Schlagwortarchiv für: Transat J. Vabre

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Transat Jacques Vabre 04.11.2017

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Transat Jacques Vabre 04.11.2017

Weather gods promise record finish on eve of Transat Jacques Vabre
President Macron visits village and wishes skippers good luck
Under 8 day finish possible for Ultime; Class40 talk of 14 days
Records and races mark a great weekend in the Atlantic
Skippers unloading food

The weather gods have smiled on one of the great weekends for offshore sailing. Gone was the sun of the previous week, as a more northerly wind blew through the Normandy harbour of Le Havre followed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who toured the race village in the evening. The 38 boats and 76 crew Transat Jacques Vabre will begin casting off their mooring from the Bassin Paul Vatine at 08:15 UTC tomorrow (Sunday) and head out towards the start line in front of the Cap de la Hève for the 13th edition of this bi-annual double-handed transatlantic race.

Actually, 37 boats will file out to meet the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, which at 23m wide 50cm, was too big to get into the dock.

Twenty knot north-westerly winds and coastal currents will greet them as they cross the line at 12:25 UTC and head 15 miles along the coast to round the compulsory mark at Étretat. Then they will be out into The Channel where a wild Atlantic ride awaits them. If they can avoid the 45-knot wind-against-wave boat-breaking conditions, the four classes –Ultime (3boats), Multi 50 (6), Imoca (13) and Class40 (16) – will plunge south to the finish in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil at record-breaking speed. The latest routing for the favourite Ultime is under eight days, which would smash Groupama 2’s at-the-time astonishing 10day 0h 38min time, when the race last went to Salvador in 2007. The official routing for the Multi 50s is saying 10½ days, 13 for the Imoca and 17½ for the Class40. That would be five days quicker than the 2007 time, but incredibly the talk on the pontoon is of a 14-day finish. That would be a quantum leap. So confident is much of the fleet that they could be seen removing bags of food from their boats.

These are winds for it. November in the Atlantic is always lively, but this is a genuinely extraordinary weekend for offshore sailing and that is why , two former participants in the Route du Café chose to start their record attempts today (Saturday). François Gabart, the Ultime winner in 2015, left on his solo round-the-world attempt on his trimaran Macif, while Yves Le Blevec has taken on the challenge of a reverse solo round-the-world trip on his multihull, Actual.

The Volvo Ocean Race boats will also be joining them with Leg 2, Lisbon to Cape Town also starting tomorrow. Meanwhile the Mini Transat 6.50s have already been out there since last week.

Fans visit for Initiatives-Cœur, skippers Tanguy de Lamotte and Samantha Davies, during pre-start of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2017, duo sailing race from Le Havre (FRA) to Salvador de Bahia (BRA) in Le Havre on November 4th, 2017 – Photo Vincent Curutchet / ALeA / TJV2017

“We’re all happy because the wind is here and that’s a really good sign because I think we’re going to have a very fast trip to Salvador de Bahia this Transat Jacques Vabre,” said Sam Davies, British co-skipper of Imoca contender Initiatives Cœur, who sent a good luck message to all the boats on the Atlantic.

“We’re looking forward to tomorrow because it is going to be a great send-off. I think the Imoca class record is going to be broken. Our routing is looking like less than 13 days and maybe even less than 12. I’m not if we’ll manage to keep that pace up, obviously we’ve got to get through the Doldrums and you never really know what that’s going to throw at you and that can add at least 12 hours. But we’ve removed bags of food to make Initiatives Cœur lighter because we’re confident that we’re going to be quicker than we thought.”

Attention: Scallops and 50-knots ahoy!

“[after a tricky start] in the English Channel there’s the usual shipping, apparently it’s scallop fishing time, so there’s lots of boats. Then as we get towards Ushant, we’ve got to get through a ridge of high pressure, then set off into south-westerlies which will be getting stronger very rapidly and then we’ve to got to tack through the usual famous cold front upwind from the Bay of Biscay. On the forecast we’re seeing 50-knot gusts and 5-metre seas. It’s not going to be easy but hopefully the pain will be over quickly and once we’re on starboard tack we’ll be able to ease the sheets and start going really fast.”

They said:

Alex Pella, co-skipper, Arkema (Multi 50)

“We have the Transat weather now, not the Spanish. It could be (record weather). We have seen after the front that we’re on one gybe down, down, down. We don’t know the forecast for 10 days but it looks like lots of pressure and that we’ll fly down after Cape Verde – it could be very fast. That’s good! The less time you are in the water the better, less problems. It could be 11-12 days, we have food for 14 because we prepared last week, but maybe we can take out a couple of days.

The first two or three days are going to be lively. We’ll have wind for the start of the race and from here to the point of Brittany is reaching with 25 knots and these boats are really fast in those conditions. After that the wind will drop down and we have a ridge of high pressure to cross, a tactical, strategy moment, then after that we need to catch the front of the depression and for us that should be the moment to stay calm because maybe there will be a lot of activity in this front with rain and big clouds and 35-40 knot north-westerlies, and when we catch this wind we’ll have the waves against us for at least six hours. That’s the moment to stay calm and preserve the boat and the crew.”

Thomas Ruyant, co-skipper Malizia II (Imoca)

“It’s going to be technical and lively. The conditions will be very varied, which means a lot of sail changes. You’ll have to make the right choices, because changing a sail costs you. We’ll have to anticipate things well. In the forecasts today, we’ll have a very strong front, gusts of more than 45 knots, big seas in the Bay of Biscay. I’m happy to be going with the same weapons as my competitors. We have a great machine, and are super ready.”

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Transat Jaques Vabre 10.11.2017

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www.transatjacquesvabre.org

10.11.2017

Video Alert – Sam Davies shows us life onboard Initiatives-Coeur during the Transat Jacques Vabre

Having left the French port of Le Havre 5 days ago, the mixed sailing duo of Tanguy de Lamotte (FRA) and Sam Davies (GBR), are racing at full speed towards Brazil as part of the Transat Jacques Vabre.

This double-handed transatlantic race was always going to be fast, and the boats are now reaching record speeds with consistently strong sea conditions. Initiatives-Coeur, who are currently in 8th place in the IMOCA fleet, will have to face a double barrier on their way: a low pressure system and then the famous Doldrums.

While figuring out how the pair will tackle this new obstacle, Sam Davies shows us behind the scenes life onboard Initiatives-Coeur, finishing her shift and waking up her team-mate Tanguy de Lamotte…Such is life at sea when sailing as a duo.

Each race is the occasion of a large-scale awareness campaign during which the two main sponsors of the boat K-LINE and INITIATIVES fund the surgical operations of children suffering from serious heart defects via their donations.
How? The more the number of supporters grows and is active on the Facebook Initiatives-Cœur (“I like and I share”), the more patron sponsors support Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque.

Having left the French port of Le Havre 5 days ago, the mixed sailing duo of Tanguy de Lamotte (FRA) and Sam Davies (GBR), are racing at full speed towards Brazil as part of the Transat Jacques Vabre.

This double-handed transatlantic race was always going to be fast, and the boats are now reaching record speeds with consistently strong sea conditions. Initiatives-Coeur, who are currently in 8th place in the IMOCA fleet, will have to face a double barrier on their way: a low pressure system and then the famous Doldrums.

While figuring out how the pair will tackle this new obstacle, Sam Davies shows us behind the scenes life onboard Initiatives-Coeur, finishing her shift and waking up her team-mate Tanguy de Lamotte…Such is life at sea when sailing as a duo.

——————————————————————————–

VIDEO – Video on board with Sam Davies
Click HERE to download video
© Initiatives-Coeur

Each race is the occasion of a large-scale awareness campaign during which the two main sponsors of the boat K-LINE and INITIATIVES fund the surgical operations of children suffering from serious heart defects via their donations.
How? The more the number of supporters grows and is active on the Facebook Initiatives-Cœur (“I like and I share”), the more patron sponsors support Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque.

The numbers

· 556 000 Facebook fans
· 127 children saved since the launch of the campaign “1 click=1 heart » in 2012
· 109 “new blood”, the boat number
· 89 skippers to have completed a Vendée Globe, including Tanguy de Lamotte (in2012) and Samantha Davies (in 2008)
· 5 fixed cameras on board
Initiatives-Cœur datasheet

Former names: Foncia, Banque Populaire, Maitre Coq
Home port: Lorient
Architects: VPLP – Verdier
LOA: 18,28m
Width: 5,95m
Draught: 4,50m
Mast height: 29m
Empty weight: 7,8 tonnes
Upwind sail area: 300m2
Downwind sail area: 660m2
Foils added: 2015

About:

Initiatives-Cœur
The raceboat Initiatives-Cœur competes in major offshore races to save children. Each race is the occasion of a large-scale awareness campaign during which the two main sponsors of the boat K-LINE and INITIATIVES fund via their donations the surgical operations of children suffering from serious heart defects.
How? The more the number of supporters grows and is active on the Facebook Initiatives-Cœur (“I like and I share”), the more patron sponsors support Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. 127 children have been cared for and saved since 2012.
www.initiatives-coeur.fr

Initiatives
For more than 20 years, the company INITIATIVES, based in Le Mans, has been enabling schools and associations to finance their educational, cultural and sporting projects (such as lessons about the sea, language holidays, procurement of materials and equipment…) with solidarity sales (flowers, calendars, chocolates, raffles…)
www.initiatives.fr

K-LINE
The leading French manufacturer of aluminium fittings and joinery, K-LINE designs, manufactures and sells sliding windows and custom-made entrance doors for all types of architectural buildings, both new and renovated. Since its creation in 1997, K-LINE has become a reference thanks to a new window concept that concentrates high thermal insulation and design in a minimum of material. A winning performance which has become its signature. K-LINE is part of Groupe LIEBOT, a family group based in the Vendée, windows and facades leader in France.
www.k-line.fr

Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque
Allows children with congenital heart defects and from disadvantaged countries to undergo surgery in France when this is impossible in their home countries for lack of technical or financial means. Taken in by volunteer host families and operated on in twelve hospitals in France (Angers, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulouse and Tours), nearly 3,000 children have already been cared for since the association was created in 1996 by Professor Francine Leca and Patrice Roynette.
www.mecenat-cardiaque.org

VINCI Energies
Connection, performance, energy efficiency, data: in a constantly changing world, VINCI Energies is accelerating the deployment of new technologies to implement two major changes: digital transformation and energy transition. Regionally based and organised in an agile way, VINCI Energies companies make energy, transport and communication infrastructures, factories and buildings more reliable, safer and more efficient every day.
2016: 10.2 billion euros (turnover) // 64,500 employees // 1,600 companies // 52 countries
www.vinci-energies.com

Transat J.Vabre 11.11.2017

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www.transatjacquesvabre.org https://www.transatjacquesvabre.org

11.11.2017

24-hour speed record broken stoking Anglo-Spanish and French rivalry
The ferocious pressure in the air, on the water and in the boats in this 13th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre saw the Class40, V and B, break the 24-hour speed record today (Friday).
French skippers Maxime Sorel and Antoine Carpentier, in second place on V and B traveled 377.7 nautical miles between Thursday, November 9, 07:30 (UTC) and Friday, November 10 (07:30) at an average speed of 15.7 knots.

As if the Anglo-Spanish and French rivalry at the front of the Class40 fleet needed any more stoking. British skipper Phil Sharp and his Catalan co-skipper Pablo Santurde, the leaders on Imerys Clean Energy will be doubly conscious of V and B’s speed as the previous record was held by Thalès II, skippered by Gonzalo Botin and Santurde. They travelled 373.3 miles at 15.56 knots average on July 16, 2016 during the Transat Quebec-Saint-Malo.

60-50-30

Five days after leaving Le Havre in Normandy, the Class40 have completed almost a third of the race, the Imoca and Multi 50 almost half, and the Ultime 60 per cent.

A duel in the sun

The hunter is now the hunted but Sodebo Ultim’ is more than holding its own against the newly-launched Maxi Edmond de Rothschild as they rapidly approach the potentially decisive phase: the Doldrums, which are loitering at 7 degrees North of the Equator. But it looks likely that they will be battling all the way to the line with arrivals predicted on Monday, November 13. “In these conditions, you quickly go from being the hunter to the hunted,” Thomas Coville, the skipper of Sodebo Ultim’ said in the morning when the lead they had stunningly taken on Thursday had been cut to under 20 miles. But Maxi Edmond de Rothschild lost 10 miles during the day directly the wake of the Sodebo Ultim’.

It is hard to know why. They are both averaging around 26 knots in near-perfect downwind drag race conditions. Perhaps the most obvious reason is that these 15-knot north-westerlies are not strong enough to unleash Maxi Edmond de Rothschild’s potential. Thomas Rouxel, the co-skipper said before the start that in the two months of testing they felt that if they were travelling “under 30 knots, we feel very slow and like we’re stuck in glue.” It could be their slower transitions and lack of familiarity with their new great beast as Rouxel suggested today.

But these teams play things close to their chests and it may be that they are being more conservative because of accumulated fatigue or they are testing things – as skipper Sébastien Josse said on the start line? Or could there is a small technical glitch – they would not be the only ones.

Multi50: The west pays out for Le Roux and Riou

Ten miles behind in second early this morning, 12 hours later Fenêtre A- Mix Buffet (Erwan Le Roux / Vincent Riou), who had positioned themselves 50 miles west are 33 miles ahead of Arkema.

Imoca: The dominant favourite

Commanding leaders of the Imoca, St Michel-Virbac, continues to slowly stretch away from the fleet. The leader sailed a knot faster over 24 hours than the other foilers. SMA, in second, continues to be the most impressive pursuer, particularly as it is an older boat without foils. They hope that the softening conditions in the next 24 hours will favour them. Des Voiles et Vous! In third is beginning to pay for staying east as that high-pressure system in their path is forcing them west and has cost them 80 miles.

Class 40: The heat is on

Nowhere is the fleet racing keener than in Class40s. Imerys Clean Energy continues to hold the lead and are not far off a record 24-hour speed themselves, despite battling with antenna failure and a lack of weather files. Three French boats are in hot pursuit off Madeira: V and B ((second in the race in the last edition in 2015), Aïna Enfance et Avenir et TeamWork40. The GPS recorded an almost unbelievable 28 knots on GPS today.

Damage report

On Ciela Village, Thierry Bouchard and Oliver Krauss have been sailing without an autopilot since the second day of the race. Also without a computer, they are take turns at the helm, one and a half hours each.

Pit stops

Early leader and one of the Class40 French favourites, the newly-launched Carac, has slowly been dropping off the pace in the last few days and it is becoming clearer why as it heads for Funchal in Madeira. Louis Duc, third in the race two years ago, needs medical attention following a violent blow to his knee. On anti-inflammatories for three days, Duc ‘s condition has worsened by further blows and he is unable to move around the boat. They should arrive during the night.

Enel Green Power: Italian duo, Andrea Fontini and Alberto Bona, should arrive in Lisbon at 04:00, where they will try and fix their broken starboard rudder. The damage occurred yesterday morning when the boat hit a UFO.

Rescued

After their capsize and dramatic rescue yesterday morning, Eric Defert and Christopher Pratt, skippers of Drekan Groupe, transferred from Beautriton, the Dutch freighter that came to their aid, on to a Portuguese Navy patrol boat and landed at Punta Delgada (Azores) this afternoon.

 

Les mots des partenaires
Andrea Fantini, skipper, Enel Green Energy (Class40)

“We hit a UFO yesterday morning and we broke the starboard rudder. We are heading to Lisbon to see if we can make a repair or not. I think we’ll arrive in Lisbon at 04:00 tonight. Alberto and I are safe, we had a lot of water on the boat, it was a big mess but everything now is under control and we are under three reefs and a storm jib. We have 30 knots (of wind) from the north-east and we are going really slowly. (The accident) We had a fractional spinnaker up and two reefs, I was changing the watch with Alberto and we hit something in the water. We heard a huge bang, and we weren’t sure what had happened. Then we saw the starboard rudder, we hurried to save it, so we have it with us. But it’s not in the right place, we can’t use it and there’s delamination there too.”
Louis Duc, skipper, Carac (Class40)

“I cannot move, the slightest movement is really painful. In the very unstable conditions we’ve had from the start we had to be really responsive, and I couldn’t be. There was a lot of blows to the bad knee…we exploded the little spinnaker yesterday at the beginning of a broach. Alexis (Loison, co-skipper) is starting to get very tired. I’m really sorry for him, I’m helping him as much as I can.” “I told Jean-Yves Chauve (the race doctor) and Alexis’s father, who is a doctor, a knee specialist. It is probably necessary to intervene, so we are routed to Funchal in Madeira, and then we will head on to Brazil.”

Thomas Rouxel, co-skipper of Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (Ultime)

“In terms of manoeuvres, we’re pretty much level with Sodebo Ultim’. Where we are disadvantaged is that we know less about the boat, so in the transitions, we’re finding it more difficult to speed up. We’re starting to feel the fatigue. Wake-ups are difficult but the boat remains comfortable enough. The battle with Sodebo Ultim’ is intense and it’s great for us because it forces us to constantly look for the right options. It’s a great race, we’re having fun.”

 

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Transat J. Vabre – 10.11.2017

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www.transatjacquesvabre.org https://www.transatjacquesvabre.org

10.11.2017

Video Alert – Sam Davies shows us life onboard Initiatives-Coeur during the Transat Jacques Vabre

Having left the French port of Le Havre 5 days ago, the mixed sailing duo of Tanguy de Lamotte (FRA) and Sam Davies (GBR), are racing at full speed towards Brazil as part of the Transat Jacques Vabre.

This double-handed transatlantic race was always going to be fast, and the boats are now reaching record speeds with consistently strong sea conditions. Initiatives-Coeur, who are currently in 8th place in the IMOCA fleet, will have to face a double barrier on their way: a low pressure system and then the famous Doldrums.

While figuring out how the pair will tackle this new obstacle, Sam Davies shows us behind the scenes life onboard Initiatives-Coeur, finishing her shift and waking up her team-mate Tanguy de Lamotte…Such is life at sea when sailing as a duo.

Each race is the occasion of a large-scale awareness campaign during which the two main sponsors of the boat K-LINE and INITIATIVES fund the surgical operations of children suffering from serious heart defects via their donations.
How? The more the number of supporters grows and is active on the Facebook Initiatives-Cœur (“I like and I share”), the more patron sponsors support Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque.

Having left the French port of Le Havre 5 days ago, the mixed sailing duo of Tanguy de Lamotte (FRA) and Sam Davies (GBR), are racing at full speed towards Brazil as part of the Transat Jacques Vabre.

This double-handed transatlantic race was always going to be fast, and the boats are now reaching record speeds with consistently strong sea conditions. Initiatives-Coeur, who are currently in 8th place in the IMOCA fleet, will have to face a double barrier on their way: a low pressure system and then the famous Doldrums.

While figuring out how the pair will tackle this new obstacle, Sam Davies shows us behind the scenes life onboard Initiatives-Coeur, finishing her shift and waking up her team-mate Tanguy de Lamotte…Such is life at sea when sailing as a duo.

——————————————————————————–

VIDEO – Video on board with Sam Davies
Click HERE to download video
© Initiatives-Coeur

Each race is the occasion of a large-scale awareness campaign during which the two main sponsors of the boat K-LINE and INITIATIVES fund the surgical operations of children suffering from serious heart defects via their donations.
How? The more the number of supporters grows and is active on the Facebook Initiatives-Cœur (“I like and I share”), the more patron sponsors support Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque.

The numbers

· 556 000 Facebook fans
· 127 children saved since the launch of the campaign “1 click=1 heart » in 2012
· 109 “new blood”, the boat number
· 89 skippers to have completed a Vendée Globe, including Tanguy de Lamotte (in2012) and Samantha Davies (in 2008)
· 5 fixed cameras on board
Initiatives-Cœur datasheet

Former names: Foncia, Banque Populaire, Maitre Coq
Home port: Lorient
Architects: VPLP – Verdier
LOA: 18,28m
Width: 5,95m
Draught: 4,50m
Mast height: 29m
Empty weight: 7,8 tonnes
Upwind sail area: 300m2
Downwind sail area: 660m2
Foils added: 2015

About:

Initiatives-Cœur
The raceboat Initiatives-Cœur competes in major offshore races to save children. Each race is the occasion of a large-scale awareness campaign during which the two main sponsors of the boat K-LINE and INITIATIVES fund via their donations the surgical operations of children suffering from serious heart defects.
How? The more the number of supporters grows and is active on the Facebook Initiatives-Cœur (“I like and I share”), the more patron sponsors support Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. 127 children have been cared for and saved since 2012.
www.initiatives-coeur.fr

Initiatives
For more than 20 years, the company INITIATIVES, based in Le Mans, has been enabling schools and associations to finance their educational, cultural and sporting projects (such as lessons about the sea, language holidays, procurement of materials and equipment…) with solidarity sales (flowers, calendars, chocolates, raffles…)
www.initiatives.fr

K-LINE
The leading French manufacturer of aluminium fittings and joinery, K-LINE designs, manufactures and sells sliding windows and custom-made entrance doors for all types of architectural buildings, both new and renovated. Since its creation in 1997, K-LINE has become a reference thanks to a new window concept that concentrates high thermal insulation and design in a minimum of material. A winning performance which has become its signature. K-LINE is part of Groupe LIEBOT, a family group based in the Vendée, windows and facades leader in France.
www.k-line.fr

Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque
Allows children with congenital heart defects and from disadvantaged countries to undergo surgery in France when this is impossible in their home countries for lack of technical or financial means. Taken in by volunteer host families and operated on in twelve hospitals in France (Angers, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulouse and Tours), nearly 3,000 children have already been cared for since the association was created in 1996 by Professor Francine Leca and Patrice Roynette.
www.mecenat-cardiaque.org

VINCI Energies
Connection, performance, energy efficiency, data: in a constantly changing world, VINCI Energies is accelerating the deployment of new technologies to implement two major changes: digital transformation and energy transition. Regionally based and organised in an agile way, VINCI Energies companies make energy, transport and communication infrastructures, factories and buildings more reliable, safer and more efficient every day.
2016: 10.2 billion euros (turnover) // 64,500 employees // 1,600 companies // 52 countries
www.vinci-energies.com

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Transat J.Vabre 09.11.2017

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09.11.2017

Sharp extends lead as Merron heads home
The Anglo-Spanish duo, Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde (Imerys Clean Energy) extended their lead at the front of the 40ft monohull fleet, as Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merron (Campagne de France) were limping back to Cherbourg, their home port, nursing a broken port rudder. They are expected back at midday tomorrow (Thursday).

Such has been the pace, complication and fatigue after 72 hours at sea since the start from Le Havre on Sunday, that Sharp admitted that he fell asleep at the helm today (Wednesday) -“that’s when I realised it might be a good idea to change with Pablo,” Sharp said. “I think we’re getting 3-4 hours in 24 hours.”

“It’s been difficult because it’s been really unstable, so it’s hard to keep the boat flat the whole time. I woke up a couple of times in the night with the boat over and my bunk nearly vertical. It’s quite alarming. The second time I came back to find the sleeping bag had unfortunately gone in a big pool of water in the boat – that was not good.

Sharp took back the lead last night then stretched 20 miles ahead of his nearest French rival – Aïna Enfance & Avenir – with five French boats all within 40 miles behind. Despite the fatigue and hot-bunking one wet sleeping bag between them, he and Santurde were able appreciate the result of their efforts.

“The conditions we had yesterday were insane, pushing the boat like that pretty much the whole day at speeds on the limit was quite an experience. We’ve been pushing really hard and when we realised we’d taken a big advantage it was hugely positive for us and we’ve been really spurred on to try keep extending.”

The bad news is that the antenna on their main satellite system failed this morning so they have not been able to download weather files. With no outside assistance allowed, that will be complicated as both the Class40 and the back of the larger Imoca 60ft monohull fleet will have to cope with squalls, gusting up to 30 knots and big seas in the open seas off Portugal as they head to the Azores.

For the two Ultime-class trimarans at the front, it looks like being a much easier giant slalom on port tack all the way to the Doldrums. The Multi 50 and the leading Imocas have a few more bumps in the road, with a cross sea and they need to be accurate with the route and avoid the effects of the active depression around the Canaries.

Whilst you are sleeping, spare a thought for Lionel Lemonchois and Bernard Stamm, Prince de Bretagne, the smaller Ultime, who will make their pit-stop to fix the broken mainsail halyard tonight in the shelter of the island of Santa Maria in the Canaries. “We should get there between midnight and one o’clock in the morning (French time),” Swiss co-skipper Stamm said. “We have to get up the mast and put everything right in less than two hours. We will see if we can get everything down or not.”

Speaking about the damage sustained crossing the cold front that battered the fleet yesterday and that has knocked them out of the running and maybe out of the race, Merron said both she and Mabire are uninjured but feeling low.

“Other than being absolutely gutted, we’re fine,” Britain’s Merron said. “We’d positioned ourselves in relation to the rest of the fleet where we wanted to be (and were lying in fifth place), we had good downwind conditions, we had the fractional spinnaker and two reefs in the main and the boat was flying. Then the boat wiped out, it took us a while to get it upright, whereas normally its straight away, then we realised the port rudder (bracket) had broken and then the boat obviously wiped out again pretty much immediately.

“We don’t know whether we wiped out because of the rudder or if the wipeout caused the boat to break. Then, we couldn’t get the boat upright because the rudder was swinging around wildly. Then the spinnaker blew up. So, it took a while to sort that out, because it was in several pieces and didn’t want to come down. We got that down eventually and managed to detach the rudder before it made a mess of the back of the boat.

The damage has forced Merron and Mabire, partners on land as well at sea, back to France rather than heading to Spain, which would have required a starboard tack.

“We can only sail on port tack, as we’ve only got the starboard rudder at the moment,” Merron said. “We looked at our options and decided to go Cherbourg because the conditions were favourable for getting there on port tack and at least we’ll be in a home port and we can have a look to see whether we can repair it quickly and leave again.”

They said:

Samantha Davies, co-skipper, Initiatives-Cœur (Imoca)

“It’s Rock’n’roll here, downwind in an unstable wind, with friends not far away (Multi 50 and IMOCA). At the moment, we’ve making almost 30 knots and we have all the canvas out, so we’re being vigilant and changing watch often so as not to be tired outside. But we’re slamming less so we can sleep a little better and the trackball is staying in the same place. We’re still in dry suits, but it’s a little less humid. Well, we just switched over, Tanguy is outside, I’m going to sleep a little … good night!

Sam

P.S. our thoughts are with Miranda and Halvard; I hope they manage to find shelter without too much difficulty.”

Bernard Stamm, co-skipper, Maxi 80 Prince de Bretagne (Ultime)

“A little message, to say that we’re advancing as well as we can with our two reefs in the mainsail and the solent. The gennaker is staying in his bag because the halyard is occupied by the mainsail. And hey, we should not be with them, but we we’ve in sight of Saint-Michel Virbac. It was nice to see them anyway and Jean-Pierre (Dick) called us for a little bit of chat.”

 

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Transat J.Vabre 06.11.2017

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www.transarjacquesvabre.org

06.12.2017

Fleet prepare for the front after battling currents and lobster pots
45-knot gusts, 5-metre waves ahead

If the first night of the 13th Transat Jacques Vabre was tough, the second night will wash away the memory in brutal fashion for the 37 boats and 74 crew, with winds gusting up to 45 knots and 5-metre waves as they begin to cross a cold front off Cape Finisterre from this evening (Monday). In a different way to the trilas of negotiating ridges of high pressure, as the fleet did today, the big conditions test seamanship, stomachs and partnerships to destruction. As Phil Sharp (Imerys Clean Energy) said: “it’s the calm before the storm” or as Jean-Luc Nélias (co-skipper, Sodebo Ultim’) put it: “We’ve gone from glasses of champagne to buckets of water in the face.”

The race has started with record-breaking weather forecasts but these are boat-breaking conditions where it is more about seamanship and survival rather than speed. The added dimension in this bi-annual double-handed race is that rather than facing alone what the North Atlantic in November can throw at you, as most of the solo sailors in the fleet are used you, here they have a partner. Can you really rely on the sailor beside you? If you can, you will go faster and stay safer, if you cannot, you cannot not rest while you hear them fumbling on deck.

The upwind conditions will be tough for all four classes, and momentarily negate much of the advantage of the foiling boats across the fleet, even that of the 32-metre long leader in the Ultime class, Edmond de Rothschild.

Many and varied are tests of the Transat Jacques Vabre. Although they appear to have avoided the worries of Sam Davies (Initiatives-Cœur) about fishing boats filling the Channel for scallop season, not everyone avoided the lobster pots nearer the coast.

Britain’s Miranda Merron on Campagne de France was speaking for many in explaining their decision that discretion was the better part of valour: “some of our classmates opted to go rock-hopping off Barfleur,” she wrote this morning, “but given the conditions, there is no way out if anything goes wrong, it being a lee shore. And there are plenty of lobster pots. We have played it safe and stayed further offshore, which means pushing foul tide. No regrets.”

Colombre XL, one of the two all-Italian duos, found out exactly what Merron meant. “At Barfleur we got caught on a lobster pot,” Massimo Juris said. “The boat suddenly stopped. We immediately let go of the sails and eventually had to drop them with great difficulty, with the wind and current from behind. We tried to hook the rope that was holding us but the buoy was too far and the rest of the line too deep against the keel. So Pietro (Luciani) prepared himself for a night dive. He wore the wetsuit and also the survival suit. The idea was to swim to the buoy and cut the rope underneath. But when everything was finally ready we got untangled and the boat started to drift free.”

The episode cost them an hour, which equated to 10 miles on the ranking. On the plus side Juris knows better than ever that Pietro is man he can count on in a tight fix.

Class40: between a rock and a racing current

What a battle. Just 15 miles between the first 7 boats with newly-launched boat Aïna, Enfance & Avenir (Chappellier/Le Vaillant) leading and Britain’s Sharp in fourth and Miranda Merron (Campagne de France) in fifth. The leading Class40s could not really rest as they crossed the ridge of high pressure as they has to protect themselves from the strong current, which was reported as being up to 10 knots. They will reach the front tomorrow.

Imoca: What a battle II

Just 13 miles between the top eight. Des Voiles et Vous, SMA, St-Michel Virbac lead a fleet, which slowed by the ridge this afternoon, is slowly accelerating. The SMA duo (Meilhat / Gahinet) have given nothing to the foilers. But the more upwind conditions in big seas suit them. As soon as they pass the front (around 01:00 UTC), the foilers should make their reaching speed count.

Multi50: Arkema set the pace

Lalou Roucayrol and Catalan’s Alex Pella on Arkema managed the difficult first night of sharp downwind racing expertly and stayed true to their pontoon plan of a quick start to be best placed for the front. The Multi50s are all heading due west, towards the front they will reach in the evening. All except Réauté Chocolat (Tripon / Bernaud) who have opted for a safer southern route at the cost of miles in what will be the toughest boat in the fleet to manage these conditions.

Ultime: Maxi Edmond de Rothschild escaping

After a crazy night with speeds of 40 knots, the Josse / Rouxel duo is making more than 20 knots, over 20 miles ahead of Sodebo Ultim’ and beginning to feel the grip of the cold front.

Technical stop

Eärendil (Class40): after breaking the hoist line for the staysail, Catherine Pourre informed the Race Office that she will stop at Camaret-sur-Mer (Brittany) tonight (around 24:00) to repair it. According to the Sailing Instructions, she will not be able to leave until four hours after her arrival.

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Transat J.Vabre 06.11.2017

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Pressemitteilung

6. November 2017

Boris Herrmann gleich in TJV-Spitzengruppe

Boris Herrmann und Thomas Ruyant haben sich gleich nach dem Start des Hochseesegelrennens Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV) in der Spitzengruppe festgesetzt. Der Hamburger Skipper und sein französischer Kompagnon gingen am Sonntag mit der gut 18 Meter langen „Malizia“ für den Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) in Le Havre/Frankreich auf die Hatz nach Salvador de Bahia in Brasilien. 19,5 Stunden nach Beginn der 4.350 Seemeilen (mehr als 8.000 Kilometer) langen Kaffeeroute lag das Duo nur 3,5 Seemeilen hinter den Führenden auf Rang vier der IMOCA-Klasse. In knapp zwei Wochen werden die Sieger bereits im Ziel erwartet.

Eine frische bis starke Brise und meterhohe Wellen machten den Start des internationalen Regattaklassikers trotz strömenden Regens zu einem Spektakel. Einige tausend Zuschauer hatten sich aufgemacht, die 37 Boote in vier Klassen auf die Reise zu schicken. „Das ist Gänsehaut pur, ein großer Moment“, sagte Boris Herrmann kurz vor dem Ablegen im Hafen. Für die „Malizia“-Kampagne, die er mit Pierre Casiraghi aus dem Fürstenhaus Monaco mit dem Höhepunkt Vendée Globe 2020 angestoßen hat, ist es die erste große Transatlantik-Regatta.

„Und zum ersten Mal überhaupt ist der Yacht Club de Monaco bei diesem prestigeträchtigen Wettbewerb dabei“, freut sich Vizepräsident Casiraghi, der aufgrund beruflicher Verpflichtungen schweren Herzens auf die eigene Teilnahme verzichten musste. Der Sohn von Prinzessin Caroline von Monaco fiebert in der Heimat am Computer mit, der übers Internet die aktuellen Positionen liefert (transatjacquesvabre.org/en/map-and-ranking). „Wir wollen bis zum 19. November im Ziel sein, denn das ist Nationalfeiertag in Monaco“, so der gebürtige Oldenburger Herrmann, „und am liebsten natürlich ganz vorne.“

Doch die Konkurrenz ist hart. Mehrere Führungswechsel in der ersten Nacht auf See waren Zeugnis der Leistungsdichte unter den 13 Open 60 der IMOCA-Klasse. Knapp vorne lagen am Montagmorgen Morgan Lagraviere und Eric Peron auf der „Des Voiles Et Vous!“ gefolgt von Paul Meilhat und Gwenole Gahinet mit der „SMA“ und der „St Michel -Virbac“ von Jean-Pierre Dick/Yann Elies (alle Frankreich). Aber auch der 36-jährige Deutsche hatte mit seinem erfahrenen Co-Skipper bis dahin schon mehrfach auf Podiumsplätzen gelegen.

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Andreas Kling

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