News Around the World
FRANCE A lot of traffic across the Atlantic During November three events bring the ‘cream’ of the ocean sailors across the Atlantic. Already in October the Mini Transat La Boulangère opened the game. After a start delayed by two weeks because of the extremely violent weather in Biscay, the skippers and their 6.5m monohulls finally left La Rochelle on 5 October for the Canary Islands for leg one of their solo transatlantic marathon. Then a few days before the ‘les minis’ start their second leg to
Le Marin in Guadeloupe the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre fleet leave Le Havre to race to Salvador da Bahia. Then on 3 November four giant Ultim trimarans, also sailed
two-handed, plus a media man onboard, are due to leave Brittany for the Brest Atlantique. This non-stop 14,000-mile triangular course is the longest ever on the Ultim circuit and their first true long- distance contest (for an Ultim the Route du Rhum is a short sprint). The competitors will leave Brest in the direction of Rio, before heading towards Cape Town and then sailing back to Brest. The marks for the course? The trimarans will have to leave to
port the Cagarras Islands in front of the famous beach of Ipanema in the bay of Rio and, later on, to round Robben Island in Table Bay off Cape Town before returning to Brest on a direct course. About four weeks of intense sailing/flying mode.
Thirty Imoca! Sixty sailors (including seven women and 16 ‘foreigners’) are entering the 4,350nm course separating Le Havre from Salvador da Bahia. There has never been such an impressive line-up both in terms of the quantity and the quality in the biannual TJV. Among the sixty sailors competing 15 took part in the 2016-
2017 Vendée Globe, including the three who made it to the podium: Armel Le Cléac’h, Alex Thomson and Jérémie Beyou. Among the other great navigators in the huge Imoca class there
are several for whom the TJV will be their first Imoca transatlantic. There is, for example, the highly experienced sailor Kevin Escoffier, who won the Jules Verne Trophy (in 2012) and the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race. Kevin is pairing with the very clever meteo expert Nicolas Lunven. Maxime Sorel, last TJV winner in Class40, is back on the scene with an old Imoca designed by Guillaume Verdier with Guillaume Le Brec. This race will also be the first big event for the Figaro racers Anthony Marchand and Benjamin Dutreux. As for Miranda Merron and Halvard Mabire, it is a case of
22 SEAHORSE
rediscovering the race. The most experienced ocean-racing couple will be making their comeback here aboard the 15-year-old Owen Clark design rechristened Campagne de France. In addition to Miranda, seven other women have registered, including two who will be sailing on Imocas that have recently ‘become’ fast and impressive foilers, Sam Davies and Isabelle Joschke. As for Clarisse Crémer, she is continuing her fast-track learning programme racing with the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe champion Armel Le Cléac’h.
Only 14 have daggerboards Five of the Imocas are new-generation foilers: Charal, Hugo Boss 7, the Juan K-designed Arkea Paprec and the two Guillaume Verdier boats, Apivia and Advens. Among the 11 other foilers the ex-Hugo Boss, now named 11th Hour Racing (sailed by Charlie Enright and Pascal Bidégorry), looks a strong contender. There are also three older-generation but very well-prepared ‘converted’ foilers, PRB (Kevin Escoffier/Nicolas Lunven), Initiatives-Cœur (Sam Davies/Paul Meilhat) and MACSF (Isabelle Joschke/Morgan Lagravière).
Speed tests With just over a month to go to the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Défi Azimut sailed off Lorient in September was an inter- esting test for the record number of 20 Imocas racing, old or new, foilers or not. There was a lot to see at every level and the weather conditions were ideal. Actually, there were 12 foilers and eight non-foilers, just three of which made it into the top 10… The regatta, with one 48-hour race and two speed tests, was
dominated by Charal, which was comfortably in control, winning all three races. Clearly pleased with the all-round speed of his boat, Jérémie Beyou was very encouraged. ‘These are very good results, which required a range of qualities to perform well in a wide range of conditions… This rewards all the hard work we have done with the team since last winter in trying to get to grips with our Imoca Charal.’ 11th Hour had been lying second for a long time but was finally
overtaken by PRB, the 10-year-old Verdier design which has also been fitted with foils. On PRB Kevin Escoffier was pleased with the result but kept a critical eye on performance: ‘When reaching we were not as fast so we still have work to do, in particular on the sails and with the adjustments we make to the appendages. ‘Upwind we saw we could perform well and downwind we also
managed to catch up. That proves that PRB is still a good all-round boat but we must go faster reaching.’
VINCENT CURUTCHET/ALEA
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