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Latest News from the 6th July to the 4th August 2007

20070804

Nigel King (Nigel King Yachting) - We catch up with Nigel at the end of the first race in La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro. How did you find it?

“I think it was kind of what I expected, it was pretty hard, the place changing was huge and one minute your were feeling great because you had just taken 3 boats and 10 minutes later one little mistake and 5 had got passed you. I found also that for every boat I would get passed, and position did not change that much just that of the boats ahead or behind me.

I perhaps did not sail as well as I would have liked have done tactically, so I made quite a few mistakes on a Coast line I should know better than most people. But then I suppose that some of the decision-making was based on tiredness and poor decisions and just not really looking after myself as much as I should have done, although I did sleep a lot. I think the hardest thing to learn is just when to sleep and sometimes I just sleep and in reality I should just stay awake and sleep a bit later when the conditions are more consistent, so I think that was costing me some time.

Experience-wise, it was great, sailing in one-designs you get some great racing against a really good fleet and it goes on for a few days. There is no going back to the Club and sitting around because the conditions are not quite what you want. The support from the fleet is awesome.”

What where the highs and lows?

“The lows normally come when you are really tired and what I have realised is how down you can get on yourself when you are overtired and how much you think it is the end of the world and how nothing can make it better. There has definitely been times when I have said to myself that I am just not good enough to do this and that I just can’t cope with the stress and the tiredness. Generally the way you get out of it is go to sleep! It seems to solve most things. Sleep, food and for me a cup of tea is what generally make things to be better.

The highs are about just the most fantastic sailing you can do. For me the windy stuff is when I do my best, I am struggling quite a lot when its light for speed. But the minute it is windy and I am helming whether it is upwind or downwind I seem to make my most gains in windy conditions. The highs are when you have some food inside you and it is windy and you have all the boats around you and it is a blast when you speed along.”

How do you cope with solitude?

“I do not seem to mind being alone; I managed to listen to Radio 5 Live when sailing along the South Coast of England. I do not tend to listen to the radio much, as my French in not that great I do not understand most of the talk that is on the radio, but I do not worry about it. When they need to get hold of me you here “Neigeel Kinge arr u dere?” In a little comedy French accent, but it is funny and brilliant, you know that if I did need someone, there are 50 boats out there and the support of the Race Office and committee boats. It is kind of you are alone but lots of people watching out for you if you need anyone.”

There are 14 rookies, or newcomers to the race this year including yourself, how do you see your competition?

“The rookie competition is really good, you have sailors who have been very competitive in other fleets and you have guys who have experience on these boats on other races, even if they have not done a Solitaire before, so that gives them an upper hand on setting up their boats. For me this is the race to do well in for a first time and then see where you end up in the main classifications. So yes, I am disappointed to be where I am at the moment, but hopefully we will turn that round later on in the race. They are all really good sailors, to expect to turn up and beat these guys is totally unfair, you have to put in the work and some of these guys have obviously had a good leg. There is still a long way to go and time wise I am not that far behind. I think that the time gap between the whole fleet is so small that one good leg or one bad mistake can cost you a lot. You just have to keep with the fleet.”

20070804

All 50 boats at port in Crosshaven

Since this morning, all 50 Figaro Bénéteau boats are moored at the Royal Cork Yacht Club. Founded in 1720, it is the oldest yacht club in the world. Jimmy le Baut (Port Olona – Arrimer), he last of the competitor arrived at 23h40 last night, more than 12 hours behind the winner, Frederic Duthil.

James Bird (GFI Group), who could not start the race in Caen after having hit something upon leaving the canal in Ouistreham, arrived this morning having delivered the boat with his preparateur. The young English sailor is ready for the start on Monday “I am just relieved to be here and to be able to concentrate on the next leg. This had been very frustrating to have because it is so hard to get here and then before the race even starts it is over,” explained Bird this morning. “We worked well together at the shipyard with the help from the Bostik and Sojasun preparateurs to get the boat ready”. The trip over to went well, motoring when there was not much wind and then we had “33-34 knots so it was quick for us doing 10 knots of sailing” describes James upon arrival.

The sailors will make the most of today to get some rest, analyse their race, check the boat and for those more studious ones, look at planning the next leg.

20070803

Marc Thiercelin (Siemens)

“This is the worst result on a Figaro for me, very interesting! I do not have good boat speed, but I was pleased to hook on the Laurent Pellecuer and keep up with him. I tried to do something for the last part of the race when going up to cross the Celtic Sea, which did see me in 5th place. I tried to go above the anticyclone but it did not work out as I ended up reaching under genoa whilst the others finished under spinnaker. The level of the competition is not so much better as more even. You did have to have some luck too. The part along the South coast of England went well and I managed to make up ground along each of the bays we passed. The main thing at the end is to not worry about your position but your overall time from the leader at the finish.”

20070803

Paul O’Riain (City Jet) – 41st and only Irish competitor

“I do not feel any particular pressure to win, but just really enjoyed it and am going to take one leg at a time. After winning the Prologue Race I said to myself that I do not have anything else to do, so I might as well just keep trying to win. I have not got plans to go and do other sailing as it is I love my job and they have been particularly good to me giving me time to race and particularly to train in Port La Foret, which has helped me do end. My budget is small at 40,000 euros, but I can compete.”

20070803

Frederic Duthil (Distinxion) – winner of the first leg from Caen to Crosshaven

20070803

Nicolas Troussel (Financo) – 2nd to finish

“I am really happy as I was always in there with a chance and managed to climb back up whenever I lost places. There was a little group of us at the end, which Thierry (Chabagny) joined, that kept leading and then the overall advantage reduced towards the end. This puts all of us in a good position to go into the next leg. Duthil did sail very well; he is really very good. The race was decided at Lands End and it was hard at times to stay with the leaders, you want to take a risk and try something, but you have to weigh up the risk. You can see some who did take that risk when ahead loose not only spaces, but time, so it is a tough call.”

20070803

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) – 3rd to finish

“Things just kept changing and I mananged to save my neck quite a few times making the most of any opportunity that came my way. Right up to the finish things kept changing. It just shows when you see we all finish so closely. There was a good opportunity at Eddystone to move out to the left on a shift, which paid off well.”

20070803

Financo and Foncia complete the podium

Nicolas Troussel (Fiananco) and Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) who arrived at 11h34h00s and 11h24m12s respectively – complete the podium for this third leg.

In fourth place just 3 minutes later, Thierry Chabagny (Brossard) crosses just ahead of Nicolas Berenger (Kone Ascenseurs).

20070803

Vincent Biarnes (Côtes D’armor), 23rd at 06h00

It is going a bit better. I was a bit down last night but managed to get a few 20-minute naps as conditions allowed for it; with the wind on the beam you could get some sleep without loosing too many places. I expected the pace to be tough. Around me there are not that many; Espoir Crédit Agricole, Cercle Vert, Frédéric Rivet and Thierry Duprey du Vorsent. There have been lots of changes on this leg and at the end we all regrouped before crossing the Celtic Sea, this is not what I would have imagined. The wind is up and we are sailing fast between 8 and 10 knots, so there should not be big gaps at the finish.

20070803

Jean Charles Monnet (Degrémont Suez Source de talents), 21st at 06h00

All is going perfect. We are getting the finish faster than expected. I am happy with my race even though I did not start well…Generally when I muck up things in the day, I try and make up for them at night. Otherwise I have slept quite a bit, especially at the beginning and it is just perfect to arrive in the morning. The wind is gradually increasing, but not think it will build as much as forecast.”

20070803

Armel Tripon (Gédimat) - 28th at 06h00

“I have managed to get some good naps in as I was a bit shattered. I think I will have enough energy to finish the leg in Cork this morning. The first part of the race along the French coast went well for me and then I totally mucked up the Channel crossing. In the end the cards where re-shuffled. I managed to make up a few hours. Overall this has been a great leg and I have really enjoyed it. For now I have 15 to 17 knots from the South-West with some cloud cover and rain. Sailing under genoa and just below the layline. The idea is to luff up a bit and then come in under spinnaker.”

20070803

Thierry Chabagny (Brossard) - 4th at 06h00

“I am in racing against a boat that is just next to me, so it is going to be a fight right to the end. The game has been on for the whole of this legl Since the start and right up to now there is lots that can be done. It is really interesting and particularly more so when you get such good conditions; wind all the time, not too many calms and then some sunshine. I slept well yesterday and the night before, lastnight…not so much. But feeling good and ready to fight the last bit.”

20070802

East looks best & latest positions

Thierry Chabagny (Brossard) hold on to the lead on the latest position report with a 1.2 mile advantage over Nicolas Troussel (Financo) and 1.7 miles over Frederic Duthil (Distinxion). These positions could change however as the boats placed furthest East work their way up to the layline. The boats that remained close to shore at Lands End and veered North soon are well positioned to get a better angle for a direct course when the wind builds tonight.

Furthest East, Marc Thiercelin (Siemens) has taken the most extreme position but is likely to have the best angle of approach for the final run into Cork Harbour. Liz Wardley (Sojasun) who was loitering at the bottom end of the rankings so far has had a storming run to climb a further 10 places to 11th since the 4 pm poll and is well placed for a direct route towards Croshaven.

Those who appear to have suffered most from the Westerly option are those who were leading yesterday with the most southerly course along the south coast of England; Nicolas Berengcer (Kone Ascenseurs), Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia), Marc Lepesqueux (Rapid’Flore Caen-La-Mer), Gildas Mahé (Le Comptoir Immobilier), Fréderic Rivet (Novotel Caen) and Nicolas Lunven (Bostik).

Those now preparing for a port tack on the layline will gain the most whilst those on starboard tack face the climb whilst crossing the remains of an anticyclonic ridge. The wind is forecast to gradually build this evening from 7-11 knots to 15-20 and 20-25 from the SW and gusting 30 in the morning giving a latest ETA for 07h00 to 10h00 local time for the first to finish.

20070802

Marc Emig (A.ST Group) – The Western option

“Here I have quite a bit of pressure with lots of right so it is out of the question tacking for now it should veer round to the west at the end of the day. Breeze is around 19 knots and I am trying to make some food but it is not easy with a 40-degree angle when the kettle is clanking around. I did get some sleep this morning, but at the wrong moment because there was a 50-degree wind shift that I missed.

We are waiting for some quite strong wind from the South West and so there is something to go with to try and beat the competition. It looks like the rounding should be quite quick and then drop a bit when the ridge comes over, but we should still have some breeze.”

20070802

Gildas Movan (Cercle Vert) – over the VHF the 11am poll

“The wind has increased as forecast to between 15 and 20 knots from the North, North West. The sun is out and we some nice waves with the current against us. The aim is to go and catch the wind as it veers round to the West, South West. There are two or three boats behind…I can’t see those closer to shore I can’t see any longer. I do ot understand why they went to shore against the current when a shift to the left should come in. It is more interesting to go to the west, the further west the more it goes left. We have had a good time at each headland with changes and new rankings at each of the marks. There is still quite a bit of work and quite a bit of breeze for the finish of the leg. The tiredness is getting to me, and I have not slept much with all the cargo ships, the seaweed, wind shifts and boat tuning to handle. I did manage 3 or 4 naps last night though.”

20070802

Jeanne Grégoire (Banque Populaire) – moves up to 16th place

“I was about to head off and do some sight seeing at the very pretty Scilly Isles when I see some boats with funny sails behind me, so I took my binoculars out to check and see Cercle Vert and Scutum, who was 11 miles ahead of me this morning! Maybe I will give the sightseeing a miss and make the most of the chance to keep ahead. It has really been all over the place, it is really incredible. I really did not expect them to be crossing back there and thought I would be seeing them get in to Crosshaven ahead. I thought the race was pretty much decided for the first 10.”

20070802

Grégoire Le Mière (Basse Normandie/OTCex Group) – 17th placed

“Last year I was at the bottom of the rankings and now I am finally among the top 20 and really happy. With me there is Loison, Rouxel and ahead Douguet and downwind Jeanne Gregoire and Vincent Biarnes. I am heading into the Scilly Channel for a direct route and all is fine on board. I had two good naps this morning and managed to recover a bit after Hand Deeps.”

20070802

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia)

I have never seen a race with so many changes and new leaders. It is really interesting! I am not always in on the good action, but then not coming out all that badly. There is one part of the fleet that has gone towards the Scilly Isles. We are level with the Scilly’s and have just headed north. I have quite a lot of the fleet downwind of me close to Land’s End. I am tack on tack with Marc Lepesqueux and there is action, so not bored! I managed to sleep a bit between Start Point and Eddystone where I could just put the autopilot on.”

20070802

Gildas Movan (Cercle Vert) – over the VHF the 11am poll

20070802

Marc Emig (A.ST Group) – on life on board

20070802

Brossard sneaks ahead

The lead has swapped on the latest poll; Thierry Chabagny on Brossard heads the battle for supremacy at Cape Lizard. It has been an upwind tacking battle against the current for the leaders this morning. The Race Organisers boat reports “Brossard just winning the battle to be slightly ahead of Rapid’Flore Caen-La-Mer and Koné Ascenseurs.”

It is all being played out with the wind shifts, which are variable in direction. You also need to take in to account the strong threads of current that move in different directions, which can give some the advantage or on the contrary, play against you.

At Cape Lizard the front players are making up the most ground with the currents. “It is exiting to see and Patrick Elies (skippering one of the Race Committee boats, who has won the race in 1979) enthralled, watching, analysing and commenting on the moves the leaders make…Exiting! Whilst writing there is a fourth competitor joining the leading trio: Lenze” reports the Medical Boat, following the competitors along the course.

As Nicolas Berenger said, “this leg is incredible with everything that can change in 10 seconds to all start again…you can do all the work to lead and start believing you are in with a chance when suddenly you loose all your lead…”

Nothing has been decided yet and with the weather forecast there could be lots of changes to come over the next few hours, or even minutes!”

20070801

The cards have been re-shuffled

The latest position report puts Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) in the lead with Nicolas Berenger (Kone Ascenseurs) in second, usurping Michel Desjoyeaux from first place.

The fleet has spread out from North to South into three distinct groups; the first northern one is headed by Jeanne Gregoire (Banque Populaire), Alexis Loison (All Mer Inéo Suez) and Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Domaine du Mont d'Arbois. This group appears to have made the most of the thermal breeze in both Weymouth and Lyme Bays to keep the boat speed going.

The second group, slightly south, initially closer to shore, has realigned the direct course. This second group is actually leading for now and is spear headed by of Cercle Vert, Koné Ascenseurs and Luisina (Eric Drouglazet).

Furthest South, the third group that lead up to now has fallen back as the wind drops; Foncia, Financo and Scutum lead this third pack.

The new flow is expcected in the first half of the night from the North West which puts those furtherst North, the outsider group, in a good position to reach it first if the sea breeze holds suffieciently.

20070801

Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) moves into pole position

to lead the 49 Figaro sailors at 14h00. Chasing Foncia and within a mile of the leader we see the early runaways, Gérald Véniard (Scutum) at 0.3 miles, Nicolas Troussel (Financo) at 0.4 miles, Frederic Duthil (Distinxion) at 0.6 miles and Gildas Mahé (Le Comptoir Immobilier) 1 mile behind. Nicolas Lunven (Bostik), the leading rookie at this stage lying in 6th place, has enjoyed a storming run up to now.

The leading boats are just are currently sailing between 4 and 5 knots average speed.

Both Jeanne Gregoire (Banque Populaire) and Nigel King (Nigel King Yachting) currently placed 22nd and 23rd are sailing closest to shore and enjoying higher boats speed, 11 knots for Jeanne and close to 8 for Nigel close to shore.

Jimmy Le Baut (Port Olona – Arrimer) brings up the fleet 47.4 miles behind the leader.

20070801

Gérald Veniard (Scutum) leads at Needles Fairway mark

Gérald Veniard (Scutum) was the first sailor to reach the Fairway mark at the Needles at 06h14, course mark situated to the southwest of the Isle of Wight. Upon rounding Veniard was followed at the mark by Fred Duthil (Distinxion,) Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia), Gildas Mahé (Le Comptoir Immobilier), Nicolas Lunven (Bostik), Nicolas Troussel (Financo), Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert), Ronan Treussart (Groupe Céléos, Corentin Douguet (E.Leclerc/Bouygues Telecom), Thomas Rouxel (Défi Mousquetaires).

20070731

Gerald Veniard moves up into the lead at the first position report on La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro

At 18h30 this afternoon, Gerald Veniard (Scutum) holds a narrow lead over the other 48 Figaro sailors taking part in La Solitaire. Lying in second place, just 0.1 miles is Frederic Duthil (Distinxion) and Michel Desjoyeaux holds third at 0.2 miles distance.

The fleet is spread back out over 4.3 miles with Jimmy Le Baut on Port Olona – Arrimer bringing up the fleet.

The breeze has freshened up to some 15 knots and this is reflected in the good average boat speed close on 12 knots for the leaders. 20 skippers stand within just a mile from the leader and a further 15 just behind. Ideal reaching conditions have given the sailors a

chance to eat up the miles for the early stages of the leg.

Vincent Biarnes (Côtes d’Armor) leads in the rookie ranking and is currently placed 22nd just 1.2 miles behing the leader.

Jean-Yves Chauve, the race doctor, following the middle of fleet on the water reports that the wind has backed slightly and is easing as the fleet is make good progress. The ideal conditions together with a full moon should provide the fleet with a good first night at sea.

The next poll is at 04h30 tomorrow morning; it will be an exiting night full of action as the sailors head up round the Nortfolk mark to cross the channel.

20070731

Frederic Duthil proving superstition wrong!

Frederic Duthil sailing on Distinxion leads the fleet of Figaro competitors round the Radio France Buoy in the first leg of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro.

So winning the Prologue Afflelou has not proved to be a bad thing so far for this Breton sailor.

20070731

They are off! The 38th edition of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro has started.

They are off! The 38th edition of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro has started. At 15h20 the 49 Figaro sailors crossed the start line after a 20-minute delay to allow all the skippers to join the pre start area. Three boats had indivdual recalls: Jeanne Gregoire (Banque Populaire), Pietro D'Ali (Kappa ) and Nicolas Lunven (Bostik). The conditions are ideal with clear skies, flat seas and 10 to 15 knot breeze from the east.

20070731

James Bird in trouble – GFI Group is towed back in to Ouistreham following a collision on the way out of the Channel at Ouistreham

James Bird was towed in to the pontoon ouside the lock at Ouistreham to check damage suffered after a collision." It would appear that James collided with something when leaving the canal whilst preparing to tack. “I was just about to tack with 2.5 metres of depth when suddenly I stopped dead. From 7 knots to nothing, which just threw me down the hatch. I want to check everything before seeing if I can rejoin the race."

20070731

Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Domaine du Mont d’Arbois), rookie on the race talks about the stress before the start of the race today:

“It is funny, I am more nervous here than at the star of a Route du Rhum, it is quite amazing but then maybe it is because there are 50 other competitors and it is a boat that I have less handling experience compared to a multihull.” Thierry comes from grand prix sailing on the Gitana trimarans for Baron Benjamin de Rothchild. Here I have to think about quite a few things…like the choice of sail plan for example. This race format is unknown territory for me. I am however used to going off to sea for 7 to 10 days, which allows you to get into a rhythm.

20070731

Nigel King (Nigel King Yachting) - What do you do in the final hours before the start of a race like this?

“I have just tried to do what I have done a million times before on other campaigns, not get too stressed, we are only going to sea for three days, it a short little trip and just try to be normal and stick to normal habits. I do not feel too nervous, but I suppose I will be once I get out there just on to get off the start line.”

“ The last thing you can do is get the latest weather as close as possible to the start and generally I like to just go round and check all the systems, do all the jobs again and go through a routine of checking that everything is working. It has all worked before, but you always worry that it is not going to work on the last day! Chuckles Nigel. “I have a new sail maker and a new suit of sail since the qualifier races.”

“Marcel van Trieste is working on the weather as part of an agreement with La Rochelle where I have been training. It is in French, but still very helpful!”

20070731

Sleep management - the key to success

The key to a successful Figaro race according to Jean-Yves Chauve, the race doctor working on his 21st Solitaire race, is the sleep deprivation management factor. “When you are at sea tiredness hard to handle and it comes on quickly and then it is easy to make ill judgements and boat handling is tougher. It is imperative to manage your sleep well and in particular to actually sleep when possible. This heavily influences the single-handed sailors performance so the more experienced ones are able to take 10 to 30 minute naps to keep them alert. On a three-day race like this one, you can expect the sailors to get something like one hour’s sleep over a twenty-four hour cycle. The first year is always hard for the rookies because even if you are a very good boat handler it is your sleep management that will be most important.”

20070731

Race course for the first leg: some minor modifications to the route along the South of England

After the official skipper briefing held on Monday at 17h00 local French time, the Race Organisers decided to remove 3 marks on the race course: the two Shambles buoys and the Seven Stone lighthouse.

This minor modification to the course will open up the game for the single-handed sailors along South coast of England by giving them more options.

20070731

Nicolas Troussel (Financo): Winner of the 2006 edition - how he sees the first leg

“I am not letting being one of the favourites put the pressure on as I see each race as a new one. On this leg, the weather is going to be unpredictable and I am going to have to work hard tonight and tomorrow morning. I would not change my way of sailing and will jump on any opportunities that come my way. The competition? Well the other 49 sailors! If I had to name some there are at least 20 of them.”

20070731

Happy Birthday Gildas!

Gildas celebrates his 39th birthday today. Affectionately known as the gentle green giant, Gildas Morvan, has been a regular figure in the Figaro scene. Morvan, on his 12th participation this year, will be celebrating his birthday at sea on the first day of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2007.

20070731

Are you overweight?

At the start of each leg, 3 boats are chosen at random to have a weight check. The maximum weight limit is 100kg per boat. This basically means offloading any personal material including food and having it weighed by the official Measurement Committee before re-stowing it all once again.

For the first leg, Paul O’Riain (City Jet), Nicolas Lunven (ALL MER Inéo Suez) and Jean-Pierre Nicol (Gavottes) will have their weight checks carried out before they leave Caen.

20070730

Paul O’Riain sailing City Jet, the one design Bénéteau Figaro Class II boat is the only rookie Irishman in the highly competitive French race, La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro.

We catch up with Paul on the eve of the start of the first of 4 legs which will take him from Caen in France to Cork in Southern Ireland, then back to France (Brest) then on to La Coruna in Northern Spain and finally to the Sables d’Olonne in the French Vendee region. 1,876 miles!

How do you feel on the eve of the start of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro?

“I have been here for 6 months in France getting the boat ready and doing training in La Rochelle, so a lot of preparation. So I wondered what it would be like to get the boat ready and it is like being at school and you have studied all year long and the night before you wonder how you are going to remember everything you learn. At this stage I just want to get out there and get going because you have pre event nerves because they are harder than actually sailing to be honest. I spent 16 years as a windsurfer and then as a water-skier. I have not done solo sailing before, so to actually qualify to do this I had to do 2 qualifying events of 250 miles each. So that was my first taste of this and I have to admit I did have a questions as to whether I would like this but at the end of the first qualifier I knew that I had found what I was looking for.”

What will it be like in Cork?

I am not very familiar with the south coast of England but have sailed from France to Ireland before and it will be nice to sail into Cork Harbour as I lived there for two years on the harbour so I have a lot of friends there, a lot of good memories and look forward to getting in there to enjoy the ambiance that Cork has. Cork is a fun place, so we should have a good time there, but we will not have that much time and we will all be tired and in need of rest.

How have you found the whole experience so far?

I have never actually experienced a more welcoming bunch of competitors all through my training down at La Rochelle and then doing my qualifications up the West coast of France everyone was extremely helpful offering lots of advice. I was actually quite amazed. The welcome has been overwhelming and superb and I am delighted at actually having done this and it has been a fantastic adventure so far.

20070729

Frederic Duthil (Distinxion) wind the Prologue Afflelout and throws superstition to the wind!

Superstition would have a Figaro sailor not win the Prologue Afflelou, however this was not going to bother Frederic Duthill (Distinxion) who tempted fate by crossing the line ahead of Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert) in second and Frank le Gal (Lenze) in third places respectively. Pietro d’Alì (Kappa) finishes 11th overall with Nigel King (Nigel King Yachting) a very respectable 15th for a first time participation. Liz Wardley flying the colours of Sojasun for Papa New Guinea finishes 18th.

20070729

Prologue Afflelou: c’est parti!

They are off! All 50 skippers taking part in the Prologue Afflelou set off at 11 am for the 17-mile long inshore warm up race today. The swell coming in from the west and 20 gusting 25 knots of westerly breeze saw all the sailors cross the start line on time. Only Marc Emig (A.ST Groupe) was forced to withdraw with batten problems at the start. Jean-François Bulot (Crédit Mutuel-Ville de Caen) encountered technical problems, which forced him to retire on the first beat.

At the first mark Armel Tripon on Gedimat led the 48 strong fleet followed by Frederic Duthill on Brossard and Italian sailor, Pietro d’Ali in a close third on Kappa.

20070729

How Nicolas Troussel on Financo sees the Prologue Afflelou (winner of the 2006 edition)

“The idea of the Prologue is to make final checks on tuning the boat and finding answers to any little problems that crop up such as onboard electronics. Sometimes the little blue wire links up to the blue button or the red one to the red button and you just do not always know that it is as simple as that…I am a little superstitious but not to the point of not trying to win this warm up race if the opportunity arises!”

20070727

Baptism of the Figaro Bénéteau Théolia of Robert Nagy

Today at 11:30 am, Robert Nagy baptized his Bénéteau Théolia Figaro in the presence of Peggy Bouchet, sailor-adventuress and the woman who launches the new boat and Jean-Marie Santander, CEO de Théolia and the godfather of the boat, on the Bassin Saint Pierre in Caen.

20070727

Distribution of fruits on the Stand Défi Santé Nutrition

Find every day on the village the association Défi Santé Nutrition. Dietitians are here to advise you in nutrition around various animations. An initiative which is made within the framework of the National Program Nutrition health of the Ministry of Health. Every days, fruits are distributed to 50 skippers of the race and offered in visitors of the village.

20070727

Madam Brigitte Le Brethon, mayor of Caen will give the starting signal

For reasons of diary, Madam Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, Minister of Health, Youth and Sports, cannot go to Caen on Tuesday to give the starting signal of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro 2007.

20070727

Suzuki Automobiles on the village of the race

Come to discover the range Suzuki Automobiles on a friendly stand on the village of the race. Four models are to visit all day: Swift Sport, Compact Jimny, SX4 Cross-over as well as Grand Vitara.

20070725

Withdrawal of Erwan Tabarly: 50 skippers on the start line

The man who had to participate in his 8th Solitaire will not take the departure of the race.

They will be finally 50 skippers on the start line.

20070723

Withdrawal of Eric Peron

The young man who had to participate in his second Solitaire will not take the departure of the race.

20070713

Withdrawal of Ronan Guérin

The sailor of Saint Nazaire who had to participate in his eleven La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro announced its withdrawal of the race.

20070712

Withdrawal of Yannick Bestaven

The sailor of La Rochelle who had to participate in his second La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro announced its withdrawal of the race today.

20070706

Withdrawal of Servane Escoffier

The young lady who had to participate in her first Solitaire will not take the departure of the race. The Figaro Bénéteau with the colors of Brossard will align itself, in Caen, on July 31st of this year, with in its tiller Thierry Chabagny.

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