Transat Jacques Vabre – Le Havre – Mancano davvero poche ore all’inizio della Transat Jacques Vabre – la partenza verrà data alle 13 di domenica – regata transoceanica che unisce Le Havre a Puerto Limon in Costarica e da quest’anno offre due percorsi diversi per i monoscafi Open 60 e i multiscafi Multi 50. I primi, salutata Le Havre e raggiunto il Caribe, dovranno semplicemente lasciare la Repubblica Domenica a dritta, mentre i secondi allungheranno di quasi 300 miglia puntando verso Barbados: l’obiettivo è quello di avere un arrivo più o meno sincronizzato tra le differenti tipologie di imbarcazioni.

Al via ci sarà un nutrito gruppo di IMOCA 60 – al momento se ne contano 14, tutti ormeggiati lungo la stessa banchina di Le Havre – portati da talenti come Alex Thompson, Armel Le Cléac’h, Michel Desjoyeaux, Jérémie Beyou, Vincent Riou, Samantha Davies, Marc Thircelin e Roland Jourdain e ben 7 Multi 5o, affidati a velisti del calibro di Jean Le Cam, Frank-Yves Escoffier e Anne Casaneuve.

Da quest’anno gli equipaggi avranno la facoltà di nascondere la propria posizione per 24 ore (Furtive Mode), rendendosi invisibili agli occhi degli avversari: un’opportunità mutuata dalla Volvo Ocean Race, dove lo Stealth Mode è stato utilizzato più volte per proteggere le scelte tattiche più delicate.

Per visitare il sito dell’evento clicca qui.

Per consultare la mappa del percorso clicca qui.

TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE, A NEW COURSE, A NEW CHOICE, NEW CHALLENGES
[Transat Jacques Vabre Press Releae] Se a new course for the ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre presents a whole new set of challenges for the 14 IMOCA Open 60 teams and the six Multi 50 crews who will start Sunday. The IMOCA Open 60 fleet leave the island of the Dominican Republic to starboard en route to the finish off Puerto Limon which sets them a theoretical course distance of 4730 miles, while the Multi 50 class sail an extra 370 miles, making a total of 5050 miles as they pass south of Barbados. The idea is that the monohulls and the multis should finish at around the same time.

This Transatlantic route appears much more of a direct, straight line route, removing the challenge of the Doldrums and the ‘corner’ of Cape Finisterre but instead the final 12-1300 miles could, under certain circumstances, could offer their own Doldrums.

“In fact because we can pass the island of Dominican Republic on starboard side the game is very open, very wide.” Suggests the reigning Transat Jacques Vabre winning skipper Michel Desjoyeaux of Foncia,
“In the beginning when I started to look at this race, I felt we would be in very light air at the finish. We can have light airs, but it is not the most common in Puerto Limon. The standard weather situation is a low pressure just west of Columbia, so we should have East or North East wind, maybe 15-20 knots to the finish line. That is the common wind, so perhaps a little more straightforward than going into Salvador. If this small low pressure moves to the west or north west, then we can have no wind, just the waves to push us along from the back.”

“Arguably there are not that many options.” Suggests Andrew Cape, weather advisor to Hugo’s Boss Alex Thomson, “Traditionally it is a relatively straightforward route. Either you go south for the trade winds, or you just go a great circle route, working the weather patterns fronts as they traverse across the Atlantic. You sail upwind on the south westerly breeze til the front goes over, tack and go more towards the course. Once you are committed towards the great circle route, you are forced into a life of upwind and tight reaching. On the trade winds route you get south if the trade winds are strong and you get nice downwind sailing and you are happy. Typically that does not work and you are going against the shift to use the trade winds. It is usually best to work the fronts and get into the trades as you can, more in the west, in this case Dominican republic.”

“The final bit is really the only bit which could go bad. If there is a ridge there, or behind a front if there is no wind. Then, a boat which worked the trades might be better off. But usually you pick your time, get down the trades and into the Caribbean.”

“It is a more challenging route than to Salvador. That is no very much a stock standard, well travelled route, working mainly south in the trades but a little bit west to get through the Doldrums. On this one if you are sailing the great circle you can get some very windy upwind conditions at times.”

“The start looks OK which is a relief, because you don’t want to leave here in a very strong SW’ly which happens a lot at this time. So the boats might get away in a N’ly and wait for a day or two until the first front approaches.”

This edition of the race, for the first time, offers the option for crews to use Stealth mode, or as the French are calling it Furtive mode. This self imposed blackout allows them 24 hours to do their own thing in secrecy. They must inform Race Direction before 08.30hrs and then they disappear for 24 hours between the 1100hrs position reports.

The Multi 50 fleet are attracting great interest around the Paul Vatine basin. Today Yves Le Blevec and Jean Le Cam’s new Actual was officially launched. Drawn with a blank sheet of paper approach by Guillame Verdier for Le Blevec, winner of the last Transat 6.50, the main foils – the central daggerboard and the rudders were made using the tooling from Safran and the Bonduelle trimaran. The other two new boats in the fleet are Franck-Yves Escoffier’s Crepes Whaou, which is from Vincent Lauriot Prevost and built by CDK in Cherbourg, and Prince of Bretagne which is from Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret which has the rudders and foils on the floats.

To visit event website click here.

To see the route click here.

Articoli correlati - Related posts:

1. Transat Jacques Vabre, problemi per Hugo Boss Nel corso della notte l'equipaggio di Hugo Boss, quarto tra...
2. Transat Jacques Vabre, chi a nord, chi a sud Davvero difficile alla partenza della Transat Jacque Vabre ipotizzare una...
3. Transat Jacques Vabre, Foncia e Crepes Whaou al comando Aumenta il ritmo della Transat Jacque Vabre, regata riservata a...
4. Transat Jacques Vabre, pronti… via e Actual si ribalta Ha perso il via oggi dal porto di Le Havre...
5. Transat Jacques Vabre, l’anno del rinnovamento Avrà inizio l'8 novembre prossimo la Transat Jacques Vabre, classica...