Transat Jacques Vabre, sticky business
EnglishOceanoTransat Jacques VabreVela 2 Novembre 2015 Zerogradinord 0
Atlantic Ocean – Once more on this 12th edition of the coffee route, the Transat Jacques Vabre from Le Havre to Itajaí, Brazil, the contrast between the leaders’ race and the chasing classes is evident. But last night, in the heat the Doldrums night it was the giant Ultimes which were making slow, sticky progress while the IMOCA 60s are charging in the Trade Winds and Class 40 are caught in the lighter airs of the Azores high.
For the Ultimes there was just 120 miles travelled in a 24 hour day. Welcome to the Doldrums gentlemen, just 25 hours in half a day. Paradoxically the windless zone is small – just 100 miles or so – but it is mirror smooth, reflecting the sweltering heat. So it was last night for Thomas Coville and Jean-Luc Nélias (Sodebo Ultim ‘) and François Gabart and Pascal Bidegorry (MACIF) making multiple tacks, sails in, sails out, but miles gained are painfully slow. And all the time there is just 3.6 miles between the two in terms of DTF, with Sodebo Ultim holding that small lead.
To the north between Madeira and the Canaries Class 40 are still in a N-NW flow of around 15kts and the leaders Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brasseur (Le Conservateur), now over 60 miles ahead of Maxime Sorel and Sam Manuard (V and B) should be able to sail more directly south today. But the later order racers run a risk of being caught by the expanding tentacles of the Azores high. That is why the Brazilian duo Renato Eduardo Penido and Auruajo (Zetra) slant towards the Canary Islands as they seek to stay with the best breeze.
And for the IMOCA monohulls and the three Multi-50, it is trade winds which are their program day and night: with 18-22 knots of regular NE’ly, the duos swallow miles in the right direction and prepare for change, all the time checking their meteo intelligence as the Doldrums beckon for them tonight. Armel Le Cléac’h Tabarly and Erwan (Banque Populaire VIII) will be the first in. The slowdown is expected tonight!
Francois Gabart, skipper MACIF (Ultime): “We are just starting to feel the wind: we try to enjoy it and we hope this is the end of this long period of no wind, but nothing is for sure right now We did not have a breath of air since yesterday morning and we are still far from being out of the mess. With Pascal, we’re both on deck the moon rose in the middle of the night, very pretty, but we’d rather have the wind than the moon…“.
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