Solidaire du Chocolat, Telecom Italia quasi leader
Class 40OceanoSolidaire du ChocolatVela 28 Ottobre 2009 Zerogradinord 0
Solidaire du Chocolat – Oceano Atlantico – La serie di tempeste cha ha investito la flotta dei Class 40 dal momento della partenza dalla Francia alla volta del Messico continua a mietere vittime. Gli ultimi a dovere abbandonare la Solidaire du Chocolat sono stati Thierry Bouchard e Oliver Krauss che a bordo di Pole Sante Elior avevano difeso una piazza tra i primi sin dal via, dando del filo da torcere agli inseguitori. Obbligati a riparare ad Horta a causa di un grave problema alla rotaia della randa, i due skipper francesi si sono chiamati fuori da una lotta che si fa sempre più intensa.
Telecom Italia sta traendo massimo giovamento dalla scelta di passare a nord delle Azzorre. Salito al secondo posto della generale dopo il difficile inizio, il Class 40 di Giovanni Soldini e Pietro D’Alì, giò passato davanti a Cargill di Seguin-Tripon, si trova in posizione ideale per sopravanzare anche Initiative Novoedia, leader nel corso degli ultime tre giorni che un pò più a sud ha trovato vento più leggero del previsto e ha dovuto rallentare il passo.
Il binomio italiano si sta godendo alcune ore di “relax” prima di dover fare i conti con l’ingresso di un nuovo fronte che, stando ai bollettini, dovrebbe investire la flotta con forti venti da sudovest.
C’è poi la storia del gruppetto che ha deciso di scendere verso sud, lungo le coste dell’Africa. A trainare la flotta di tre barche alla disperata ricerca degli Alisei è Adriatech, ormai rassegnato a navigare verso Capo Verde, dove i Mini della Transat 6.50, qualche settimana fa, hanno iniziato a puntare verso ovest.
Solidaire du Chocolat
1. Initiative Novoedia, De Lamotte-Hardy, DTF +3499.78
2. Telecom Italia, Soldini-D’Alì, +15.87 nm
3. Cargill, Seguin-Tripon, +31.73 nm
4. Cheminées Poujoulat, Jourdren-Stamm, +37,36 nm
5. Tieto Passion, Romppanen-Ohman, +99,31 nm
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SOLIDAIRE DU CHOCOLAT, RETIRING AND ROUGHING IN
[Solitaire du Chocolat Press Release] Although Tuesday will have been a pleasant day after the series of storms which have swept through the fleet, Wednesday will mark the start of another spot of bad weather. The mainsail attachment on Thierry Bouchard and Oliver Krauss’ boat has borne the brunt of the bad weather, forcing the team to deviate to Horta.
Shortly before midday today, Thierry Bouchard and Oliver Krauss (Mistral Loisirs – Pole Santé Elior) announced that they had no choice but to call it a day. The mast track has come away from the mast and it is not possible to repair at sea. At first, the team thought they would be putting into Horta to make repairs and then set out again. As it turns out, the situation is more serious that it appeared at first sight. They have officially announced their decision to retire. Bad news after having been extremely well placed for the first week or so on a northerly route which is likely to pay off in the next few days. Their Class 40 an Akilaria was just launched this summer has turned out to be a fast machine in strong head winds. More details of the damage will be given once they arrive in the port of Faïal (Azores).
A little bit of rest
For partisans of the more or less direct route to Saint Bart’s, today offered some pleasant sailing after the gusts, the squalls, rain and heavy seas of late. Fewer nasty waves, steadier winds. The chance to recover a little, even if it has been necessary to manœuvre a lot to adjust the canvas to this radical change in conditions. But this is nothing more than a brief let up. A cold front is about to sweep its way through the northern part of the fleet tonight. The wind is to shift south-west followed by violent squalls with a rotation afterwards west-northwest. Two or three reefs in the main, staysail ready. Same old story. All eleven boats are going to have to put up with this to gain west, which is likely to reduce the distances between the leaders. Tanguy de Lamotte and Adrien Hardy (Initiatives-Novedia) who were slumming it in a windless zone this afternoon along with their closest rivals, Damien Seguin and Armel Tripon (Cargill-MTTM), the Italians Giovanni Soldini and Pietro d’Ali (Telecom Italia) in the extreme north, Bernard Stamm and Bruno Jourdren (Cheminées Poujoulat) and the Finnish team, Jouni Romppanen and Sam Öhman (Tieto Passion), are going to have to take this on the chin.
The leaders have lost a great many miles in just 24 hours. Twenty or so for those behind them. The idea of heading south to avoid the worst meant that having sailed too close to the sun, they burnt their wings. No wind in sight. When the perturbations are generated this far south, they push the anticyclone squeezing all the wind out of the Atlantic. The danger comes from the north as Giovanni would have us believe, but this time round it is coming in from the south-west of the Azores. Those who manage to sail above it – and it will have to be on a very northern route indeed – will be pushed downwind by winds of more than thirty knots. The southerners will be sailing into strong headwinds. Strategy has to worked out days in advance. Just like a game of chess!
The trade winds on a go slow
The trade winds might not be on strike, but it is beginning to look that way. Our southern sailors are having a hard job getting the Canaries in their rear view mirror. An average speed of less than five knots makes for a long day in spite of their being pleasant enough in summery temperatures. David Consorte and Arnaud Aubry (Adriatech), Erik Nigon and Marc Jouany (Axa Atout cœur pour Aides) and particularly Mike West and Paul Worswick (Keysource) are still stuck out on a limb along the coast of Morocco. The trades will blow in eventually, but they are taking their time, suggesting that this option was not the right one. 700 miles behind the major part of the fleet on a transatlantic of 2700 miles as far as the Caribbean is a lot of miles to make up for. But there is no miracle solution to hand except to continue sailing south maybe even as far as the Cape Verde islands before thinking about making a right turn in much more helpful north-easterly winds. One more day to go slow for the three southern Class 40.
As for the two boats which made a pit stop for technical problems, in La Corogne or in Cascaïs, they are not jumping for joy either. Patrice Carpentier and Victor Maldonado (Crédit Maritime) have also opted for a northern course, whereas Yves Ecarlat and Lionel Regnier (Vale Inco-Nouvelle Calédonie) seem to be hesitating before cutting across. Unfortunately, both were stuck in a windless zone this afternoon. In any event, over the next couple of days, there is going to be a bit of a fight on in the north as the leaders have got the bit between the teeth to attack ! It would not be unreasonable to see the whole of the fleet mustering in the middle of the ocean before very long.
Solidaire du Chocolat
1. Initiative Novoedia, De Lamotte-Hardy, DTF +3979
2. Pole Sante Elior, Bouhard-Krauss, +43,75 nm
3. Cheminées Poujoulat, Jourdren-Stamm, +51,36 nm
4. Cargill, Seguin-Tripon, +68,20 nm
5. Tieto Passion, Romppanen-Ohman, +86,31 nm
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