18.05.2006
Gitana 12 dismasted
During a training session in the Bay of Nice, the trimaran Gitana 12 has been dismasted. All members of the crew are safe.
The Gitana Team technical staff are now busy collecting whatever can be salvaged. Fortunately, the calm conditions on the water are aiding this operation.
Gitana 12 will not be able to take part as planned in the first Trophée du Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes, this weekend.
Wednesday May 17 2006 :
Final word
The rules of the Londres-Alpes Maritimes yacht race are perfectly clear. A yacht which does not cross the finishing line within the two days following the arrival of the first yacht shall be considered as not having finished the race. The official overall rankings were therefore announced today at 14h12. Looking back over what was a fast race.
« A yacht which fails to cross the finishing line in Nice within the time limit shall be scored DNF (this changes RRS 35). All yachts shall finish within two full days following the arrival of the first yacht. At the end of this two day period, it may be necessary to add a time bonus which the International Jury may have awarded against a yacht. » (Article 19 of the Notice of Race of the Londres-Alpes Maritimes yacht race. Sopra Group shall therefore be scored DNF (Did Not Finish) and the Nice finishing line officially closed at 14h12’04’’ today. A bit tough for Antoine Koch and his crew who were still 250 miles from the Côte d’Azur at midday today…
Out of synch in Calais
The 2 075 mile long course (reduced by 570 miles at the passage of Gibraltar) was marked by conditions which were highly variable but in which the boats could always be handled. From zero to thirty-five knots over fairly calm seas. The crews were able to push their boats without having to force them into situations where the structures would suffer. Looking at the list of breakages, apart from a broken rudder (replaced at sea) on Gitana 12, a defective helm transmission on Gitana 11, impacts on the mast for Groupama 2, a damaged daggerboard crash-box on Banque Populaire IV (see the online magazine on www.MultiCup60.eu for details).
Changeable weather had a yo-yo effect on the fleet. The River Thames and North Sea were sailed in light air, then upwind in the English Channel in moderate wind and an Ushant passage in very light conditions. Conditions which upset the balance of the race : Franck Cammas (Groupama 2) and Pascal Bidégorry (Banque Populaire IV) hugged the coast of England from Dover onwards, taking a ten mile lead over Géant and a twenty mile lead over Gitana 11 and 12, Sopra Group already fifty miles downfield. This advantage continued to increase as the miles went by, right into the Bay of Cadix…
Up and down
Life is full of ups and downs ! An ESE flow swept across the Bay of Biscay, a 20-35 knot cross wind to dive down to Cape Finisterre. The leaders latched on to the wind first whereas the three leaders were still caught up in a sluggish ridge of high pressure off Ushant. Average speeds of 25-30 knots for Groupama 2 and Banque Populaire IV, less than ten knots for Géant and Gitana 11 and 12, less than five knots for Sopra Group. Gaps increased to more than 70 miles, 150 miles and 260 miles respectively ! Luckily the tip of Spain acted as a buffer zone, with an anticyclonic zone slowing down the leaders at Cape Finisterre, albeit temporarily. The wind shifted north and strengthening as the fleet gained south. The differential rocketed once again with a lead of more than 100 miles over Géant, 160 over Gitana 11, 220 over Gitana 12 and 380 miles over Sopra Group…
Meanwhile, in the Bay of Cadix… Michel Desjoyeaux moved back into the lead following a nifty 90° move away from the course to get round a zone of calm off Trafalgar. The duel from the first two days turned into a three-strong battle with the two Gitana not far downfield still able to upset the applecart in the Mediterranean. However, fast downwind sailing had come to an end, giving way to a steady upwind 15-knot flow, veering NE after Cape Gata, bang on for Nice, a new destination as the Race Committee shortened the course as the weather was so changeable. A welcome change as it became possible to make a few choices in terms of strategy. There was no longer any requirement to sail between Ibiza and Majorca, so the trimarans could think about steering a course other than the direct route.
Call of the open sea
The navigators did whatever they could to stand out form the crowd. Leaders Banque Populaire IV and Groupama 2 left Ibiza to port and Majorca to starboard, sticking close to the direct course. They were also able to keep an eye on what was happening downfield and sail a match at close quarters. Michel Desjoyeaux picked up on the fact that Géant was not as at home upwind in light air as the two leaders. She was the first to make a break and head for the coast of Spain, in search of a NW from the Gulf of Lion. An option which almost paid off. As for the Gitana, they too headed east hoping to stay with the wind longer as there was an area of wind North of the Balearics. The route did not open up out to sea and in the end the established downfield hierarchy did not change.
Finally, Franck Cammas and his five crew held onto the advantage as there were no clear tactical options really available over to the Iles du Levant nor to the Côte d’Azur. As Groupama 2 performs well in light air, she made a gentle break away gaining a 5-mile lead. Banque Populaire IV was just twenty minutes astern at the finishing line in Nice, with Géant crossing the line two and a half hours later, just before the breeze gave up the ghost. Both Gitana had a tough time breaking the two knot speed barrier. Sopra Group was still in the Alboran Sea, 600 miles from Nice !
This weekend there is the Trophée du Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes, a regatta comprising coastal races and windward-leeward loops (upwind-downwind) on Saturday and Sunday between Nice and Cannes.
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