FR
EN
Class40: First to the tapas for Douguet-Tréhin!
When Corentin Douguet and Axel Tréhin spotted the light of the Tower of Hercules this morning, they couldn't hide their satisfaction. "We're arriving in a place we know and love. The landscape is typical of Galicia: beautiful hills, a bit of rain, and still some wind to cross the finish line!" said Corentin Douguet less than an hour from the finish. The Roman lighthouse marking the entrance to the Bay of La Coruña felt like the end of a challenging first leg on which both physical and mental strength were required. After losing the lead yesterday on the 11:00 AM ranking, the SNSM duo (publicising donations to the French lifeboat organisation) decided to carry on longer after exiting the ridge, pushing hard all day and undoubtedly benefiting from slightly stronger pressure to the south than their competitors. "Everyone did what they could. In these conditions, you have to keep an eye on your rivals but also believe in your own choices. Axel and I are happy that everything worked out so well.” SNSM took the lead in the early afternoon ahead of Seafrigo Sogestran, extending it throughout the rest of the day and night. Axel and Corentin will be the first to enjoy the legendary tapas at the La Coruña Yacht Club. s TRANSAT CAFE L’OR, which will be aggregated over two stages for the small monohulls.
The tail end of the fleet which is still in the north of the Bay of Biscay as the low-pressure system and its big front will hit the tip of Spain as early as noon tomorrow.
“We’re keeping a close eye on seven or eight boats that won’t arrive before noon tomorrow, but there are escape routes, notably Gijón, whose entrance is well protected from the swell,” said race director Francis Le Goff this morning. “If they all sail as seamanlike sailors, it should go well.”
ULTIM: 'We’re doing 40 knots now, it’s fantastic'
Unbeatable upwind, a point of sail where they already demonstrated strength two years ago, SVR Lazartigue continues to widen the gap on the pursuers. After numerous maneuvers along the center of the low-pressure system, they executed a final tack in the middle of the night before heading south of the storm and accelerating on a reach: “We’re doing 40 knots now, it’s fantastic,” said Tom Laperche said this morning during the radio check-in. “It was an active night, and we had quite a few thunderstorms coming out of the low. Suddenly, it's light all around the boat; it's impressive. The sun is rising now, and the weather is glorious. After a slight lull near Madeira, we picked up speed again and will round the Canary Islands at noon.”
Everything seems smooth when you hear the young skipper's calm and even voice, but you can well believe that the schedule since the start hasn't allowed much respite: "It's true that our arms are starting to ache with all the tacks. Each one takes 20 to 30 minutes of effort for the two of us. We're going to take advantage of the next few hours on a tack to catch up on some sleep."
The challenging weather since the start has also required spending more time than before at the chart table, and it's not over yet because now they'll have to go looking for the "deep trade winds," as Tom Laperche calls them, which they shouldn't expect until they reach the latitude of Cape Verde. “We’ve weathered the worst of the wind, but there’s still a long way to go and the gaps are small considering our speeds. Everyone could run into some minor problems.”
In saying this, the skipper of SVR Lazartigue is, of course, referring to his direct pursuers, Sodebo Ultim 3 and Actual Ultim 4, respectively 65 and 97 miles behind at the 6 a.m. rankings. But we mustn’t forget Maxi Banque Populaire XI, which has made up 80 miles of the deficit it had when it left Lorient. By passing to the west of the moving low-pressure system, Armel Le Cléac’h and Sébastien Josse made a good move and are now less than 90 miles behind Actual Ultim 4. But their challenge will be to realign themselves today without losing too much ground and gaining ground in the west, in winds that are expected to weaken throughout the day.
IMOCA: Charal fights back
Always in the leading pack since start, the Jérémie Beyou-Morgan Lagravière duo took first place yesterday afternoon, bypassing the low to the north.
"In the medium winds, we made the right tacks and were clearly going faster, which bodes well for the trade winds if we ever catch them..."
On the radio call this morning, we found Jérémie as we know him, enthusiastic about battling at the highest level and a little grumpy about this course that sends the IMOCAs around the Canaries, where the winds will be light into tonight and tomorrow. "It's going to ease around midday and we'll hit the ridge of high pressure that's across the track. I don't know how we'll get through it... We really would have preferred not to go there!"
While waiting for this hurdle which could signal a new beginning for everyone, the gybing battle is raging among the IMOCAs, and it's particularly exciting.
"It's going fast, and you have to find the right angles, the right timing. Sometimes we're steering, but at over 30 knots, it's difficult to stay on deck, so with Morgan, we're fine-tuning the pilot settings," Jérémie confided. The miles are ticking by in any case, including for the second group, including the daggerboard IMOCAs, which may be straining their trajectory with the disintegration of the stormy low.
Far out in the Bay of Biscay, however, MSIG Europe and Paprec Arkéa are making painful progress and risk facing some tough times starting tomorrow. They won't be able to avoid the worst of the very pronounced front of the 970 hPa low, which will gather momentum off the Azores today...
Ocean Fifty: Edenred 5 is making the running at the Canaries!
Emmanuel Le Roch was woken from his nap this morning by thee call, but the skipper of Edenred 5 was smiling this morning. "What a beautiful day yesterday! Strong winds were forecast, we were prepared for it, and it was a dream day! Our ambition was to catch up with our friends on Wewise, and we did it!" With a slight shift to the west that gave it a little more pressure and a better angle, Edenred V "outpaced" Wewise, taking advantage of the Romaric Neyhousser design's ease in the medium wind: "We were reaching peaks of 28-30 knots without ever being on the edge. Several times since the start, Basile and I have broached something we never do in a Class 40. But this time, we're really taking advantage of the beautiful conditions. Last night was incredibly starry with a flat sea, a few fishermen, and 8-10 knots of wind upwind."
The rest of the race looks less straightforward. The routing sends the Ocean Fifty slaloming along the beaches of Western Sahara, and we'll have to be very vigilant, especially with regard to traffic and fishing boats that aren't always lit. "The route is long and winding before we catch the trade winds towards Cape Verde," concluded Emmanuel before taking over from Basile Bourgnon at the helm of their trimaran.