A Battle with the Channel - Transat Jacques Vabre

The 44 boats in four different classes which will take on the 5400 miles course to Itajaí, Brazil should take the start line off Le Havre at 1415hrs (local time) on Monday. While both of the MOD70’s will return to their docks for a couple of days to await their own start to Itajaí, all of the other duos are expected to start, heading into big winds and chaotic seas through the first days of the race.

 

 

There are always moments of apprehension for the Transatlantic racers as they leave the dock, but given the forecast for the passage out of the Channel, across the Bay of Biscay to Cape Finisterre those nervous times may linger well after the start gun.

Starting under Cape de la Hève the fleet will set off on starboard tack out three miles to the first buoy, ‘France Info’. Tacking at the mark they will then go NE for 3.5 miles tacking then towards the Cotentin Peninsula.

Although the winds will be lighter than were seen through Sunday around Le Havre, the big, confused seas will be more of a problem than the wind. Winds will be around 20kts from the NW. And with strong tidal flows around the headlands the seas will be bigger there.

During Monday evening and night the wind is forecast to back as the leaders reach the Channel Islands, building to a strong SW’ly at more than 30kts with stronger gusts. There will be a strategic choice of tacks which is likely to divide the fleets early.

As the IMOCA fleet pass Ushant and get down into the Bay of Biscay the breeze may drop slightly for a while, but Class 40 will struggle more with stronger remaining breeze and bigger, unruly seas when they reach the tip of Brittany on Tuesday night. In fact the first 400 miles of the 5400 miles to Itajaí might be some of the toughest of the race. 


The MOD70’s start too but will sail an eleven miles prologue before finishing off Saint Adresse and returning to the Paul Vatine dock. The difference between their finishing times will determine the delta which the prologue winner will cross Wednesday’s start line before the second placed boat as they head off for Brazil for the longest ocean race yet for the MOD70’s.

François Gabart skipper MACIF (IMOCA): "So we had an extra day to prepare and people who had come to see the start still spent some good time with us, so it was all pretty good. I did some media work, looked at the weather and we started to put a strategy in place . At the start there will be less wind than if we had left this afternoon. It will strengthen and there will be big waves and we need to be careful because there will be traffic and fishermen, We are ready we will do all we can to do our best."

Jörg Riechers , skipper Mare (Class40): "The boat has been ready for several days. We take this extra day to eat well, to relax and enjoy being in a dry hotel bed before attacking the race. We look forward to racing the others Class40 . We have a boat of the last generation one of the fastest in the fleet with GDF- Suez and Tales 2. The start of the race will be hard in boat-breaking conditions."

Ned Collier Wakefield, co -skipper of Concise 8 (Class 40): "We are studying the weather and trying to form strategy for tomorrow. We do not hide the fact that our goal is to win with our brand new boat even if we have not done a lot of sailing . But we have a lot of faith and confidence and are really looking forwards to it."