Transat Jacques Vabre: Safran winner in the IMOCA Open 60 Class

[source: Transat Jacques Vabre] At 08:52:10hrs GMT/UTC (02:52:10hrs local time Tuesday 24th) after 15 days 19 hrs 22 mins 10 secs on course Safran co-skippered by France's Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier-Bénac crossed the finish line off Puerto Limon, Costa Rica to win the 14 boat IMOCA Open 60 Class in the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race which started on Sunday 8th November from Le Havre. Safran sailed 5263 miles at an average speed of 12.46 knots.

Safran wins the IMOCA Open 60 Class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

Transat Jacques Vabre, Crepes Whaou First to finish

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] A huge, noisy Costa Rican welcome greeted Franck Yves Escoffier (FRA) and Erwan Le Roux (FRA), co skippers of the Crêpes Whaou when they emerged out of the Caribbean darkness, comprehensively winning the Multi 50 class and taking line honours for this ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre race which started from Le Havre on Sunday 8th November.

Emerging out of the darkness to break the finish line off the historic port town of Peurto Limon at 2231hrs local time Monday 23rd (0431hrs UTC/GMT Tuesday) the French duo with their new build Crêpes Whaou! 3, only launched in August, maintained Escoffier's unbeaten record in this biannual classic, also scooping the IMOCA Open 60's to take line honours for the third consecutive time.

Escoffier and Le Roux took 15 days, 15 hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds to complete the course which took the Multi 50 fleet south of Barbados on a course which for the winning pair was 5805 miles, which they completed at an average speed of 13.41 knots.

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The new destination for the coffee route race, finishing in Costa Rica, served up a carnival greeting for the winners, Escoffier remarking immediately that without doubt the high point of their race was the warmth of finish. Sailing with Le Roux, a successful former Mini 650 Class 40 and multihull sailor who has completed two previous Transat Jacques Vabre races, the pair chose a prudent southerly routing to avoid the very worst of a very active depression before then building a big lead over their Multi50 Class rivals.

Asked about the memories, the key moments, Escoffier said, "You have to start with this finish, the arrival here has been an extraordinary reception. We have seen some great welcomes but here in Peurto Limon between the fireworks and the whole world out to greet us on the dock, that was a great moment. But so, too the start was interesting too. There is always a build up of adrenalin you need pumping as a competitor, and I felt like we made the strongest start of the Multi 50's. And a strong memory yesterday when we just stopped ourselves from tipping the boat over. It was not funny. Erwan, who is younger than me really had to rein me in from time to time. We can smile looking back..."

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet / AFP

On the subject of the Class 50, and asked if they did not feel out on a limb without much competition in the end, Escoffier explained: “ We are about to succeed in making it (the Multi 50) take off with the new boats in the class. Unfortunately the two other newest boats are not at the finish too. We missed competition a little, but we should not forget Guyader pour Urgence Climatique who are a good crew. In the multihull there is not much to teach them, but they lack the finance to have a boat like Crêpes Whaou! And it would be good if they could find it. And I hope that before I leave this class there will be a proper class of boats like ours. But the objective was always, as well to beat the IMOCA Open 60's in and we pushed hard to do that.”

Transat Jacques Vabre: Compression at the gates to the Caribbean

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Lighter winds which the leaders will roll into first suggest that compression is inevitable, some of that gap from third to fourth will be eaten away as the trade wind are killed off periodically....

In theory they should have done enough. The leading trio of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Costa Rica, Safran, Groupe Bel and Mike Golding Yacht Racing have a substantial cushion to fourth, and seem set to scrap over who wins which step on the podium, but there will still be some nervous hours ahead and the weather forecasts are none too stable.

Onboard Akena Verandas. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The trio, the two French leaders and Britain’s third placed Mike Golding who is racing with Spain’s Javier Sanso on Mike Golding Yacht Racing, will tomorrow be first to hit a wall of lighter, even more unsettled breezes and compression – as the chasing pack catches miles back on them – is predicted to continue periodically for the next couple of days.

The margin back from third to fourth, to double-Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux, is now 270 miles with less than 2000 miles to go.

Desjoyeaux, who has squeezed close to 100 miles ahead of Veolia Environnement since passing them, re-asserted today that there was no acceptance on his part that the race was a foregone conclusion, and clearly his legendary fighting spirit is undimmed. If there is one skipper out there who is as happy battling the mathematical odds as he is his opponents, it is him.

At midday today leaders Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier on Safran were about 500 miles from breaching the gap between Antigua and Guadeloupe for the final trans Caribbean stage down to the finish at Puerto Limon.

Onboard AVIVA. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The gap between first and second has been prised open again by the leaders Safran, standing at 52.5 miles back to Groupe Bel, whilst Golding and Sanso had sneaked back under the 100 miles from the lead line early this morning, but their gains have been nullified over the day and the third placed boat has now 125 miles to catch up. The British skipper today reported that he has had some success in repairing the electronic wind instrumentation which is helping their attack slightly, but he noted that he considers there will be several tactical opportunities through the final few days of this passage.

Down the fleet the sentiments are the same. The attack goes on, from first to last the conditions may be pleasurable but the rhythm is intense. Sam Davies, the effervescent British Vendée Globe skipper on Artemis, remarks that spirits between her and her French co-skipper remain generally high, despite them having a big deficit to make up.

“It’s hard because you’ve got to keep concentrating as well so you have to find a balance between not being suicidal because you’re last so you do have to find the light side of things, and also at the same time keep concentrating, because it’s never over till the fat lady sings, and there’s a long way to go.” Emphasized Davies.

Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson’s alliance on Aviva seems to be reaping rewards as they hold the upper hand over their nearest rivals, the Spanish crew on W-Hotel. From being just a couple of miles ahead yesterday Aviva had moved 13 miles clear this evening, and they have gone from a deficit of about 60 miles on fifth placed Veolia Environnement to an increasingly tenable 23 miles this afternoon. The battle for fifth to ninth is increasingly engaging as just 130 miles separates Veolia from Akena Verandas and, just as for the leaders, more compression is virtually inevitable.

Hugo Boss damaged, slowed to assess damage

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] When lying in fourth place in the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Porto Limon, Costa Rica, the British IMOCA Open 60 Hugo Boss last night reported hitting an unidentified object in the water, damaging the starboard bow of the boat and causing them to take in water. They have slowed the boat right down, have a pump working, are managing the ingress of water.

Alex Thomson, the skipper, has reported that conditions are stable and they are not in any imminent danger. The British pair are in regular contact with TJV Race Director Jean Maurel. They have been in discussion with their shore team, and with a structural engineer from SP before they make any decisions as to what their options are.

Hugo Boss was approximately 400 miles south of the Azores.

Thomson said: "I am gutted, we have done the hard bit, been through the storms and the way ahead was looking very easy. We will monitor the situation overnight and assess in the morning what our options are."

BT activates distress beacon, rescue process is activated

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] who are racing in the IMOCA Open 60 class in the Transat Jacques Vabre two handed race from Le Havre to Costa Rica, activated their EPIRB distress beacon after having suffered major damage following a night battling it out in fierce seas and winds reaching 60 knots at times.

The skippers are in regular contact with Race Director Jean Maurel, and have reported significant damage to the coachroof, and water entering the boat.

The MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) are coordinating operations with the Transat Jacques Vabre Race Direction and the BT shore team, to ensure the safe recovery of the skippers.

MRCC Falmouth confirmed that the RCC Azores had sent a helicopter and a Navy vessel in the direction of BT, also emitting a satellite broadcast alert to shipping in the area.

BT was positioned 210 miles North of the Azores at position 42 10º N - 27 50º W.

Yves Le Blévec is back ashore

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Yves Le Blévec just been brought ashore. Slightly wounded in the hand during the capsize, the skipper of Actual is taken care of by the MUG for verification. Jean Le Cam is still on the boat near the platform. The mast has now been taken off and will be brought to port by a speedboat. The ship remains at anchor and waiting to be towed to port at a later stage. Samuel Tual, CEO of Group Actual just arrived at Cherbourg.

Actual, capsized, waiting for rescue. Cherbourg 9 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet /AFP

Actual, capsized, waiting for rescue. Cherbourg 9 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet /AFP

Transat Jacques Vabre: Actual capsizes, the two co-skippers are safe and sound

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Actual is reported to have capsized while to the north of Cherbourg

Actual, the new trimaran of Yves le Blevec and co-skipper Jean Le Cam is reported to have capsized in a position approximately 22 miles north of Cherbourg around 1645hrs GMT.

Reported to have been making around 20 knots of boat speed in approximately 23 knots of wind, the boat is reported to have pitch-poled.

The two co-skippers are reported to be safe, are inside the boat and OK and have requested help but did not issue a Mayday.

The pair are awaiting assistance from the lifeboat which should reach them in around 1.5 hours.

Actual at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre. Le Havre, 8 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet / AFP

Tricky choices at the Transat Jacques Vabre

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Whether it is in terms of weather or racing the future days look a bit hairy for the skipper. Doldrums, Canary Islands, Madeira are words that echoe like sunshine, warmth and blue waters,...At sea in the Transat Jacques Vabre, they also mean tactics, - more - manoueuvers, happiness or low mood at the rhythm of the polls. Above all, imagine the weather patterns you are used to in this place - and you, a sailor of experience who knows his way among them - but the 3-day forecasts you previously relied on have proved to be random for the last 7 days. Tricky. This “new” situation” made this race interesting for the crews, but difficult too when they wanted to make a decision to stay in the match. What kind of discussions were taking place on board and how tough it would be to stick with their decision when the result was being stuck in a wind hole, is difficult to assess. After 7 days at sea the race proved to be tiring as much as challenging. And it’s not finished !

MONOHULLS – IMOCA and Class 40

At 12:00 the 5 frontrunners of the Imoca fleet were within 10 miles of each other. Groupe Bel snatched a few places to grab 2nd place. At 4:00 p.m, there were only 4 boats within 4 miles! Safran still leading before Groupe Bel, and Ecover 3 (who gained one more place), Gitana Eighty slipping to 4th. The gap in miles has increased in 4 hours between 4th and the 8th other boats sailing within a hundred miles of the leader. Foncia for example has slipped down three places after putting further east in her route now sailing 25 miles away from Safran (10 miles at 12:00).

The other boats leading the pack are following each other after all passing through the Canary. Generali 9th, 119 miles away from Safran and Cheminées Poujoulat 7th – are following the same track whilst Brit’Air and Roxy chose to pass through Gran Canaria and Teneriffe on a more westerly route.

The boats are still manoeuvring in a North / North-easterly flow of 15 / 20 knots trying to adjust their sails (spinnaker or gennaker) to their route and the wind conditions.

Aviva has been loosing ground after being surprised by the wind changing direction, at her approach of Madera. They are now back on the hunt to retake the ground lost in the operation.

Approaching Madera the fleet of Class 40 is sailing in 10/12 knots negotiating in a mined area of patches without wind and they do not have much choice regarding their route. Apart from Sidaction, the first part of the fleet (say till “En avant les enfants ranked 13th) will leave Madera at their west trying to keep the benefit of the flow that fills their sails. Clarke Offshore racing who positioned herself at the west yesterday (at the west of the direct route as well of Sidaction) seems to put some east in her route in trying to get back on a more direct route. The rear of the fleet will probably reach the island only tomorrow.

MULTIHULLS ORMA and Class 50

Groupama sails now with a nice 302 mile lead (4 p.m.) over Gitana 11 who mentioned at the audio session today that apart some failure aboard the green trimaran the game seemed to be over but....

After Gitana 11, it is now Banque Populaire’s turn to make a pit stop. The crew has spent 50h at sea trying to reinforce the rudder they had broken earlier and were trying to avoid stopping. They finally decided to stop in Sal (Cape Verde) where their shore crew is now working. They do not know how long they will have to wait before they can set sail again. Pascal Bidegorry was extremely disappointed as this incident will cost him 2nd place in the race.

Sopra Group put the foot on the accelerator after deciding to sail closer to the African coast (more that 200 miles gained at 12:00) whilst Brossard who stayed on his route is losing more and more ground.

At 4:00 p.m. the pace of Crêpes Whaou! has slowed down to 9 knots (16 knots at 4:00) and even after stopping the boat in a sheltered area beneath Fuentaventura for 2 hours to send Karine Fauconnier up the mast, the overall leader of the class 50 still shows 194 miles of advance on her closest 2nd. It needs to be said that Laiterie de St Malo was caught in no wind sailing too close to Gran Canarias Islands. It looks like they are still battling up to get out of the trap.

In 3rd Croisières Anne Caseneuve is sailing at 14 knots but is situated well above the archipelago. Last of this Class DZ energy.com is sailing 736 miles behind and still have not sailed pass the Strait of Gibraltar.

Safran and Telecom Italia leading the Transat Jacques Vabre

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Passing Cape Finisterre in 35/40 knots of wind was as stressful as enjoyable for the sailors. If breakage on the boats is always on their minds, the skippers nevertheless appreciated the bumpy rides and reach of the waves that pushed the boats up to 30 knots. We haven’t heard of major breakages, but ripped sails or spinnaker might have caused extra work onboard today. After nice surfs on big waves and 25/30 knots of wind pushing them south, the front runners should meet lighter winds shifting from north – northeast to southeast on the way down. Even if not clinically precise, the wind charts the crews are receiving onboard are showing two possible options: sail along the African coast or to put to the west along the route to catch the winds generated by a low-pressure system in the Azores that seems to be moving towards the Canary Islands. That is the question all the skippers approaching Madere Island have had to deal with in their descent.

At 4 p.m. the boats were still heading south looking to catch up with the trade winds. At the rear of the fleet the questioning is not the same. The wind is going to drop dramatically, chipping away at the miles separating the two parts of the fleet. Tomorrow should start to show the results of these decisions.

MONOHULLS – IMOCA and Class 40

At 4 p.m. the chart was still showing the fleet of Imoca heading south, with some putting a bit more to the east in their route. They should enter a transition zone overnight with unsteady winds to deal with along the African coast. No point saying they kept silent about what choices they would make regarding their passage through the Canaries.

Ecover maintains 5th place 62.5 miles away from the leader, whereas the Roxy girls are steadily maintaining their position (at 100.9 miles from Safran).

In the 40-footer fleet, apart from Telecom Italia, which has been dominant since the start, the ranking has been moving fast in the last 24 hours. After being soundly dominated by the foreign entries, it seems the Frenchies are getting back some strength after making some good weather decisions. But we would have expected Dominic Vittet (Atao Audio System) or Damien Grimont (Chocolats Monbana) to have ranked since the start where they stand now. Fujifilm (23rd) lost 21 places after being 2nd yesterday at noon and Offshore Clark Racing, which was occupying 3rd, is now 13th. 40 degrees ranks 10th at 4 p.m today only 65 miles behind Telecom Italia. On Pindar 40, Jo and Alexia, after sailing blind (they were not receiving any weather information onboard), had to drop down the mainsail for repairs.

The speeds are starting to drop at the rear of the fleet with some of the boats ghosting around in 5 knots of wind.

Franck Cammas and Steve Ravussin onboard Groupama 2. 7 November 2007. Video copyright Jacques Vabre

MULTIHULLS – ORMA and Class 50

Brossard took the lead of the Orma fleet between yesterday (ranked at 4th at 12:00) and this morning. Putting more to the west in her descent toward Spain seeking for more winds (as did Gitana 11) finally paid off after 3 days of racing. However, the rough conditions encountered passing Cap Finisterre took their toll. Banque Populaire has a leak (not too serious) in one of the floaters but the crew is not considering stopping. Gitana 11, which announced they had lost a foil in the first night of sailing, is heading toward the coast for the quickest possible repair.

Sopra, the oldest trimaran entry in the race, is now 109.9 miles behind Brossard, whereas the 4 leaders are within 18.3 miles of each other.

Avocet 50 (Class 50) announced she was retiring from the race due to a problem in her daggerboard and is routing to the Corogne. It was no surprise when Crèpes Whaou ! broke away from her competitors and is even showing off with 9 Imoca at her rear. Even if F.Y. Escoffier dominates the situation, Laiterie de St Malo keeps the pace, showing the same speed at 4 p.m. but 70 miles behind the leader.

Dismasting rules Artemis out of Transat Jacques Vabre

[Source: Artemis Ocean Racing] Young British pair devastated by blow just four days into race.

Artemis Ocean Racing, the boat sponsored by leading UK investment company Artemis Investment Management, was this afternoon (Tuesday) dismasted off the coast of Spain on Day Four of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Bahia in Brazil.

The British IMOCA Open 60, skippered by Jonny Malbon and Graham Tourell, was sailing in 35 knots of breeze when the incident occurred at around 1420 GMT. The cause of the dismasting is not yet known. Both skippers were on deck at the time.

Malbon, taking part in his first Transat Jacques Vabre, said he and Tourell were safe but shattered by the dismasting.

"We were absolutely mortified," said Malbon, 33, from the stricken boat. "We are very upset, not just for us but everyone who's been involved in getting us to the start line. The team has worked so hard to get the boat in such great shape and this race has been such a big focus for us for the past year. It's really heart-breaking."

Malbon said that while conditions had got worse during the course of the day and the wind has strengthened to 35 knots, the boat was performing well in the rough seas.

"We had the masthead spinnaker and the full mainsail up this morning but knew that the wind was forecast to increase, so we put one reef in the mainsail and changed to the jib. We had been pushing the boat hard to try and make ground with the front group but we weren't pushing too hard. You wouldn't expect this to happen in these conditions, but it always happens when you least expect it."


Malbon described the moment when the 4,340 mile race for him and Tourell was over, after just 575 miles:

"We surfed down a wave, a pretty steep one, and then hit this wall of water in front of us. The boat literally came to a standstill and the rig just fell forwards towards the bow of the boat.

"We tried to save the boom and the bottom section of the mast but to save the hull, we had to cut them free and throw everything over the side - the rig, the boom and the sails."

Artemis was in 10th position in a fleet of 17, 100 miles off the coast of Vigo (Spain) when the dismasting happened and trying hard to close the gap on the leading boat, Safran, 130 miles ahead.

With Malbon due to take part in the 2008 Vendee Globe round the world race starting in November, the Transat Jacques Vabre, and a solo trip back from Brazil later this month, was seen as a crucial part of his preparation for next year's blue ribbon race.

"We are all devastated by the news," said Mark Tyndall, CEO of Artemis Investment Management. "This race meant so much to the boys and they and the rest of the team have worked so hard in the past few months. They were very confident they could surprise a few people in this race and put some markers down ahead of next year's Vendee Globe campaign. We are just relieved that they are both safe."

Malbon and Tourell are currently off the coast of north west Spain, waiting for the rescue boat, which is likely to be with them in the next 12 hours.

Welcome to Cape Finisterre!

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Artemis dismasted off Cape Finistere. Jonny & Graham are safe and sound. Most of the skippers have been desperately seeking the slightest puff of wind since the start. Starting yesterday, the weather conditions changed radically as they sailed down the Bay of Biscay. They had to deal with up to 25-30 knots in rough seas. If such weather conditions usually need to be handled with caution, it is even more true for the newer boats. Not only because of the possible material breakage, but also because the skippers need to haul the right sails (as mentioned yesterday the sail range is not yet known) to keep the boat manageable and competitive. It seems most of the crews found the right balance between pushing the boat and keeping her within her “safe limit” with a foot on the break. Artemis told us at midday they had reduced the sails after two broaches and a massive wave laying the boat on her side. News of her dismasting came in at 17:00, The wind is gradually filling up in the Bay of Biscay to push the rest of the fleet to Cape Finisterre where the conditions are rough. The Orma is now level with the Imoca, which set out one day earlier and should pass them overnight.

MONOHULLS – IMOCA and Class 40

The speeds on the ranking sheet of the Transat Jacques Vabre gradually increased since yesterday starting with the Imoca fleet. After her great escape, Safran was within sight of her runners up, Foncia and Gitana Eighty, after a lead of 40 miles or so yesterday. The ranking of the three boats are changing with the rhythm of the jibes. At 4 p.m. the Verdier – VPLP design was 10 miles ahead of Foncia, with Gitana Eighty chasing the leader 30.7 miles behind. Gitana Eighty, Ecover 3, VM Materiaux and Goupe Bel opted for a westerly route to avoid falling into a lower-pressure ridge to the south – along the Portuguese coast. Ecover 3, which sailed closer to the coast to pass Cape Finisterre, lost ground and is now ranked 6th after grabbing 2nd place yesterday at the 8 p.m. ranking.

This morning Roxy, Artemis and Aviva were still holding their positions in the middle of the fleet at 12:00, between 100 and 140 miles behind the leader.

At the vacation today Jonny was mentioning two broaches and a huge wave laying the boat on her side in 25-28 knots of wind. The two skippers reduced their sail area but were expecting the wind to increase up to 30 knots tonight. Jonny and Graham are shattered but safe, according to the Artemis press release, after the mast broke close to the deck and fell forward onto the boat, along with the boom and the sail. Artemis is heading toward the Spanish town of Vigo, which is 100 miles east.

Three foreign crews are now leading the 40-footer fleet. Telecom Italia is so far sailing a very clean race (not ranked at the 4 p.m. poll). Fujifilm jumped from 5th to 2nd (12 p.m. poll) at the ranking after choosing a route closer to Cape Finisterre coast. All the boats that followed that option are up a few places in the ranking now.

The most impressive gains were for boats that kept closer to the direct route ( ATAO, Novedia - Set) doing better VMG (Velocity Made Good) even though their boat speeds were a bit lower than the boats in front of them

The first boats of this class should reach Cape Finisterre in the middle of the night but with worse sea conditions that the IMOCA. The race will start to take its toll on the competitors that did not get the time to manage their sleep properly, which could be the case with the crews that struggled in lighter winds. It is possible that the boats will regroup after Cape Finisterre.

Yann Elies and Sébastien Audigane onboard Generali. 6 November 2007. Video copyright Jacques Vabre

MULTIHULLS – ORMA and Class 50

The decision taken by Gitana 11 and Brossard out of Brittany seemed to pay even though the skippers are taking more risks, sailing in higher winds and rougher seas (they sailed more to the west in the center of the low-pressure system). The skippers took the risk because they know their boats could cope with these conditions. The first 3 boats should pass Gibraltar tomorrow night or early Thursday.

The sailing should become more manageable as they continue down along the coast.

All of the 50 class multihulls have reached the Atlantic since this morning with Crèpes Whaou ! still in the lead. Laiterie de St Malo came back to 2nd (her “natural” place) 61 miles behind F.Y Escoffier’s bolid (at 4 p.m.) after slipping into 4th yesterday. Her route along the English coast, the boat bouncing in the wake of cargo ships, was hard to maintain but now looks worth the effort.

Options that paid off in the Transat Jacques Vabre

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Being first in a sailing race is the result of a complex combination of ingredients: Experience plus boat and sail design, analysis and interpretation of weather information, as well as a thorough knowledge of the area where you are going to sail. But, at some point, whether it is inspiration or luck, one option ends up paying off much more than the others.

MONOHULLS (Imoca and Class 40)

Safran (Guillemot /Caudrelier) separated from the rest of the 60-footer fleet overnight after deciding to go through the Chenal du Four (closer to the shore) where he not only avoided contrary currents but also benefited from more wind (up to 17 knots, a bonus as it was not forecasted to be so strong.

Ecover, Gitana Eighty, Foncia and Groupe Bel who were sailing along with him before the option, are now up to 20 miles further north. Those direct pursuers have pushed hard south and west during the day so as not to be glued in a transition zone of light winds before they can reach fresher wind. This situation will give Safran a nice advantage before she reaches the Canary Island (up to 4 days from now).

Aviva and Roxy are maintaining their positions in the middle of the fleet. Sam Davis was quite satisfied that Roxy has kept up the pace with the newest boat, showing no disadvantage in these conditions. The British skipper concedes a mistake in their decision-making as their router had told them to go inside the Ushant, advice they took a risk not following. Artemis slipped down to 12th after having sailed with Foncia and Safran yesterday. Johny Malbon mentioned today that they would now concentrate a bit more on their routing.

At 4 p.m., Ecover gained one place, ranking 4th (passing Groupe Bel) as well as Roxy (9th) whereas Aviva slipped 12th, passed by Pakea Bizkaia and Artemis.

In class 40 Telecom Italia (designed by Guillaume Verdier who also designed Safran) still holds the lead, without concession. The fleet split in two after Ushant, a consequence of the course they set to pass the lane. Sail changes were not an option to keep up with the changes in the wind-shifts . Moreover, the new boats are also testing their sails’ range, which sometimes means more effort to choose the right sail at the right time.

The skippers that positioned their boats on the most easterly route are now reaching some fresher wind with speeds of up to 6-7 knots, whereas the boats more to the west and at the tail end of the Class 40 are stuck in wind holes (1 to 2 knots only)

MULTIHULLS ( Orma and Class 50)

Banque Populaire took the lead of the Orma Class overnight. The first 3 trimarans, Groupama and Sopra Group, were staying within 12 miles of each other (as of 4 p.m.). Gitana 11’s and Brossard’s option further to the north was not successful as they were showing respectively a 35.1 and 62.1 miles behind the leader that might be difficult to fill in the sails of the leading pack (up to 25 knots). The latter should reach Cape Finistere in the next 24 hours. More choices to make there.

Crèpes Whaou ! is starting to accelerate, increasing dramatically her lead over her competitors. The gap between the duo Escoffier / Fauconnier and Croisières Anne Caseneuve doubled up and the difference between the frontrunner and the last boat is now 76 miles (after only 24 hours of racing).

Video of the multihull start of the 8th Transat Jacques Vabre

The multihulls had their start one day after the monohulls at the Transat Jacques Vabre. The 13 multihulls (5 ORMA, 8 Class 50) started their race at 1pm in a northerly 3 knots of wind.

Start of the 8th Transat Jacques Vabre. Le Havre, 4 November 2007. Video copyright Jacques Vabre

Multihulls start Transat Jacques Vabre

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] The starting gun fired at 1:02 p.m. sharp for the multihulls start in a northerly 3 knots of wind. Brossard (Y. Bourgnon / J. Vincent) and Crêpes Whaou ! (Escoffier / Fauconnier) crossed the line first in their respective category.

After one week of buzz, The Paul Vatine Basin is finally totally empty which means the focus will now totally passed onto the race. The 13 multihulls (5 ORMA, 8 Class 50) quietly left the harbour this morning under a nice blue sky and headed to the start area.

The wind is playing the girls of airsight as the high pressure positioned on the Seine Bay only provides light airs that should benefit to Groupama’s configuration till the Atlantic. Looking at the files Eolus will supposedly strengthen tomorrow (Monday) morning for the multihulls. The skippers have thee options in their sleeves to deal with this high pressure system: sail above (getting closer to the English coasts), keep the boats’ bows on the most direct route or try to catch a bit of wind on its south east edge. Making the decisions on where to head for will also depend on what the weather files will showing for the descent of the Atlantic and even further on on the race course.

Resting will therefore not be in the minds and the night will be busy changing sails and trying to make the best of the slightest blow of wind.

As well as for the monohulls, the positioning of the boats when they will have passed the high pressure out of the Channel should be decisive for the rest of the race. Within 4 days of racing thought the picture should be a bit clearer.

Video of the Transat Jacques Vabre start

We usually don't cover the offshore races but we'll make an exception with a short video from the start of the 8th Transat Jacques Vabre that took place in Le Havre yesterday. A total of 47 monohulls (IMOCA and Open 40) sailed off the French port city, headed towards Bahia in Brazil, where they are expected to arrive in approximately 2 weeks.

Start of the 8th Transat Jacques Vabre. Le Havre, 3 November 2007. Video copyright Jacques Vabre