Solidaire du Chocolat, non c’è riposo per i Class 40
Class 40OceanoSolidaire du ChocolatVela 22 Ottobre 2009 Zerogradinord 0
Solidaire du Chocolat – Oceano Atlantico – Continuano i problemi in pieno Oceano per i protagonisti della Solidaire du Chocolat. Partiti domenica scorsa da Nantes con destinazione Progreso, i Class 40 hanno dovuto fare i conti con una violenta burrasca che ha messo a dura prova le barche, generando numerosi ritiri. Ad allungare la lista, nel corso delle ultime ore, è stato Amhas (Tolkien-Brewer), messo fuori causa da problemi strutturali. A parte i ritirati, altri equipaggi hanno sofferto avarie più o meno gravi, come Vale Inco Nouvelle Calédonie, fermo a La Coruna per riparazioni, e Credit Maritime, rallentato dalla rottura dell’autopilota.
A guidare la flotta sono sempre Bruno Jourdren e Bernard Stamm. Cheminèes Poujoulat ha passato Cape Finisterre ed è più a ovest di tutti, addirittura a 180 miglia da Vigo, seguito da Oliver Krauss e Thierry Bouchard su Pole Sante Elior-Mistral Loisirs e da Initiative Novoedia di Tanguy de Lamotte e Adrien Hardy.
I primi 3 sono raggruppati in appena 18 miglia e grazie alla scelta di spingersi subito verso ovest hanno scavato un profondo solco nei confronti degl inseguitori, guidati da Giovanni Soldini e Pietro D’Alì su Telecom Italia, tra i primi a scappare da quell’est che nel corso delle ultime ore si è rivelato foriero di brutte notizie. Un’intuizione che ha fatto guadagnare alcune posizioni allo scafo italiano, permettendogli di non perdere ulteriore terreno nei confranti dei battistrada. Già il settimo, Palanad 2, accusa un ritardo superiore alle 100 miglia.
Ovviamente, nulla è compromesso e tutti possono ritenersi in gara per un posto sul podio, ma, come dice l’adagio, chi ben comincia è a metà dell’opera.
Solidaire du Chocolat
1. Cheminées Poujoulat, Jourdren-Stamm, DTF +4466,38
2. Pole Sante Elior, Bouhard-Krauss, +14,12 nm
3. Initiative Novoedia, De Lamotte-Hardy, +22,11 nm
4. Telecom Italia, Soldini-D’Alì, +68,51 nm
5. Cargill, Seguin-Tripon, +70,84 nm
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Per seguire la regata sul tracking clicca qui.
[flashvideo filename=video/oceano/SolitaireChocolat092_211009.flv /]
Immagini del 20 ottobre. Video courtesy Solidaire du Chocolat.
SOLIDAIRE DU CHOCOLAT, NO REST FOR THE CLASS 40 FLEET
[Solitaire du Chocolat Press Release] With the retirement of Yvan Noblet and Damien Guillou on Appart City after sustaining mainsail and rudder damage followed by the American duo of MacKenzie Davis and Brian Harris retiring with profound electrical problems onboard Amhas, and the British duo of Richard Tolkien and Neal Brewer pulling out with structural damage around the mast foot on Orca, 19 Class 40’s are still racing in La Solidaire du Chocolat.
While Yves Eclaret and Lionel Regnier on Vale Inco Nouvelle Calédonie race against the clock to repair their damaged mainsail in La Coruña and Patrice Carpentier and his Mexican co-skipper, Victor Maldonado, on Crédit Maritime make autopilot repairs in Camarinas just north of Cape Finisterre, 17 Class40’s continue to race south off the coast of Spain.
Continuing to lead the fleet in the 12.00 GMT position poll this morning, Bruno Jourdren and Bernard Stamm on Cheminées Poujoulat passed the cape earlier this morning and are furthest west in the fleet, 180 miles off Vigo with Thierry Bouchard and Oliver Krauss in second place on Pole Sante Elior-Mistral Loisirs in second and Tanguy de Lamotte and Adrien Hardy on Initiatives-Novedia in third furthest inshore with just 18 miles separating the leading trio.
A group of four boats are still manoeuvering around the cape led by Mike West and Paul Worswick in 14th place, 65 miles offshore on Keysource, six miles ahead of fellow Britons, Stephen Card and Shaun Murphy in 15th place on ORBIS who have tacked away from Finisterre to clear the headland. In 16th place, Jacques Fournier and Jean-Edouard Criquioche on Groupe Picoty are also on port tack gaining some sea room from the cape.
Due south of the group, a cluster of yachts – 40 Degrees in 12th place, Adriatech holding 11th place and Desafio Cabo de Hornos in 10th – are separated by by less than a mile, while furthest south in the fleet, Giovanni Soldini and Pietro d’Ali on Telecom Italia trail the lead boat by 65 miles in 7th place.
Having survived the icy blasts of a cold front on Monday, the fleet have more heavy, upwind sailing ahead. Weather models suggest that the wind will turn from the current westerly 20 knots to a south-westerly of 25-30 knots and above at around 1500 GMT today before building and turning westerly later tonight. So far, there is no sign of any benign, Trade Wind sailing for the 37 yachtsmen and one yachtswoman of the Solidaire du Chocolat fleet. As Tim Wright, skipper of Sail4Cancer, commented this morning, “You really have to wonder what you’ve done wrong!”
Solidaire du Chocolat
1. Cheminées Poujoulat, Jourdren-Stamm, DTF +4466,38
2. Pole Sante Elior, Bouhard-Krauss, +14,12 nm
3. Initiative Novoedia, De Lamotte-Hardy, +22,11 nm
4. Telecom Italia, Soldini-D’Alì, +68,51 nm
5. Cargill, Seguin-Tripon, +70,84 nm
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To follow the race on the tracking click here.
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