FR
EN
It's a decision that is universally approved of by the 42 strong class. Before the start, Michel Desjoyeaux (TrimControl) warned of "a veritable convoy of low-pressure systems arriving to replace the high-pressure system." Normandy’s Thimoté Polet (Zeiss) explains: "There are two particularly 'tough' weather features early in this the race: what we experienced during the first night and what's forming off the coast of Spain."
"At some point, it's no longer sport, it's survival."
"A significant deterioration is confirmed for the western Bay of Biscay starting Thursday, with the potential for very strong winds," explains Pierre-Yves Guillerm, the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR meteorologist. "These are fairly low-lying depressions that will arrive between the Azores and the coast of Portugal," explains Renaud Courbon (RDT Logistic – Forvis Mazars). "This is generating a southerly flow that will block our path." Specifically, this means "six-meter troughs, average winds of 45 knots, and gusts of 55 knots," explains the young Zeiss skipper Polet. This unsettled regime is expected to continue throughout the weekend.
The decision to stop in La Coruña was widely supported by the fleet. "It's a wise decision," emphasized Renaud Courbon. "It's like two years ago when we stopped in Lorient. At some point, it's no longer sport, it's survival."
Thimoté Polet echoed the same sentiment: "Even though our boats are like the 4x4s of sailing, there was nowhere we could have passed. It's important to be safe."
Restarting when?
The front of the Class40 fleet, the largest in the race (40 boats), is expected to reach La Coruña on Wednesday afternoon. The race is therefore divided into two legs (Le Havre-La Coruña, La Coruña-Fort-de-France). As specified in an amendment published by race management, the rankings for the two legs will be calculated in real time, and the overall ranking will be calculated based on the combined time of the two legs. "It depends on how we get through tonight and tomorrow morning," Thimoté said. When might they return to racing? It's still too early to say how strong the situation will be. However, according to Meteo France’s Pierre-Yves Guillerm, "a small restart window could be possible this Saturday or Sunday."
