La Solitaire sailors head into second complex night at sea
La Solitaire media
Posted: 29 Jul. 2010
Macif and Trier Cest Preserver keeping close company
The 45 Figaro sailors set off from Le Havre in Northern Normandy yesterday on their first leg of La Solitaire, 515 miles to the Gijón, in Asturias on the Spanish Cantabrian coastline.
Eric Peron (Skipper Macif 2009) grabbed Karine Fauconnier’s (Eric Bompard Cachemir) early lead shortly after the last position poll and has continued over the past 24 hours to maintain a narrow margin over his immediate pursuers, Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat), Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement), Nicolas Lunven (Generali) Armel le Cléac’h (Brit Air).
Sailors who opted for a more inshore course were rewarded with a lead this morning, however as the fleet rounded the Cherbourg headland filing down past and between Guernsey and Sark, the bulk regrouped.
The coming 24 hours promises to be just as complex as the sailors attempt to get some rest and keep their keel and rudders clear of the seaweed before embarking on the passage at Four and the maritime traffic at Ushant on the turn south into the Bay of Biscay.
Eric Peron (Skipper Macif 2009) holds just a tenth of a mile lead over both Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat) and Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement), all of whom opted for a more inshore route under the rhumbline.
Twenty-nine sailors are within two miles of each other twenty-four hours into racing, proving once more just how high and level the standard of racing is.
Each inch of a mile is eked out with effort and concentration. “What is annoying me most is the seaweed, every 5 minutes you have to get into the water to get rid of it,” complained 2009 winner, Nicolas Lunven (Generali) over the VHF this morning.
Seaweed, windless patches and currents are all impediments to the smooth boat handling that the sailors have to contend with constantly. Keeping up a regular performance whilst attempting to rest and prepare for what looks to be a second complex night at sea constantly eats away at the minds of the solo sailors throughout the day.
“Although we are sailing comfortably in 10 to 12 knots of westerly breeze, tacking our way up to the point of Brittany, we are likely to have a complex night ahead to get past Ushant and the heavy maritime traffic” reported Race Director, Jacques Caraës from the Race Management boat shadowing the fleet.
“Tonight it is going to be tough once more,” said Isabelle Joschke (Synergie), from her 18th place at 16:00 Wednesday. “We are most likely going to get round the Four under spinnaker against the current so we should have much of the same, maybe even tougher than last night.”
Most agree that there will be choices to be taken and options that open upon rounding the next major point of passage, where the wind is forecast to veer round towards the north, north-west and “decreasing before increasing at the Raz de Sein” predicts Sylvain Mondon from Météo France.
“The ridge of high pressure is expected to drift tonight just ahead of the fleet right up to Friday, when they will have to negotiate crossing it on the final approach to Gijón. Early forecast would expect to see the first to finish in Gijón in the early hours of Saturday morning,” he said.
Anthony Marchand (Espoir Région Bretagne) leads the rookies in 15th place, whilst Jonny Malbon (Artemis) from the UK lies in 20th place, well positioned with the leaders.
Pietro D’Alì (I.NOVA 3) has managed to catch up on the leaders and currently stands in 27th place and just 1.7 nm from the leader, after having lost ground on the more offshore option last night and Francisco Lobato (Roff/Team-Tempo) has narrowed his gap on the leaders to 7.4 miles bringing up the back of the fleet.
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