happen. Oliver Krauss's crew hasn't had its final word. I think that at the tip of Brittany, they will get closer again, as I think the change is going to creep up from behind. We shall see."
Hervé Cléris, Prince de Bretagne trimaran: "Yesterday was not a very good day, as it appears that the charts were wrong and we got stuck in a wind hole. We made up for it during the night and this morning the wind picked up, which has allowed us back on the direct route under full indexsail and gennaker sailing at around 14 knots. As for the final miles of the race, we're hoping for some quiet weather to pull off a bit of a stroke. Tomorrow looks very uncertain in theory, as we should be getting light airs, while there are spring tides generating strong currents. I know the English Channel fairly well, but it's going to be a game of poker, as there may be some good options, or we may be held up. We're going to have to be very cautious and clever. In spite of everything, I think that Prince de Bretagne should be moored up in Saint-Malo tomorrow evening."
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