Press Release • 7 July 2012
Goodbye New York, hello Atlantic.
Temperatures were sweltering, the pressure intense as New York
bid farewell to the MOD70 fleet when if left the sticky, busy
confines of the Hudson River bound for the liberty of the open
sea and the start of the KRYS OCEAN RACE, 2950 high speed miles
to Brest.
Winds were only light on New York's hottest day of 2012 so far,
with only the occasional puff to send the fleet of five MOD70's
en route, though the strong contrary current made life hard when
the giant mulihulls stuck to the water.
Just as they did on Monday's dress rehearsal prologue start in
Newport, Seb Josse and his well drilled, young crew on Groupe
Edmond de Rothschild proved quickest out of the blocks, filling
their gennaker headsail first to accelerate smoothly away from
the fleet.
Though they all compressed again at the upriver turning mark, set
off the North Cove Marina, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild rebuilt
their margin when they stuck to the Jersey shore and slid away,
leading Musandam-Oman Sail out to towards the Atlantic.
With the Hudson River mirror calm in the early morning, the
departure from the quiet sanctuary of Manhattan's North Cove
Marina was one filled with emotion, not only as crew bid their
dockside farewells to family, friends and hard working shore
crews, but these minutes signified the final end of the three
year preparation, planning and execution period for the exciting
new MOD70 class and the Multi One Championship. The time has
come to go racing.
Ahead is a six day sprint across the Atlantic to Brest, which
will test the five teams' abilities to indextain high speeds hour
-after-hour. And in the new fleet which is studded with the
fastest ocean racers on the planet, all are sure the level will
be high, but the question most teams were pondering as they left
today was exactly how high?
Quotes:
Michel Desjoyeaux, skipper of FONCIA: "It will be fun and
interesting in this new race. We leave just ahead of a cold
front, which is good because it will get us down to the Gulf
Stream quickly and then we will go fast to the first mark of the
course, the Scilly Isles. Until then we will be downwind but
after that it will be about managing the finish into Brest. And
being one design means that if you are not as fast as your
neighbour then you are doing something wrong and have to adjust
to be faster. We have a strategy for the race, but of course
sailing is never an exact science so we adjust as we go."
Stève Ravussin, skipper Race for Water: " I love the speed and
this KRYS OCEAN RACE across the Atlantic is only about speed. I
think we can make a good race. I am never nervous, life is good.
Three years of working for the first Transat for the class and
here we are with a perfect forecast. It will be windy. And this
is the perfect boat for me."
Yann Guichard, skipper Spindrift racing: "I am ready, we have
been waiting for this for a long time and here we are with a
fantastic forecast. I think it will be really fast and a bit wet
. The level will be really high, the rhythm needs to be very high
because we know everyone will be pushing very hard. We have to
be there. It depends, if we are comfortable with the boat and
the weather I am sure that we can be the team that sets the
level.
Sébastien Josse, skipper Groupe Edmond de Rothschild: " The
weather looks just as it has for the last three days so we
expect a fast Transat, downwind. All good. For us it is more
than a year that we have trained together and it is now the
perfect timing for us to be going racing for my crew. With the
background we have we have done enough training and so we are
really confident in the boat and with the crew. I don't feel
nervous at all. I know where we go, it is just six days of
sailing, I know my crew so well and we are not a crazy crew. You
are nervous where you don't know where you are going or what
might happen, but this is just a front, not a big low pressure.
Maybe it's windy, but it's not the Southern Ocean.
The question is how hard to push. The level is high and so you
don't know whether it will be crazy or be smart and sensible,
and you have to find that level. In 48 hours it will start to be
windy, with more than 30kts, and that is when you have to decide
which gear to use, whether to be in sixth gear or five for a bit
."
Ryan Breyamaier, Musandam-Oman Sail: "I am so proud to be
representing my country getting out of here in the shadow of
these skyscrapers and looking forwards to an amazing passage on
a great boat. The forecast is great and we plan to take full
advantage so that we can be there to celebrate Bastille Day in
good shape, and that will be huge."
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