Barcelona World Race 2010/2011 www.barcelonaworldrace.com - Übersicht 03.01.2011 Press Release Barcelone World Race D+3/ 45 miles short of Gibraltar Michel and François confident - FONCIA at the front of the pack since the start of the Barcelona World Race - Michel and François in phase with the elements - Set to pass Gibraltarthis Monday evening LIVE FROM THE BOAT Position: 35°40’90 N / 44°2’76 W 2nd at the 1507 hrs position report Wind: 10 knots of Westerly Sea: slight swell Sails: Mainsail-Solent Speed: 7 knots Heading: towards Gibraltar In the leading group since the opening hours of 2011, Michel Desjoyeaux and François Gabart have enjoyed a brisk introduction to their race. They’ve been able to thwart the pitfalls of a mischievous Mediterraneanthrough some exemplary teamwork. Confidence reigns this evening as they prepare to enter the Straitof Gibraltar, the first symbolic passage of this 24,600 mile circumnavigation of the globe. The excitement of the start is in FONCIA’s wake now, evacuated in the first few seconds of the race down the Catalan coast. The race has reasserted itself and is in full swing now, with contact racing in a Mediterranean Sea which has been taxing the brains of the 14 duos competing in this double-handed round the world. For the past three days, the 60 foot boats have been seeking to pick their way through a maze of calms and veins of breeze. And amidst this meteorological labyrinth, the men aboard FONCIA have always managed to get onto the right track. With Virbac-Paprec 3, they’ve been leading the way in this Mediterranean waltz since the start of 2011. Contacted by telephone today, the two men were in great shape, especially after their tactical coup in the Alboran Sea on Sunday evening (an area spanning around a hundred miles wide and emerging in the Strait of Gibraltar). In the leading pack along the Moroccan coast, they found their fortune there and could well pass the longitude of Tarifa, marking the passage of the strait, from this evening. To achieve this they’ll have to perform a series of tacks in a W’ly wind set to drop away, as well as battle against their two main rivals: the Dick/Peyron duo (Virbac-Paprec 3) and the excellent Spaniards Pella/Ribes (Estrella Damm). Foto: Michel Desjoyeaux/Foncia Fotos: © Yvan Zedda/Foncia Fotos: © Yvan Zedda/Foncia Foto: Benoit Stichelbaut/Foncia Foto: Yvan Zedda/Foncia Fragile delight As such, on this third day at sea, the two men have a whole host of reasons to be delighted with their performance. They’re into their rhythm, sharing the tasks intelligently so as to get the most from their respective assets. François is spending more time studying the weather whilst Michel is orchestrating the manœuvres and sail choices. At the helm or trimming, life aboard has eased gently into a rhythm and the crew is on the pace tactically. The upshot of this is that confidence and morale are firing on all cylinders. Equally though, as experienced sailors, they also know that their delight is fragile and everything could change in the blink of an eye in this capricious Mediterranean. Last night, their then rivals, Président, Groupe Bel and Mapfre paid the price for this. As such vigilance is the name of the game, especially given that the passage through the Strait of Gibraltar this evening promises to be very complicated with virtually zero wind, the current against them and heavy shipping. In 24 hours’ time, their arrival in the Atlantic Ocean may well come as a (relative) relief. Quotes from the boat: Michel Desjoyeaux: “We’re sailing close-hauled, heeled over in 12 to 15 knots of breeze. Up till now we’re pretty happy with ourselves. We’re in phase with the weather and the tactical coups; everything’s going smoothly. Everything is going fantastically well between us too. Already François is someone who is easy to get on with. We’ve taken the right options, we made the right decisions aboard the boat and the right sail choices, all of which gives you confidence. You need that as there are a few wily operators behind us, right on our tails. Added to that, there’s always a chance you may blow it. You have to remain on your guard as trends can very quickly be reversed. Indeed we’ve seen that happen with a few of our rivals”. François Gabart: “We’ve got into a coherent rhythm. We’re gradually adopting our little on-the-water habits, as a duo, and things are going very well. It’s rather nice as we hadn’t sailed together much before. Right now, we’re each managing to put the other to good use so as we function properly together. We’re taking it in turns the whole time, either at the helm or trimming. Physically we’ve tried to give everything our all, whilst ensuring we don’t burn ourselves out and, ultimately, the fairly comfortable conditions are enabling us to get a bit of rest. We’ve managed to pull off a fair number of minor coups and we’re leading at the moment, though that probably won’t last forever (Editor’s note: the crew of FONCIA were still leading the race when contacted early this morning).” Ranking 3/01/2011 3:00 pm (TU) : 1. Jean Pierre Dick / Loïck Peyron - VIRBAC-PAPREC 3 from 24100,5 miles from arrival 2. Michel Desjoyeaux / Francois Gabart – FONCIA from 14,1 miles des leaders 3. Boris Herrmann / Ryan Breymaier -NEUTROGENA from 25,3 miles 4. Alex Pella / Pepe Ribes – ESTRELLA DAMM from 26,3 miles 5. Dominique Wavre / Michele Paret à – MIRABAUD from 33,5 miles 6. Dee Caffari / Anna Corbella – GAES from 51,5 miles 7. Kito de Pavant / Sebastien Audigane – GROUPE BEL from 77,5 miles 8. Jean le Cam / Bruno Garcia – PRESIDENT from 77,6 miles 9. Iker Martinez / Xabi Fernandez – MAPFRE from 86 miles 10. Pachi Rivero / Antonio Piris – RENAULT from 104,5 miles 11. Jaume Mumbru / Cali Sanmarti – WE ARE WATER from 105,7 miles 12. Wouter Verbraak / Andy Meiklejohn – HUGO BOSS from 130,5 miles 13. Gerard Marin / Ludovic Aglaor – FORUM MARITIM CATALA from 131,5 miles 14. Juan Merediz / Fran Palacio - CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA from 137,5 miles DOWNLOADING Rights free photos for press using with the copyright https://blanconegro.extranet-e.net/?data_id=3483&pwd=172fc211e8455342cefcfeed60292391 © M.Desjoyeaux / FONCIA https://blanconegro.extranet-e.net/?data_id=3473&pwd=cfdabad9b513cfed90059fa5f4d1c23f https://blanconegro.extranet-e.net/?data_id=3484&pwd=97ac841992523e079a409be73f1bb331 © Yvan Zedda / FONCIA https://blanconegro.extranet-e.net/?data_id=3455&pwd=630e87d10ce5a5d0685eb666b0496f43 © Yvan Zedda / FONCIA https://blanconegro.extranet-e.net/?data_id=3488&pwd=de292b09233b935aed29c6f92dc01f2c © Yvan Zedda / FONCIA https://blanconegro.extranet-e.net/?data_id=3458&pwd=78cf44cc3a2c6d16f663fcea7bdc20d8 © Benoît Stichelbaut / FONCIA https://blanconegro.extranet-e.net/?data_id=2444&pwd=052f2e2e9843359af61764e32dad74af © Yvan Zedda / FONCIA More information on the Team FONCIA http://presse.teamfoncia.com press access *** FONCIA Present across over 650 sites throughout Europe (France, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany), the FONCIA Group is the leader in management and property transactions for dwellings in France. 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