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Rough Conditons for Figaro Finish
The sailors competing in La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro race are encountering tough conditions for the fourth and final leg between La Coruña in Galicia and the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne. The sea is forecast to be very rough with four to five metre waves and the anemometers are reading 40 knots, due to increase when the front passes bringing gusts of 50 knots before the night is out. More than 200 miles of the 355-mile race have been covered since the start at 3 pm yesterday. Race Director, Jacques Caraës, announced this morning that as a security measure, the Port Bourgenay Mark, south of the Sables d’Olonne, has been removed from the racecourse.
Gerald Véniard (Scutum) continues to lead the fleet and at 3 pm was 135.8 miles from the finish line ahead of Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Nicolas Bérenger (Koné Ascenseurs), at 1.8 miles and 2.3 miles in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. Nicolas Troussel (Financo), although not positioned on the final poll, is also among the leading pack. Corentin Douguet (E. Leclerc/Bouygues Telecom) reported seeing him just 300 metres ahead over the VHF at lunchtime today. The first fifteen boats are just over ten miles apart.
Despite blown spinnakers and reduced sail area for some, the average boat speeds are high between 12 and 13 knots, higher on the surfs. As the wind build, working out what the best sail plan is tough. “You just can’t make any mistakes when you are sailing under spinnaker with 30-35 knots of breeze!” Exclaimed Nicolas Bérenger (Kone Ascenseurs) over the VHF at lunchtime. “I have blown my big spinnaker… I have 30 knots with gusts of 37/38 knots. The spreader went right through the spinnaker when the boat breached” Announces Bertrand de Broc (Les Mousquetaires) over the VHF, at least he not longer needs it now.
Changing sails whilst handling the boat in increasingly strong weather is a risk each sailor weighs up accordingly. Whilst the wind has been coming form the West, propelling the fleet along on a good angle it has been possible to change from large spinnaker, to small one and then solent sail. For some manoeuvring and doing the sail changes is the opportunity to continue in race mode and make up as much ground as possible before the wind heads round to the north. As the wind veers and increases throughout the afternoon there will be even stronger conditions: 4 to 5 metre short waves and 40-45 knots of wind, gusting 50 at its peak before decreasing to 25 towards the finish.
“There is a storm and we are feeling it on board” the Race Office boat “we have just rolled away the storm sail and have 3 reefs in the main. We are holding on tight and trying to get to the finish line before the competitors do. Conditions are tougher than we expected from the forecasts and when the wind veers to the North we will be reaching so will be hit even harder” explains the race reporter, Nicolas Raynaud over the VHF this afternoon.
Jacques Caraës estimates a finish in Les Sables d’Olonne at 4 am tomorrow morning.
