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03.06.2013
The M34s open Normandy Sailing Week!
Normandy Sailing Week 2013 officially kicked off today with a training race for the M34s offshore of Le Havre. Over the course of the week, Norman sailing will be in festival mode with no less than 800 racers expected in the different series. Tomorrow the stars of the competition, Nicolas Troussel, Franck Cammas, Thomas Coville, Daniel Souben, Jean-Luc Nélias and the like… will take the start of a 230-mile offshore race bound for the Isle of Wight and back.
A training race prior to the long course
Today saw windy conditions in the Baie de Seine to the great delight of the M34 line-up. The 17 to 19 knots in the zone in question gave the Tour de France a la Voile teams a chance to warm up and hone their tactical and manoeuvring skills prior to tomorrow’s start of the offshore leg, at 1000 hours local time, which starts and finishes in Le Havre and involves a 230-mile sprint via the Isle of Wight.
“Like last year, we’re really happy to be taking part in this long race” explained Daniel Souben, skipper of “Courrier Dunkerque 3”. “We’re going to head straight for the Isle of Wight, which we’ll round to the East. From there we’ll make our exit via the Needles and then make our way back across the English Channel. At that point we’ll have a tricky section to negotiate around the Saint Marcouf islands at the Cotentin headland, followed by a sprint along the Norman coast”.
“To my mind, “Credit Mutuel – Bretagne” will be able to slip along nicely, Breton captain Nicolas Troussel continues. “We’re expecting good weather conditions with up to 20 knots of breeze over the two days, most of which will be downwind. From the start we’ll be reaching at express speeds as we make for England. This is sure to be followed by a run under spinnaker as we round the Isle of Wight, which will also be the case for our return leg to Normandy. It’s simple on paper but as usual there will be a few potential moves to be had with some gybes to be fitted in and some key decisions around the Needles and in Normandy, where the current has the potential to be strong”.
“This long race is a format that suits us”, Thomas Coville confirms, skipper of the M34 “Sodebo”. “I come from an offshore racing background so when putting my crew together early this year, I tried to group together both close-contact inshore specialists and sailors experienced in this type of exercise, such as Laurent Pagés and Jean-Luc Nélias. 230 miles aboard a M34 certainly won’t be a picnic. There’s no comfort down below but we’re going to have a good crack all the same. The clubs in Le Havre have always been able to launch offshore courses, so much so that it’s become a tradition now. It’s great to sail at night and come to Le Havre to race as the Normans have a very deep respect for the sea”.
Who will win Normandy Sailing Week in the M34 category?
Normandy Sailing Week 2013 is a triple-stakes competition for those competing in the M34 category, which is the craft raced in the Tour de France à la Voile. The event in Le Havre will be the theatre for the first leg of the French Crewed Championship, as well as the last leg of the new Volvo Drive E Race circuit and a genuine training ground for the Tour de France à la Voile, whose fleet will set sail from Dunkirk at the end of June.
Two crews have really shone since the start of the season. “Courrier Dunkerque 3”, skippered by Daniel Souben, and “Groupama 34”, helmed by Franck Cammas, have each won an event in this year’s racing schedule. The team from Dunkirk stood out at the Spi Ouest France in La Trinité-sur-Mer, leaving their rivals little room for manoeuvre. Meantime, the most recent winners of the Volvo Ocean Race secured first place in the overall ranking in the Iroise Cup, which was a combination of the Grand Prix Guyader in Douarnenez and the Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale. These two protagonists currently boast a slight speed bonus, both in terms of their tactics and the fluidity of their manœuvring. As a result, they are sure to be among the pretenders to victory in this eighth running of Normandy Sailing Week.
At times reminiscent of a Match Race, this contest may be fleshed out by three other teams, all of which have the ability to do battle on the tough Baie de Seine race zone. “Crédit Mutuel – Bretagne”, helmed by Nicolas Troussel, double winner of the Solitaire du Figaro, is clearly upping his game. The Breton team knows its boat well having been on the circuit for some two years and it’s put together a well-matched team with Dimitri Deruelle calling tactics, who is renowned as a brilliant French round-the-cans strategist. The Omanis, led by Frenchman Cédric Pouligny, whose skills shouldn’t be underestimated, regularly showcase their talents. Finally, the arrival of “Sodebo” and Thomas Coville, a great navigator, is already creating a stir. The “Sodeboys” are a class act. Third in the Iroise Cup, they all have what it takes to earn a place at the top of the leaderboard in what promises to be an exceptional Normandy Sailing Week. “Courrier Dunkerque 3” and “Groupama 34” were a cut above the rest at the start of the season but we’re on the hunt, ready to pounce the minute our rivals put a foot wrong,” concludes Thomas Coville, proud to have gathered a group of strong individuals around him.
Track progress in the long race in Normandy Sailing Week virtually tack for tack with updated positions every 30 minutes at:
http://yb.tl/nsw2013
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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