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Tagesvideo
Paris, 17th May 2010
Vendée – St-Petersburg
Different speeds and local effects in the Channel
When you are in a race, the
conditions can be quite cruel at
times. What the fleet has just
experienced goes to prove that, as
the leading boats clearly have the
advantage on this first day of the
Vendée St-Petersburg. The gap is
widening and that is set to continue
for the time being.
Sometimes, it simply does not take much to find yourself on the losing side, but once
you do feel that effect, the consequences can become significant. We saw in the
first 24 hours of the race how the boats chasing after the two frontrunners, Yves le
Blévec (Actual) and Franck-Yves Escoffier (Crêpes Whaou ! 3) were severely
punished. Only Loïc Féquet’s crew (Crêpes Whaou ! 2) managed to avoid the worst
as the two leaders dealt with rounding the tip of the Cherbourg Peninsula against
the current, forcing them to stick close to the shoreline to avoid the tidal flow. For the
others, the tip of Brittany was a major headache, as the hold-ups developed just as
they got there. Erwan Le Roux (FenêtréA Cardinal) and his crew saw Pierre Hingant’s
crew (La mer révèle nos sens) make their getaway as they entered the Sein channel
within sight of them. What happened was that one just managed to get out of the
traps of the tidal race, while the other just two miles astern felt the full effect head
on… Fortunately, there is still a long way to go to reverse the situation and the crew
of FenêtréA Cardinal sailing along the rocky coast of Northern Brittany managed to
narrow the gap considerably by the 1400hrs rankings. However, the forecast from
Météo France is far from optimistic for the tail-enders, as the wind is set to die away
from the west.
Meals and snacks
The first hours of racing are also an opportunity to get into the rhythm of short naps,
quick snacks and the need for the crews to adapt to the requirements of the boat
and the race. It is up to each individual to manage this as he or she sees fit in the
circumstances… While the crew of PiR2 were busy filling themselves up with food,
others like the young guns on Crêpes Whaou 2 ! made do with a few quick snacks.
However, everyone needs to be careful they don’t push themselves too far in that
direction. There is a long way ahead before the reach the mouth of the Neva and
many hurdles along the way. Keeping a clear head is going to be vital, when they
come to take important tactical decisions. They have to get it just right - pushing
themselves hard at times, but without going too far. It is indeed often this fine
balance that determines success in a race.
From the boats:
Erwan Le Roux (FenêtréA Cardinal)
“Things could be better. The crew of La mer révèle nos sens got away from us in the
Sein tidal race. They were only just in front of us, but in the right place and when we
hit the current head on, they left us standing. We’ve just spent a few hours tacking
our way through the current, which meant getting close to the rocks. I reckon the
look-outs at the Raz headland enjoyed watching us.”
Loïc Féquet (Crêpes Whaou ! 2)
“We’re into the swing of the race and getting organised on board.
We’re pleased to have rounded the tip of Brittany this morning along with the two
frontrunners. They got away from us during the night, but there’s no need to panic,
as there’s still a long way to go. We’re discovering Crêpes Whaou 2, and yesterday
were keeping up with the two more recent boats, which was encouraging for us for
what lies ahead. We’re under gennaker heading straight for la Hague at 17.5 knots,
so we’re moving along nicely.”
Rankings at 1400 hrs GMT
- 1 Actual (Y Le Blévec) 1454.1 miles from the finish
- 2 Crêpes Whaou ! 3 (FY Escoffier) 2.8 miles from the leader
- 3 Crêpes Whaou ! 2 (L Féquet) 43.6 miles behind the leader
- 4 Région Aquitaine Port-Médoc (L Roucayrol) 106.7 miles behind the leader
- 5 La mer révèle nos sens (P Hingant) 132.5 miles behind the leader
- 6 Naviguez Anne Caseneuve (A Caseneuve) 137.4 miles behind the leader
- 7 FenêtréA-Cardinal (E Le Roux) 142.4 miles behind the leader
- 8 CLM (H Cléris) 164.4 miles behind the leader
- 9 Pi R2 (E Hochédé) 200.4 miles behind the leader
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