Press release of 06/07/2013
La Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard cachemire
Leg 2 to start Saturday, light winds expected.
With a weather forecast which predicts only extremely light and variable winds, race direction for the Solitaire du Figaro ??“ Eric Bompard cachemire has set a shortened course for leg 2, between Porto and Gijòn, which is scheduled to start tomorrow at 13:00 CEST.
Originally specified to be 452 miles long the second leg from Porto to Gijòn, on the northern coast of Spain, has already been reduced to 300 nm. The solo skippers now won't have to round a weather mark positioned halfway up the Bay of Biscay.
After rounding Cap Finisterre on the north tip of the Iberian peninsula, the fleet will then head straight to Gijòn. The decision was taken partly due to the light weather conditions that are predicted to slow the fleet but also to give more time for the skippers to recover during the short Spanish stopover.
According to Race director Gilles Chiorri, the new course, despite being shorter, certainly doesn't look easier, and it could well last as long as originally predicted.
Having to sail in light winds the fleet will be confronted with a series of tactical calls, choosing whether to stay inshore or try to go and look for fresher breeze offshore.
Already some of the favourites -among which there are no less than 6 past winners- have accumulated substantial delays on the first leg and will have to make up for lost time, it could well turn into a non-stop strategical battle.
That is never an easy task in the toughest one-design single handed race, where even the slightest boat speed difference counts.
The leg can be seen in three sections: a 100 miles long stretch from the start to Cap Finisterre, another 80 miles to Cap Ortega and the final 100 or so miles to Gijòn. The last stretch represents real unexplored territory for the Figarists, who have no previous experience of sailing in this area, especially the approach to the finish, that is traditionally plagued by very light air.
Based on the latest weather report issued by Meteo France's Cyrille Duchesne, the general outlook for leg 2 is for a complex low pressure system over the Iberian peninsula extending to France that generates unstable winds from the WNW, later veering to NW as the fleet will make its way to Cap Finisterre. From cap Ortega and all along the Spanish coast, the 41 skippers will have to deal with even more volatile WNW breezes, the situation further complicated by the shadowing and shifting effects of the high coastline, before the tricky approach to Gijòn.
Playing catch-up
Even the most seasoned commentators agree on saying that they have rarely seen such gaps already at the end of the first leg. There is the most unusual situation of some of the race's favourites having two or more hours to catch up. Nicolas Lunven (Generali) is 12th at 2 hours, Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire) 18th at 2h05', Jérémie Beyou (Maître CoQ) 19th at 2h06', three times winner Michel Desjoyeaux (TBS) 21th at 2h21'... With his crystal clear victory in Porto, Yann Eliès has seriously staked the future out and it won't be easy for his adversaries to make up for lost time and it is most probable that the second leg will see some radical choices.
Everything could change over again, but to be sure nerves of steel will be needed to bounce back...
Brits ready to go
Well rested, boats ready, sails repaired, the six Anglo-Saxon skippers, after a morning briefing with coach Nicolas Bérénger from CEM, are already keen to go. Having scored well in the inaugural stage of the 44th Solitaire du Figaro – Eric Bompard cachemire, the “roast beefs” as they are called in France, aim at repeating the performance, or improving.
Sam Goodchild (Shelterbox – Disaster Relief) finished 8th in the first leg at 1h46'03” from the leader, Nick Cherry (Magma Structures) 11th at 1h57'08” and only one minute short of getting into the top ten and Jackson Bouttell (Artemis 77) leads the rookies' category on the only female skipper competing this year Claire Pruvot (Port de Caen Ouistreham) by a tiny 10 minutes margin.
Ed Hill (Artemis 37) and Henry Bomby (Rockfish) look very focused on their target of getting some time back from the leaders whilst David Kenefick (Full Irish) the youngest of the 2013 fleet wishes to celebrate his 22nd birthday on June 9th with a good result.
The second leg of the 44th Solitaire du Figaro – Eric Bompard cachemire from Porto to Gijòn starts on Saturday June 8th at 13:00 CEST. Live audio streaming on the race website from 12:45.
Skippers' quotes:
Henry Bomby (Rockfish), 28th overall leg 1 at 3h20'412 from the leader: “We had a lot of work to do on the boat, the shore guys had to go to a sailmaker loft in Vigo, in Spain to have the sails repaired. We are ready to start for leg 2. I'm feeling ok, not too tired. I want to make sure I'm really well rested because leg 2 and leg 3 are going to be hard. We had a look at the weather forecast, looks quite light in general. It's good I'm not going to break any more sails... I don't think it's going to be too heavy for this leg. What I my goal for? I sailed ok in the first leg, showed some good speed but I came in 28th which is really disappointing for me, I feel I could have done better than that but there are a lot of guys who sailed very well and finished same position as me so... For the second one I wish I can sail a good leg and be happy with it, trying to get into the top 20 if I can. I think I can use some of what I've learned in the first leg, every time you do a leg of the Solitaire you learn so much, there is always some you can take into the next one. I sat down this morning and went through the lesson again, to make sure I don't make the same mistakes again. The Figaro is all about decision making, whether it's which direction to go, what tuning, what trimming to have, you're making decisions all the time. So I have to make the best decisions and the least mistakes“.
Thierry Chabagny (Gédimat) 7th overall on leg 1 at 1h24'20'' from the leader: “Looks like there will be a small front passing over Porto on Saturday, we will have to go looking for some fresher air offhsore. Later a long port tack but it is possible that unstable breeze will force us to move more West. After Cap Finisterre, there is going to be a high pressure ridge that will cause fickle winds and a weak low coming afterwards. But if that is going to be late, then it's light up to the finish in Gijon! We will have to refresh our weather charts a lot because it's the only reliable info we have. But if there is nothing, no sea breeze, we will have to go very close to shore, especially at night. And then Gijon, it's a dead end where there never wind...”
Nick Cherry (Magma Structures), 11th overall in leg 1 at 1h57'082 from the leader: “I have my boat fixed, my food is all prepared so I'm just looking at the weather really. I have I managed to sleep and rest. It looks like leg 2 is going to be light at the start, light wind patches. I want to finish the leg as higher as I can, I have about two hours from the leaders, I'm very happy with my 11th in the first leg”.
David Kenefick (Full Irish), 33rd overall leg 1 at 04h27'29” and 5th rookie: “I'm well rested I still have one or two little things to do on the boat, I had the repair on the keel done. I just have some more weather briefing to do before we're off. It's good to have been here in Porto and I'm really looking forward to the second leg to try and catch-up. I'm having a briefing with our coach Nico Berenger in a few minutes and we'll see how the situation is but it's going to be quite light and quite tricky like leg 1. I think I'm going to use a lot of what I've learned in leg 1, I'm going to try and stay with the fleet more, stay with the bunch possibly until the finish. My goal is to be top of the rookies and finish as high in the fleet as possible, there is still so many miles to go and so two hours from the first rookie is not that much. There is good work to be done... My Birthday? No I haven't anything on board to celebrate it, no cake... I want to get on the finish line the best I can to celebrate then”.
Fabien Delahaye (Skipper Macif 2012) 20th overall at 2h20'16'' from the leader: ”We don't know from where to pass! There's no wind, anywhere... It's hard to anticipate the good route between the light wind offshore and the thermal breezes inshore. It's going to be a leg of compromises. It's short but can last long. Three days for 300 miles, not an extraordinary log, isn't it? Nothing is set because on the first leg the big gains were made on the last 100 miles, you can take or give three hours on a 300 miles long leg!”
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