La Solitaire du Figaro-Eric Bompard

Deauville-Plymouth, 08.06.2014 -Übersicht

Domingo, Junio 08, 2014
Start of the Solitaire du Figaro
Gwénolé Gahinet finally in the thick of it

And they’re off...slowly! At 1300hrs (French time) on Sunday, the 38 competitors of the Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard cachemire started the first leg in Deauville on a 484-mile race to Plymouth, England, that will be full of surprises. Happy and relieved to finally get going, Gwénolé Gahinet is contesting his first Solitaire, a dream that becomes reality today. They will all meet again on Wednesday in Plymouth.

Bye-bye Deauville
The weather conditions this afternoon in Deauville were perfect...for going to the beach. Sun, summer temperatures and a gentle north-east breeze, the sea even looked more like a lake this morning and the anchored sailors had to wait patiently in the starting area. "I'm happy to leave, there comes a time when all you want is to get going,” Gahinet said as he left Morny marina in Deauville, where the Figaro Safran-Guy Cotten was based for ten days. I slept well last night and I had a good breakfast this morning, a big bowl of cereal and an apple for an energetic start. Due to the tides, we have to leave the pontoons early and wait on the water for four hours before the start. This leaves time to bob around, redo some weather and eat a little. Oddly, it eases the pressure.”

484 miles and lots unknowns to Plymouth
At midday, as forecast, a north-east wind of around 10 knots helped send the sailors on their way for the first leg to England, where they are expected on Wednesday after three days and nights of toil in the Channel. From Deauville to the Owers buoy (Isle of Wight) to the Wolf Rock Lighthouse (south-western tip of England), the sailors then race to the Astan buoy (Isle of Wight) and on to Plymouth; three Channel crossings in one leg. “Last night, I ran through it all in my mind,” Gahinet said. “It’s not easy but the latest (weather) files this morning at least clarified the part between Owers and Wolf Rock. Yesterday we had two options, one was to pass north of the TSS the Traffic Separation Scheme, the lines for separating cargo traffic, or go to the south of it, but now it looks like there is nothing at all to the south. So, we have fewer questions to answer now (laughs). After the start, the wind is expected to strengthen a bit in the afternoon; it will be a straight sprint to the Isle of Wight without options. I know that I have good speed but my management of the start will be important so I can get straight into the thick of it.”

With the currents, changing tides and the still uncertain weather it is difficult for the skipper of Safran-Guy Cotten to establish a clear strategy. One thing is certain, he will have to keep a clear head and manage himself well because even if the first crossing of the English Channel proves to be fairly simple, all the ingredients are there for big gaps opening up in the fleet. That is the worst-case scenario for those that find themselves at the back in this event that is all about time. The 38 competitors of the Solitaire du Figaro are expected Wednesday in Plymouth.