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La Solitaire du Figaro 2011
www.lasolitaire.com -Übersicht
Saturday, August 6th 2011
470 miles to Dún Laoghaire for Figaro sailors
The second leg of the four stage La Solitaire du Figaro race starts tomorrow
from Caen in Normandy to Dún Laoghaire harbour just outside Dublin in
Ireland. The 47 solo sailors will set off at 16:00 local French time on the
470-mile race with key points of passage, in what forecasts show will be
strong conditions for a indexly upwind leg to Ireland. Final briefings,
routing strategy, food storage and equipment are being done in Caen the day
before the start.
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The skippers of La Solitaire du Figaro in the Cloître de l’Abbaye Aux Hommes
in Caen.
Photo Credits: Courcoux/Marmara – Le Figaro
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The course to Ireland will see the fleet cover the first forty-six miles of
the race on potentially reaching conditions up to Barfleur in 10 to 12 knots
of South-westerly winds. “Conditions are forecast to freshen up over the
course of the evening and we could see 25 knots with gusts of up to 35 at
the Cap de la Hague, where we have decided to put in a mark at La Plate
tower to avoid the sailors getting too close the rocks which are not all
shown on many charts” explains race Director Jacques Caraës. The fleet then
head down the Gros du Raz and leave Alderney to starboard on the run past
Herm Island, then round Guernsey on starboard. “The reason we have set
Guernsey to starboard is to keep the fleet out of the busy shipping lanes
further north into the Channel,” continues Caraës. The wind is forecast to
veer round to the North as the fleet will make headway up the Channel
towards Lands Ends, 122 miles away. The conditions should reindex fresh at
20 knots, gusting 30 for this part of the race and then ease on Tuesday as
the breeze will back round to West, Southwest for the final miles to the
finish in Dún Laoghaire, 205 miles away from Land Ends.
Interestingly, the effects of a system of low pressure approaching over
North West of Ireland on Wednesday could shake up positions and see the
fleet compress on the final approach, as the breeze is likely to be felt
first by those at the back end “Two miles from the finish, we have marked
that Mullins Island must be left to port in order to avoid the busy fishing
area” concludes Jacques who estimates the arrival of the boats in Ireland on
Wednesday.
Experience, together with physical endurance will really count for the
Figaro sailors, as they face strong upwind sailing conditions for the first
two days of racing , fitness and mental alertness to then tackle the final
sprint up the St. George's Channel, navigate the numerous sand banks along
the Irish coastline, and possibly then have to sail under spinnaker to the
finish in Dún Laoghaire.
Quotes from the skippers on the eve of the start of the race from Caen to
Ireland
Fabien Delahaye (Port de Caen Ouistreham) – current race leader: "The fight
will be tough"
"I have reconfigured the set up on the boat for this next leg. It is
perfect, the refuelling is done, everything is ready to go. Now I am
looking at the weather to see how to set the ballast. We have the right to
carry 100 kg of material over a 20 litre container at the foot of the mast
that can be filled. On each leg we decide what we want to do, depending on
the weather. For the first, it was just over 60 kg on board. I wanted to
be light. I left with the clothes I had on and a set of oilskins, nothing
else, not even a fleece. For the second leg, if you want to be heavy, you
can take a dry suit, fleeces, three sets of oilskins... there will be lots
to be able to get changed into! On this kind of leg you could see less
options, as those who are used to strong conditions and like to work hard at
the helm should get along fine. It is going to be a tough leg where you
need to be good technically, handle the boat well and most likely are going
to wear yourself out. We will also spend over three night at sea, sleep
management is important, as is knowing how to deal with the pilot. Those
who have experience of sailing on the Figaro will definitely shine out.
People like Gildas Morvan, he is known for his ability in strong conditions.
I am going to hang in there and try to not get done over. We are like sea
wolves...the fangs are out...the fight will be tough!”
Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert): "Upwind sailing is pure happiness”
"I had a good workout a month ago in the Mistral and Tramontana. I won two
races in 25 knots so that is where I do well. It is quite usual that on a
sail up to Ireland, conditions are often strong and it tends to be upwind.
So psychologically, your mind is already prepared. Not wishing to be overly
confident and boastful, but these are conditions I like, I feel at ease in
and that the boat performs the best in. My grandfather loved it and my son
loves it... I'll tell you: upwind sailing is pure happiness! "
Francisco Lobato (Roff) 36th on the first leg
“I prefer downwind to upwind sailing when it is windy. There are three legs
to go and I have mucked up the first, now I have to reindex consistent and in
contact with the leaders. On the reach we could see small groups forming
who will then separate on the upwind beat, some will prefer to head towards
the English coastline and others further out into the Channel. There will
no way of controlling all the boats so it will be a matter of really
choosing well the bunch to sail with.”
Sylvain Mondon, Artemis and CEM weather support from Meteo-France :
“Rainy weather with moderately strong SW winds to begin with, veering NW
later in the West part of the English Channel. It will be quite windy for
English Channel crossing in the very first hours of the leg will be only
15-20 knots, but increasing very quickly after Barfleur.”
Phil Sharp (The Spirit of Independence):
“It looks pretty hideous, it’s going to be North-West, probably 30 knots,
gusting more around headlands and there will be a 4-5 metre swell as well as
that...It’s going to be a pretty tough leg.”
Conrad Humphreys (DMS):
“The index challenge for this one is going to be the strength of the wind off
Barfleur and around Cherbourg and probably limiting some damage around the
Alderney part of the race. The second big challenge will be this ridge of
high pressure and how dominant it becomes in the Irish Sea.”
Nigel King (E-Line Orthodontics):
“So, the course for leg 2 is we leave Caen on Sunday early evening and then
we head around Barfleur and Cherbourg peninsula. Leave Alderney to
starboard, Guernsey to starboard and then head off to Land’s End and then
straight up to Dún Laoghaire, It will be good to have some decent breeze,
we haven’t sailed in a lot of breeze all year so I think it will be nice for
us to have some strong winds. Historically in the strong winds I’ve always
done all right. So hopefully I can settle down into the race. It will be
nice to be getting a bit of a kicking rather than wondering when the next
puff is going to come along.”
Sam Goodchild (Artemis):
"It's going to be a mix of everything - upwind, downwind, strong wind, light
wind. The whole of the second leg is a challenge, there's no specific
challenge. The entire race is a challenge, that's why we are here."
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Sabina Mollart-Rogerson
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