Thursday, November 06, 2014
Yann Guichard relentless all the way
“Physically, it’s like climbing Mount Everest,” Yann said in yesterday’s video recorded onboard Spindrift 2, the largest boat in the Ultimes class. Yet his clear, calm and collected voice could not hide the tired look on his face, clearly affected by his lack of sleep since leaving Saint-Malo last Sunday. The skipper knew only too well that sailing this boat, initially designed for crews, would be one of the most difficult challenges of his career. Now, halfway through the race, he says that he did not expect it to be so physically challenging. Lying in second position, Yann still has a chance of winning the race. He is pushing back the boundaries of physical endurance by the day and his performance so far is an incredible feat.
Spindrift 2 was the first boat to escape the area of low wind yesterday afternoon. Since then he has been averaging around 25 knots, driven by the Azores High weather system. Yann is gliding along the water with a sail area of 800 m², the largest in the fleet. “I’ve not performed many manoeuvres over the past few hours, which has allowed me to get some rest,” he said at around midday. “I can honestly say that I never imagined it would be so physically challenging. Now that I’m into the trades, I’ll have to choose the right routes with my routers to minimise the number of manoeuvres I perform so that I can keep going until the end of the race.”
Half way to Guadeloupe
Loïck Peyron has already reached the midway point, and Yann will pass there shortly. Spindrift 2 has stabilised the gap to the leader at around 170 nautical miles and has pulled well clear of the rest of the chasers. Lionel Lemonchois, in third position, is now more than 300 miles behind the leader. “Loïck broke clear,” explained Yann, “but I’ve managed to escape the calm-weather area better than my close rivals. I’m travelling in winds of 12 to 20 knots. The boat is making good headway in warm, 25-degree waters, with bright sunshine and a typical trade-wind sky with small cumulus clouds.”
“The plan now will be to take advantage of moderate winds before making a sharp turn,” explained Richard Silvani, one of the Yann’s offshore routers, this morning. Yann will thus head towards the heart of the anticyclone before gybing at just the right time to maintain the pressure and adopt a good angle of attack, avoiding the calmer conditions at the centre of the high-pressure system. On the map, the trajectory will look like that of a seagull’s wing. “Over the next few days Yann can expect to be busy with gybing manoeuvres in full sail,” explained the meteorologist, who is working alongside Erwan Israël to find the right balance between performance and the conservation of Yann’s energy levels.
En route to Pointe-à-Pitre
The leaders are expected to reach the finish line on Monday. Although this prediction should be treated with caution, it leaves no doubt that Yann will have to keep on pushing while protecting his travel-weary boat and body. “We’ll have to find a good route across the Atlantic, but I also need to sleep and eat as best I can to reach the end of the race. Mentally, it’s not a problem, but physically it most certainly is.”
Furthermore, true to tradition, the Route du Rhum will end with a tour around the north side of the island of Guadeloupe, which is usually in very light winds. The competitors need to anticipate these final stages by saving as much energy as possible for this final challenge before the finish line.
Ultimes class standings at3pm CET:
Position / distance / current speed
1 - Banque Populaire VII, Loïck Peyron, 2 268 miles to the finish, 26.9 kn
2 – Spindrift 2, Yann Guichard, 148.9 miles to the leader, 22.3 kn
3 – Prince de Bretagne, Lionel Lemonchois, at 217.3 miles, 13.6 kn
4 – Edmond de Rothschild, Sébastien Josse, at 203.1 miles, 15.2 kn
5 – Idec sport, Francis Joyon, at 195.9 miles, 14.5 kn
6 – Musandam Oman Sail, Sidney Gavignet, at 244.8 miles, 14.9 kn
7 – Paprec Recyclage, Yann Eliès, at 307 miles, 16.6 kn
8 – Sodebo Ultim’, Thomas Coville, retired
>> FOLLOW YANN GUICHARD AND SPINDRIFT 2 DURING THE RACE:
- The race tracker showing the Spindrift 2 position will be updated every out and is available on the Spindrift racing website (adapted for tablets and smartphones).
- A daily morning bulleting summarising Yann Guichard’s racing news will be avaialbe online daily on www.spindrift-racing.com
- A daily press release will be sent around 1700 with key information on Yann Guichard and Spindrift 2; performance compared to his competitors, the latest news and what to expect to come…
- On board footage will be available on the TV Server.
- Photos from on board will be avaible to download from the Photo Server.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE AND MAPS: www.spindrift-racing.com
FACEBOOK: spindriftracing
TWITTER: @spindriftracing
INSTAGRAM: spindrift_racing
ALL THE VIDEOS: spindriftracing
>> ROUTE DU RHUM – DESTINATION GUADELOUPE:
Conceived in 1978 by Michael Etevenon, the 10th edition of this iconic single-handed transatlantic race from Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre will see a record number of participants, with 91 boats due to take the start line.
Former winners: Mike Birch (1978, at 6.33 kn), Marc Pajot (1982, at 8.17kn), Philippe Poupon (1986, at 10.05 kn), Florence Arthaud (1990, at 10. 23 kn), Laurent Bourgnon (1994, at 10.33 kn), Laurent Bourgnon (1998, at 11.94 kn), Michel Desjoyeaux (2002, at 11.06 kn), Lionel Lemonchois (2006, at 19.11 kn) and Franck Cammas (2010, at 16.14 kn).
Event record: Lionel Lemonchois won in 2006 aboard the trimaran Gitana XI Orma in a time of 7 days, 17 hours, 19 minutes.
2014 start time: Sunday, November 2nd at 2pm.
Route: 3 542 nautical miles. After crossing the start line to the north of Pointe du Grouin in Saint-Malo, leave the Cap Fréhel buoy to starboard. At Guadeloupe, leave the the main island to port, the Tête à l’Anglais islet to port and the Basse-Terre buoy to starboard. The finish line, located near Pointe-à-Pitre, is defined in the Sailing Instructions.
Participants: 91 solo sailors in five categories: Ultimate Class (multihulls above 60 feet), Multi50 (50-foot trimarans), IMOCA (60-foot monohulls), Class40 (40-foot monohulls) and "Rhum" Class (any other monohulls or multihulls with a length of at least 39 feet).
Eight boats are competing in the Ultimate Class: Spindrift 2 (Yann Guichard), Maxi Solo Banque Populaire VII (Loïck Peyron), Sodebo Ultim’ (Thomas Coville), Idec Sport (Francis Joyon), Maxi 80 Prince de Bretagne (Lionel Lemonchois), Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse), Paprec Recyclage (Yann Eliès) and Musandam-Oman Air (Sidney Gavignet).
International
Sabina Mollart-Rogerson
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