Saturday, August 27th 2011
Stars and lighting
Jérémie Beyou dominates the 42nd edition of La Solitaire du Figaro by
winning three out of four legs, a year that was marked by the extremely
diverse weather conditions and unconventionally primarily coastal courses.
47 sailors set off on the 1,647-mile course, 43 finished and the Vendée
based rookie sailor, Morgan Lagravière impressed all winning the rookie
ranking and coming in 7th overall.
Leg 1: from Perros-Guirec to Caen (293 miles)
Young Delahaye wins on home waters
What will be remembered of the 42ndedition of La Solitaire du Figaro is that
the English Channel was the principal battle-ground for the highs and lows
of the race. Right from the start the 47 sailors would deal with the
significant strong tidal coefficient, suffice it to say that it was over 100
at stages!
The light and variable winds, further hampered the skippers in the start of
the first leg. Having passed Sept-Îles, the fleet then sailed tightly in
downwind conditions to the Hands Deep mark off Plymouth. The air was barely
sufficient for the fleet to keep moving along the English coast towards the
Needles, within close contact, there were few obvious tactical option to
capitalise on. The tide then reversed as the leaders passed the Fairway
mark. Fortunately the westerly breeze picks up enough to allow for all a
safe passage against the current. The long descent to Normandy seems not to
cause any concern to the three leading skippers who have been alternating at
the top of the leader board: Jérémie Beyou, Thomas Rouxel and Nicolas Lunven
who are then chased by the rest of the fleet, packed in to a handful of
miles.
The third night at sea is the most treacherous one because, as the skippers
approach the Cotentin Point, the tide reverses once more and the wind dies
down almost completely… Pushed back toward Barfleur, many of the sailors are
forced to anchor to avoid being towed by the current…At 25 miles from the
finish everything starts on again with the wind that veers round to the
East. Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) is the first to extricate himself followed
by Fabien Delahaye (Port de Caen-Ouistreham), and Jean-Pierre Nicol (Bernard
Controls) as well as by the first rookie Xavier Macaire (Starter Active
Bridge). Fred Duthil (Sépalumic) fails to cross the last course mark
(setting him back a hefty 30 minutes penalty that will weigh him down for
the reindexder of the race) young Delahaye manages to get past the more
experienced Morvan to win the first leg in the strengthening breeze. 60% of
the fleet cross the finish line within an hour of the winner.
Ranking 1st leg
1-Fabien Delahaye (Port de Caen-Ouistreham) in 50 hours 14 minutes and 36
seconds of racing
2-Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert), 11 minutes 09 seconds
3-Jean Pierre Nicol (Bernard Controls) 11 minutes 22 seconds
4-Jérémie Beyou (BPI), 12 minutes 28 seconds
5-Xavier Macaire (Starter Active Bridge), first rookie, 14 minutes 08
seconds behind the winner
Leg 2: from Caen to Dun Laoghaire (440 miles)
Jérémie Beyou takes command
The second leg looks anything but trouble-free: weather files forecast a
minimum of 25 knots from the West, later veering to NW, choppy seas over the
Channel and the raz Blanchard to cross against the current. The start is
complicated by a violent rainstorm that hits the fleet just as the solo
sailors complete the inshore course: 35 knots, torrential rain and the
French naval patrol ship PSP Cormoran is called in to a rescue operation
involving two spectator boats. The ship’s crew will be asked to intervene
again a little later to assist David Sineau (Britanie Cosmétiques) who hit a
rock off Hague point: a hole in the hull and water leak leaes the skipper
out of the race. For the rest of the fleet, this delicate passage is
particularly tricky, it’s imperative to stay close to the Lighthouse to
avoid the turning current. Only the rookie sailor, Thomas Ruyant
(Destination Dunkerque), risks an offshore option, which proves to be a
flop. Once the fleet gets past Grand Russell and Hanois, it’s a long upwind
stretch with multiple tacks in 20/25 knots from NW to Land’s End and waves
as high as three metres. Impossible to relax, sleep or leave the helm if one
does not want to lose ground, poor Anthony Marchand (Bretagne Crédit Mutuel
Espoir) continues without a pilot or any electronics from the start!
At the tip of Cornwall the wind dies down due to the effect of a
high-pressure ridge and the fleet is compressed again: almost all the
skippers are lined up with Jérémie Beyou further West. And, when the wind
veers to SW and reinforces, the group accelerates trying to catch up with
the leader. The final stretch along the Irish coast is full of traps, the
breeze going from light to gusts well over 30 knots that make spinnakers
explode. Nicolas Luven (Generali) opts for a more offshore route and closes
in second whilst Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement) gets stuck in a bubble of
now wind inshore, yet manages to finish third… Rookie Morgan Lagravière
(Vendée) gets an amazing sixth place overall.
Ranking 2nd leg
1-Jérémie Beyou (BPI) in 65h 25’16
2-Nicolas Lunven (Generali) at 19’54
3-Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement) at 37’46
4-Thomas Rouxel (Bretagne Crédit Mutuel Performance) at 37’54
5-Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat) à 39’39
6-Morgan Lagravière (Vendée), first rookie at 41’59
Leg 3: from Dun Laogahire to Les Sables d’Olonne (477 miles)
Beyou in control
Half way to the finish of the Solitaire nothing is carved in stone as the
third leg is another tricky one, especially the approach to Brittany. Since
the start, the 46 skippers that continue to compete have a mixed bag of
conditions: Light airs that soon become violent gusts under a rainstorm, and
almost no wind at all. Just after having passed the Radio France mark, the
fleet is dispersed over 10 miles. To cross the Irish Sea first, the St
George channel and the Celtic Sea later the skippers have to make frequent
sail changes, from genoa, to jib, to spinnaker. 24 hours into the race at
sea the leaders approach Land’s End, Jérémie Beyou is leading by a mile over
Fabien Delahaye, Nicolas Lunven and Erwan Tabarly. Getting to Ushant is
tricky, against the current the boats slow down, and the leaders navigate
carefully through the rocks at the Four channel, others gamble by going
inshore or along the Molène… But at the end of the passage, the skipper of
BPI is still in front and opens the way to the raz de Sein with the tide,
then to Penmarc’h before hoisting the spinnaker off Groix. In a light W/NW,
there is not much good luck for skippers like Eric Drouglazet (Luisina) or
Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) who try to sail north of Belle-Île to make up
some places. The fleet is still packed as light falls for the third time and
the breeze shifts to NE and reaches a dozen knots. When the leg winners
would seem certain, an incredible thunderstorm hits the finish area. The
wind comes in from all directions, and the tension is palpable. But there is
no stopping Jérémie Beyou who is always in control and crosses in front of
Fabien Delahaye, Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat) and Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat).
Morgan Lagravière confirms his leadership in the rookie class with an
excellent 9th place overall.
Ranking 3rd leg
1-Jérémie Beyou (BPI) in 68h 39’20
2-Fabien Delahaye (Port de Caen-Ouistreham) at 4’13
3-Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat) at 11’31
4-Thierry Chabagny (Gedimat) at 12’14
5-Frédéric Duthil (Sépalumic) at 15’27…
9-Morgan Lagravière (Vendée), first rookie at 19’52
Leg 4: from Les Sables d’Olonne to Dieppe (437 miles)
Photo finish…
The last leg would appear to be less complicated than the previous ones on
paper, but on the contrary, it turns out to be full of pitfalls: the raz de
Sein, the Four channel, the raz Blanchard and Barfleur; Four major obstacles
that threaten leaders attempting to get that podium place.
Frédéric Rivet (Vendée 1) and Marc Emig (Ensemble autour du monde) go for an
offshore route close to the île d’Yeu. Tacking upwind anything can happen,
but when the wind shifts NE and picks up the whole fleet is affected. Under
spinnaker Jérémie Beyou still leads by a little margin on his pursuers.
There are not so many options though, just small details, good speed and
accurate routeing. Everyone is keeping a close eye on his adversaries whilst
the pair Laurent Gouezigoux (Valorisons) and Michel Bothuon (Les Recycleurs
Bretons) take an audacious option and go offshore, passing windward of
Guernsey. A good hat trick but not good enough to jeopardize the leaders’
position Paul Meilhat (Macif 2011), Jérémie Beyou, Fabien Delahaye and Erwan
Tabarly reindex fully in control and cross the finish line in Dieppe just 35
seconds apart!
By winning in Dieppe and scoring his third consecutive victory, BPI’s
skipper Jérémie Beyou is crowned overall winner of the 2011 Solitaire du
Figaro, and joins the exclusive club of double winners of the event. Morgan
Lagravière impressive 7th place overall, wins the rookie ranking ahead of
Xavier Macaire and Britain’s Phil Sharp.
Ranking 4th leg
1-Jérémie Beyou (BPI) in 72h 37’01
2-Paul Meilhat (Macif 2011) at 12’’
3-Fabien Delahaye (Port de Caen-Ouistreham) at 28’’
4-Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat) at 35’’
5-Laurent Gouezigoux (Valorisons) at 4’03…
7-Morgan Lagravière (Vendée) first rookie at 14’33
Photo Credits: Courcoux/Marmara – Le Figaro
The Figaro fleet under spinnaker
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Sabina Mollart-Rogerson –
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