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Press release n°12
Paris, 21st May 2010
Vendée - St-Petersburg
Dilemma at the front, as they shift gear in the North Sea
Should they be playing it conservatively or taking a gamble? Go for the long shot with all the risks that may entail or opt for the safe, but boring investment? As they enter the Baltic, the two leading crews need to choose between keeping their opponent in check and staking all their earnings on a bold option. It is highly likely that the two frontrunners will not want to lose everything with the return leg to follow. Behind them, the competitors still in the North Sea are finally enjoying stronger winds allowing them to clock up the miles.
After the bad times, the good times are here… While waiting to see what tomorrow offers, the pack are finally getting a move on under the influence of the north-westerly wind, which has awoken from its slumbers, and is now propelling the fleet along at decent speeds towards the northern tip of Jutland. It's wet, they're slamming and the bows are leaping from wave to wave, while the chilly conditions are starting to bite. But no one out there is going to be complaining, as these are much closer to the conditions that are required by the Multi50s to show their full potential. Behind those who appear to be on their way to the podium, the pack is still being led by Pierre Hingant and his crew (La Mer révèle nos sens). A name that really befits this boat, as the men, who have been sailing her have shown perfect judgement and inspired intuition. Now they are going to have to ward off the attacks from the rest of the group including Lalou Roucayrol's team (Région Aquitaine Port-Médoc), who hope to strike a fatal blow, as their trimaran is showing how at ease she is, sailing close to the wind, as soon as the breeze freshens.
A change of scenery
While the two frontrunners have already tasted the delights of coastal sailing, slipping through the Oresund between the lights of Copenhagen and Malmo during the night, this is a leap into the unknown for most of the crews in this first edition of the Vendée St-Petersburg… Northern Europe is not a very common destination and they are all going to have to adapt to it and deal with some new weather patterns, unknown landscapes and unusual languages. Once they have rounded the tip of Denmark, they are all going to have to adapt and put to one side their ocean racing habits and find a much more subtle approach, as they come to terms with variable winds, nights where the sun hardly disappears, the permanent presence of shipping and other unusual obstacles. But that is what makes this race so fascinating, as there are always new things to discover, including, right at the end, the view from the foot of the walls of the Venice of the North.
From the boats:
Alan Pennanéac'h (La mer révèle nos sens)
"We are of course, pleased with the start of our race. It's true that we went for some options and the result wasn't that bad.… But now, we would like to hold on to that position right up to the finish, but we know it's not going to be easy. We're taking advantage of 25 knots of wind for the moment and making around 16 knots headway. Of course, that does make it rather difficult to get any sleep or to make some coffee, but at least we're moving."
Lalou Roucayrol (Région Aquitaine Port Médoc)
"We're really surprised by the amount of pollution off the Netherlands. Over the coast there's a pall of yellow smoke and in the light airs we noticed how dirty the sea was with all sorts of rubbish floating around. People really need to be more aware of that. When holidaymakers come and visit us in the summer, they send bulldozers down on the beach to make it look clean, but that's not really a solution. When you're sailing on a sea that is closed in, like the North Sea, it's easier to understand, why something needs to be done. As for the race, everything is fine. We've found some more wind and the conditions are favourable for the boat. We're chasing after those ahead and the two at the front of this pack are certainly within our reach. In any case, we're going to be doing our utmost to get by them."
Reminder
You can hear the live radio link-up with the boats each day on the race website and ask the crews any questions you may have, which the radio presenter will then put to them during the session.
Daily radio session from 1000hrs to 1040hrs GMT.
Rankings at 1400hrs GMT
- 1 Crêpes Whaou ! 3 (FY Escoffier) 561.5 miles from the finish
- 2 Actual (Y Le Blévec) 11.6 miles from the leader
- 3 Crêpes Whaou ! 2 (L Féquet) 213.1 miles from the leader
- 4 La mer révèle nos sens (P Hingant) 358.4 miles from the leader
- 5 Naviguez Anne Caseneuve (A Caseneuve) 383.3 miles from the leader
- 6 FenêtréA-Cardinal (E Le Roux) 485.3 miles from the leader
- 7 Région Aquitaine Port-Médoc (L Roucayrol) 493.1 miles from the leader
- 8 CLM (H Cléris) 499.8 miles from the leader
- 9 p R2 (E Hochédé) 584 miles from the leader
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