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Route du Rhum 2010
Start 31. Oktober 2010 - St.Malo
www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com - Übersicht
La Route du Rhum - La Banque Postale http://www.routedurhum.com
PRESS RELEASE of 11/15/2010
Lionel Lemonchois duly completed the second measure of a pair
of Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale 2010 doubles, today when he triumphed on a second consecutive edition of the race.
In 2006 Lemonchois smashed the course record by four days, winning on Gitana 11 in 7 days 17 hours 19 hours 6 seconds, just under half the time that it took on this very different but courageous race on Prince de Bretagne.
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While leading the race Lemonchois came very close to giving up his challenge when the lashing which hold the indexsail to the headboard car failed.
Three days in from the start his indexsail fell to the deck with the halyard left at the top of the mast. Unable to retrieve late in the evening he had already turned back for Spain.
But, driven as much by his desire to win, the passion of his sponsors – a huge collective of Breton farmers who combine to form France's biggest organic vegetables producer – and memories of the six months of hard labour he had put into repairing and refitting Prince de Bretagne, in a three hour operation Lemonchois scaled the mast and effected the necessary fix.
Battered, bruised but unbowed after recovering from his considerale exertions he set the Cabaret/Irens design back on course he gave chase.
Lemonchois was 483 miles behind the leading Multi 50, Franck-Yves Esoffier (Crêpes Whaou!).at midday on Sunday 7th Novmeber. That afternoon and evening first Crêpes Whaou! suffered damage, losing part of the bow of her index hull, and then only hours later in the big seas it was Yves le Blevec's new leader Actual which was damaged, cracking a cross beam.
Both tried to continue after repairs, but subsequently abandoned, Actual retired only yesterday.
Lemonchois stuck to the task, sailing a smart strategy in the light winds and four days later he was 75 miles adrift on leader Lalou Roucayrol (Région Aquitaine – Port Médoc), passing him last Friday.
His triumph today was a popular one by a modest skipper who has an extensive collection of multihull records, including sailing with race winner Cammas on Groupama 3's setting the Jules Verne Trophy round the world record. Cammas' Groupama 3 sailed out to salute Lemonchois' arrival this afternoon. As well as winning the 2006 Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale, Lemonchois won the 2005 Transat Jacques Vabre, and in 2008 set records on Gitana 13 from New York to San Francisco and San Francisco.
Lemonchois left the Gitana team and unsuccessfully sought sponsorship to defend his Route du Rhum title.
Offered the option to skipper Prince de Bretagne, which was launched in 2009 and had a slightly chequered career to date Lemonchois seized the chance with customary vigor. Damaged in her maiden race last year's Transat Jacques Vabre she had to put in to Vigo for repairs. When Lemonchois first saw his 2010 Route du Rhum race winning Multi 50, she was a slightly sorry sight in a yard in Lorient, with hull, beams and floats all in different parts of the yard.
But Prince de Bretagne let him do what he thought best to rebuild and refit the boat and their reward today is a Route du Rhum class winner.
Details
Crossing the finish line in Guadeloupe at 17h 52m 48s (CET/Paris) (16h 52m 48 GMT/ 12h52m48s local Pointe-à-Pitre), Lionel Lemonchois secured first place in the Multi 50 class in the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale 2010 transatlantic race from Saint Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
The elapsed time for Prince de Bretagne is 15 days 04 hours 50 mins 48 secs, his average speed on the water is 13.10 knots over an actual distance of 4776 miles. On the theoretical course of 3539 miles Lionel Lemonchois' average speed is 9,70 knots. Lemonchois completes a notable Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale double winning this multihull class after winning the race outright in 2006 when he set the current course record of 7 days 7 hours 19 mins, 06 secs.
Quotes, Lionel Lemonchois (Prince de Bretagne), winner Multi 50 Class:
“ At one point I really thought that I would give up. But after some sleep and hard thinking and I told myself I had to find a way and go on. During the night I found a solution and then I went back racing and just pushed for a place on the podium. Al
I really wanted was to be on the podium.”
“Well I did not do all this only for myself otherwise I really might have stopped.
I did it for Prince de Bretagne and for all the people who put their faith in me. After all that has happened to that boat in the past and the work that we put in, to stop the race after being in the lead, was not conceivable.. I had to try and do something.”
“This is not the victory I'd have wanted for sure (because of the 2 competitors who retired from the race) but that's racing. You still need to finish the race to win it.”
“Yes this win has a nice feeling. Maybe it doesn't have the same feel as the first one which was unexpected maybe. But this story is very different and I'm living it fully.”
“Prince de Bretagne is a really good boat. We almost reached 30 knots in speed. That was a surprise. I've never been afraid. And you know, when you sail a boat a lot you learn to like it. This one we spent so much time on refit and repairs you invest a bit of yourself in it. And when you are working on her you imagine the race and how it could unfold with the boat. There are still plenty of things to do on the boat to improve her. But I won't tell what !”
At the end, as the weather was not reliable, I closed the door for the guys who were in the south. I just put us in a settled position as regard to the fleet to avoid anyone could come back on us.
I was happy to see Franck and Groupama 3 sail to meet me. I really appreciated. It's good that he won the race, he deserves it and manage his “machine” very well.
Yes we are two (with Roland Jourdain) to win the race twice. Not too bad. I suppose there's a bit of luck but also we spend so much time on the project, night and days and we even dream about it.
This boat has gone through a lot of things since she was launched. Even after the second refit she had problems...so a victory that was unexpected and yes I am happy.
But I have to relax a bit to really appreciate it.
Pen Duick SA http://www.penduick.com
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