Sunday, November 02, 2014
Route du Rhum:
A great start in Saint-Malo for Marc Guillemot on Safran
And they're off! At exactly1400hrs (French time) on Sunday, Marc Guillemot crossed the startline of the 10th edition of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. Determined to give the best account of himself in his last race at the helm of Safran, Guillemot was in emotional mood this morning when boarding his boat and setting sail for Pointe-à-Pitre.
“The bad weather is calling us”
The meteorologists were right, after a wonderful week in Saint-Malo, wind and rain beat against the entrance to the walled city on Sunday. But it was never going to disturb the skipper of Safran, who looked relaxed but was actually extremely focused and filled with emotion, as all his family and project partners had come to wish him well. “I had some good times in Saint-Malo, now it's time to go, it’s race time,” he said with a smile as he cast off. “The bad weather is calling us. In three days we’ll have the first glimpses of the sun in the trades (winds) but in the meantime we’ll have to be tough and determined.”
Cap Fréhel, the first important passage
As with every edition, the spectacle of the starting area was incredible off the tip of Grouin. In a disturbed weather system of 15 to 20 knot southwesterly winds, 91 soloists headed off for Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe. Shortly before the start, Gwénolé Gahinet and Morgan Lagravière gave the latest weather information to Guillemot. "We have new data. The wind will ease to less than 15 knots for the Cap Fréhel passage, but more importantly it will be complicated passing this first compulsory race mark on one tack,” Gahinet, the skipper of Safran Figaro-Guy Cotton, said. “There will be some spectacular manoeuvres between the Ultime Class trimarans and the rest of the fleet. The morning weather files also confirm that they will have to then tack along the coast of Brittany to have a better angle to the wind.”
The hunger to fight to the finish
From tonight, the wind will significantly strengthen, gusting to 35 knots with squalls and increasingly big seas. “Until we leave the Channel, I will focus on my path without worrying about the rankings,” Guillemot said. “The conditions are not good but I’m ready for that and Safran is perfectly prepared. I can’t wait to get going. What do I feel? Hunger. Lots of hunger. Like for the first one."
International
Sabina Mollart-Rogerson
Mob: +44 (0)7922 140148
E-mail: safran@seaclearcommunications.com
sabina@seaclearcommunications.com
|
