La Solitaire du Figaro 2009: 40th edition www.lasolitaire.com - Übersicht Press release - Dieppe, August 20th 2009 The Race Replayed - A Classic 40th Edition Leg 1 - Lorient to Coruna : 345 miles Yann Eliès sets the bar high It was a magnificent spectacle in Lorient on July 30th, as the 52 skippers left in bright sunshine on the first leg of the 40th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro. No less than six previous champions were among their number, the cream of offshore sailing talent including both winner and runner up of the latest Vendée Globe - Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Armel le Cléac'h (Brit Air). In a fitting doff of the cap to the historic nature of the occasion it was the father of the fleet, 56 year-old Jean-Paul Mouren (M@rseille Entreprises), on his 23rd participation, who rounded the first mark in the lead. Hot on his heels though was another Vendée Globe skipper: Yann Eliès (Generali), hungry to return to the chase seven months after surviving his dreadful accident in the Southern Ocean. From the first spinnaker hoist he took control, as the fleet negotiated light and shifty breezes generated by the dominant high pressure system. In awaiting the arrival of the next system the fleet spread across a broad frontage, to the extent that it resembled a line-up for a restart in the middle of the Bay of Biscay. Hochsommerliches Ende des Figarorace im Kanal Copyright ©: www.lasolitaire.com Prerace vor Lorient When the wind did come, 25 knots almost on the nose, the fleet took off and as the breeze turned into the north Eliès held on to his lead on the last downwind surf to the finish. Ecstatic on his arrival in the Spanish port, he had set down a clear marker of intent, both for the Solitaire and his own return to competitive sailing. Only 15 minutes behind was 26 year old Nicolas Lunven (CGPI), the young outsider who has ultimately made this race his own, with Armel Le Cleac'h in third. The first 20 boats having finished inside an hour and the time differences neglible, a pattern was set for this most closely fought series. Places in the top 20 were clearly not going to come easy. Leg 2 - Coruna to St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie : 365 miles Biscay Express for Beyou The return trip to France traced a long straight diagonal line across the Bay of Biscay: upwind, on a single tack as far as St. Nazaire, followed by a short spinnaker run down to the Vendée port. All this in fairly gloomy conditions of mist and fog, grey skies, uncomfortably disordered seas and a north-westerly wind of between 10 and 22 knots. There was a biblical feel to the final result, with the last ultimately finishing first - Jérémie Beyou (Bernard Paoli) jumped the start in the feeble Spanish breeze and had to recross the line, languishing at the very back of the fleet. A more westerly option allowed him first crack at the freshening wind though and he made rapid progress up the rankings, first across the line at St. Gilles after 76 hours, 21 minutes and 37 seconds. The leg presented three index challenges to the skippers: extricating themselves from the area of very light wind at the Galician coast, then keeping within the corridors of more stable breeze for the long tack, and finally never easing off the throttle on the dash across the Bay. It was a welcome victory for Beyou, making his return to the class after a three year absence on a Vendée Globe campaign which finished prematurely off the coast of Brazil. Thierry Chabagny (Suzuki Automobiles) and Nicolas Lunven (CGPI) took second and third, the latter dropping a place after the imposition of a penalty for a minor rules infringement, but moving in to the overall lead on accumulated time. Leg 3 - St. Gilles Croix-de-Vie to Dingle : 485 miles Back to tactics, surprising weather, and an extraordinary finish No less than seven skippers held the lead at various times in this classic Figaro leg - a mixture of coastal and offshore racing, and a true test of tactical sense. Frédéric Duthil (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) had the best of another light airs start on August 10th and was first at the Radio France buoy in the bay. Gérald Veniard (Macif) then moved ahead and was first to round La Sablaire buoy just off the beaches of Ile de Yeu. By the end of the first night, after a slalom between islands along the Brittany Coast, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) was in control, and took the GMF Assistance prize as first to pass Cap Caval at Penmarc'h Point, before the fleet set off into the Western Approaches. He managed to hold it for the best part of 24 hours, before being overtaken by Charles Caudrelier Benac (Bostik). By now the frontrunners were clearly divided into two separate packs, the one trading distance for speed as long as the wind held, the other the reverse in anticipation of profiting from a predicted shift in direction. Armel Tripon (Gedimat) had a tantalisingly brief taste of life in front, before a precipitous tumble down the rankings when an unexpected visit from a passing weather system left the best laid plans in disarray. Antoine Koch (Sopra Group) took on the yellow jersey, fighting it out with Armel Le Cleac'h in a thrilling match race along the Irish coast which finished abruptly in a flat calm in the middle of Dingle Bay. It was six hours before the wind kicked in again, by which time the fleet had concentrated once more, and in the mad rush to the finish line Jérémie Beyou (Bernard Paoli) again came out on top, closely followed by Thierry Chabagny (Suzuki Automobiles) and Eric Péron (Skipper Macif). Overall leader Nicolas Lunven finished well down the fleet in 33rd, but with 47 boats finishing in 42 minutes time differences were too negligible to shift him from his top spot. Leg 4 - Dingle to Dieppe : 511 miles Lunven triumphs after nail-biting finish There was everything to play for as the skippers embarked on this last stage of their marathon, the longest of the series. The tension was palpable: the provisional top three within 10 minutes of accumulated time, the top 10 within half an hour, and a weather forecast which allowed at least 25 competitors to entertain hopes of winning. After a robust upwind start in Dingle Bay, the first miles along the Irish coast were perhaps the most visually spectacular of the whole race, and the spinnaker run past the Fastnet Rock barely less so. After a fast reach across the Irish sea, the passage up the Channel, along coast of Southern England held out the possibility of all sorts of upsets. Frédéric Duthil (BBox Bouygues Telecom) showed an enviable turn of speed and held the lead right up the last mark of the course, the Needles Fairway buoy at the western point of the Isle of Wight, closely followed by Charles Caudrelier Bénac (Bostik), Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) et Yann Eliès (Generali). But as was so often the case in this event, it was the last few miles that threw up the most surprises. During the course of the final 100 mile passage across the English Channel the fleet became caught between the influences of two high pressure systems, and the resulting zone of light fluky breeze comprehensively shuffled the pack. 15 miles from the line the top boats were closely aligned north to south as they fought their way through oscillating gradient wind, thermal breeze and tidal currents eastwards to Dieppe, and to the very end it was almost impossible to pick a winner. Antoine Koch (Sopra Group) finally crossed first, a just reward after the heartbreaking disappointment in Dingle Bay, with Nicolas Troussel (Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne) and Thomas Rouxel (Défi Mousquetaires) completing the fourth leg podium. Immediately behind them was the biggest winner - Nicolas Lunven hanging on to take the overall title by 20 minutes and 29 seconds from Yann Eliès, with Frédéric Duthil third. Amongst the rookies, the race's first timers, the finish was equally close, Fabien Delahaye (Port de Caen Ouistreham) pipping his friend Paul Meilhat (Domino's Pizza) by a mere 11 minutes. The 41st edition will have a lot to live up to ! Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE