News Around the World
While Volvo veteran Ken Read continues occasional two-handed outings (while determinedly downplaying any interest in Paris 2024) there are a couple of new names on the US shorthanded scene who make no secrets of their own ambitions. Boston-based financial giant State Street has thrown its backing behind Jesse Fielding and Olympic sailor and Volvo racer Francesca Clapcich who are now full-time training on brand new Figaro 3s named Fearless and Opportunity under the eye of their accomplished coach Malcolm Gefter
Some skippers have substitutes who are going to be tested in the same manner. ‘Knowing that the startline remains open for 10 days, it could be
possible for a skipper having tested positive on the 6th to wait a few days for eventually a new negative test.’ We can imagine that if that happened the skipper will be very concerned to leave Les Sables as soon as possible…’ On that point, Jacques said: ‘Jean-Yves Chauve, the race doctor,
will be in charge of managing the test timing, but we do not want a skipper entering the race with any risk of having caught Covid 19.’ In the case of a boat having to come back to Les Sables d’Olonne
after the start, the skipper will be disembarked from the boat and isolated while the technical team take care of the repairs. ‘But of course if a boat does not return until five or six days after the start then it will be more difficult to be sure everybody in the team is OK for working on the boat,’ adds Jacques. Because it is difficult for a skipper not to be able to go on his boat
before a round-the-world voyage, the organisation is thinking about opening a window during the confinement period late in the night or early morning when nobody is in the Race Village… Or course the situation is very frustrating, especially for the small teams, but it is the price to pay for racing the Vendée Globe.
A new date but a huge success After Spi Ouest France’s five-month postponement because of the virus, the month of September promised to be vigorous on the water at La Trinité-sur-Mer. It was! After the ArMen Race, the Mini in May, the Fifty-Fifty, the Spi Ouest
France Destination Morbihan lined up the big artillery: 330 boats. And there could have been nearly 400 boats if there had been more places in the harbour at this time of the year. With at least 1,700 racers, there were more than 90 Société Nautique volunteers from all over France, 50 jury members, 30 City Hall volunteers for parking, shuttles and 50 official boats to manage the racing. On Friday 25 September the wind is a little too strong (after a very
calm month!). After most boats have gone to sea all the classes are cancelled, to the pleasure of some and the great displeasure of others… In the evening we lament a broken arm, a sailor overboard (but rapidly rescued),the capsize of a Multi 2000, some dismastings,
26 SEAHORSE
torn sails – in short a typical Spi, but usually at Easter! The next day… the fishermen blockaded the port. A remake of
2008? Luckily not. This year it is the survival of inshore fishing that is at stake and the negotiations between our local member of parliament, the Secretary of the Prefecture and motivated and responsible fishermen led to an appointment with the Minister of the Sea and soon the unlocking of the port… The Spi was able to resume its course at noon. Among the very many classes the biggest category was not that
of the one-designs, as usual, but the Two-Handed IRC with no fewer than 63 entries. The Sun Fast 3300 Sapristi of Alex Ozon, the man who won the last solo Transquadra, excelled once again by winning the three heats, ahead of the JPK 10.30 Léon of Jean-Pierre Kelbert and the SF 3600 Whatelse of Jean Marc Reibell. The competition in IRC two-handed also makes use of interesting coastal courses that with the persistent north wind means all the starts were made downwind under spinnaker (we call that ‘English starts’!). A pretty show for the photographs, often rich in adrenaline for the crews… The fully crewed IRC were divided into two categories alternating
between banana and coastal courses. In Class A (22 entries) the JPK (there are a lot of JPKs racing!) 10.80 Racing Bee, skippered by Pierrick Letouzé, also wins hands down with four victories ahead of the ‘old’ and still formidable First 40.7 Pen Koent, helmed by Emmanuel Le Mené. In IRC B (22 entries) the MMW 33 Tiger (Anne Quentin) also
dominated proceedings with a score of 1,2,1,1 ahead of Gildas Delon’s new Grand Soleil 34 Cap Solidaires En Peloton and Jean- Yves Le Goff’s old A35 Realax. Among the other series we note the smaller than usual fleet of
J80s (usually the most numerous on the water) and the persistence of the Grand Surprises which are often chartered from local company Team Winds. Five Class40s were in the game, won by Luke Berry’s Mach40.3 Lamotte –Module Création, in front of the new Mach40.4 Leclerc, owned by Olivier Magre. We also saw Figaro 2s, Figaro 3s, Minis and many cruiser boats racing under the Osiris Rule. There were also multihulls competing in Quiberon Bay: 22 Diam
24s of the Tour de France, bigger boats in Multi 2000s and even the Easy Fly 26, a light OD foiler designed by Verdier and built at JPS, where Billy Besson, skipper of the French SailGP entry, won all
PAUL TODD/OUTSIDE IMAGES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118
