Vendee/St.Petersburg 2010- vs.

Zwischenevent zum Vendee Globe alle 4 Jahre 16.05.- 04.06. 2010
www.vendee-saintpetersbourg.org - Übersicht

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27.05.2010
Vendée - Saint-Petersburg
All safely in port

With the arrival of PiR2 this morning, the whole fleet of the Vendée Saint-Petersburg is now moored up at the Yacht Club pontoons. No one has been forced to retire, in spite of very changeable weather conditions, a demanding course and shipping forcing the competitors to be particularly vigilant. Or maybe we should say because of these factors?

Foto: Jean Marie Liot/DPPI

PiR2's arrival brings to an end this first leg of the Vendée St-Petersburg. For some, it is an opportunity to get some well-deserved rest, while others are beginning to think about the return leg. It is time too for crew changeovers, getting supplies aboard and indeed some are already busy studying the weather charts for the return voyage. This first leg has been a success in many ways. Firstly, looking at the race itself, it has shown that there are now two distinct categories of boat: the latest generation boats and then, the others. Having established that basic fact, the battle was intense for first place overall and further back for first place amongst the older boats, with the gap between boats down to just a few minutes. This means we can look forward to an exciting return voyage, which is likely to offer suspense right up until the finish. One thing is certain: everything is still to play for and everyone knows that they are going to have to pull out all the stops on this return leg.

A demanding and exciting race
The course, which was greeted with enthusiasm by the participants, who enjoyed some emotional times and encountered a variety of situations, was nevertheless extremely demanding. One man out on deck on watch at all times, and sometimes two in the most difficult stretches, one crewman at the chart table to avoid any navigational hazards... This meant that they sometimes had to draw on their reserves and cut the amount of time they could sleep in order to get the most out of their boat, while limiting as much as possible the risk of any unexpected encounter at sea. Paradoxically, it is maybe even this degree of vigilance that the race imposed that meant that the whole fleet arrived safely in port without any major damage to report.

However, for most, the particularly enjoyable aspect was the number of times they found themselves involved in close contact sailing. From the Sein Channel right up to the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, they all experienced sailing within sight of their rivals, meaning they avoided chatting over the VHF in order to reindex focused on the race, and where close tactical sailing became as important as a long-term strategy. Seeing a sail on the horizon, just as you are tempted to give up, is without doubt one of the best ways to motivate sailors to get back up there.

Changes
In general, each crew is going to carry out some changes. Some have busy work schedules, while others are thinking tactically; only three boats will be sailed during the return leg with exactly the same crew as on the outward leg. Aboard Crêpes Whaou ! 3, Franck-Yves Escoffier's boat, one son is replacing the other, as it will be Kevin, a cornerstone in the Banque Populaire team, who will be replacing Loïc. Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant will be going aboard Actual to replace Eric Loizeau. A sailmaker instead of one of the most experienced ocean racers. We can be sure that the crew of Actual will continue to learn and make progress. On board La Mer révèle nos sens, only Pierre Hingant, the skipper, will be continuing, and the same goes for Hervé Cléris (CLM), while Anne Caseneuve (Naviguez Anne Caseneuve) and Etienne Hochédé (PiR2) will only be making one change to their line-up. Finally, Lalou Roucayrol (Région Aquitaine Port-Médoc), Erwan Le Roux (FenêtréA - Cardinal) and Loïc Féquet (Crêpes Wahou ! 2) will keep the same crew as on the outward leg. Should they be going for experience or getting some fresh blood in? This is going to be one of the deciding factors in this second leg. Will the fact that they have sailed well together for eight days prove to be an advantage? We shall find out from next Monday (31st May), when the return leg is due to start.

Rankings at the end of the first leg from Saint-Gilles Croix-de-Vie to St-Petersburg
- 1 Crêpes Whaou ! 3 (FY Escoffier) finished on 24th May at 05h31mn49s - 2 Actual (Y Le Blévec) finished on 24th May at 05h33mn04s - 3 Crêpes Whaou ! 2 (L Féquet) finished on 24th May at 22H08mn00s - 4 Région Aquitaine Port-Médoc (L Roucayrol) finished on 26th May at 09h32'10s - 5 FenêtréA-Cardinal (E Le Roux) finished on 26th May at 10h37'50'' - 6 Naviguez Anne Caseneuve (A Caseneuve) finished on 26th May at 10h49'26'' - 7 La mer révèle nos sens (P Hingant) finished on 26th May at 12h08'00'' - 8 CLM (H Cléris) finished on 26th May at 13h53'23'' - 9 p R2 (E Hochédé) finished on 27th May at 05h36'10''