A third win for Eure et Loire

Francis Joyon shows a penchant for British races

A jubilant Francis Joyon and his three crew of Vendee Globe skipper Thomas Coville and British Olympic multiple medallist Rodney Pattisson and Paul Yeatman, strode ashore into the Queen Anne's Battery marina, Plymouth this morning the decisive, first across the line victors in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

Eure et Loire, the Frenchman's 60ft Nigel Irens-designed trimaran crossed the line off Plymouth's giant breakwater at 1029 BST this morning having taken just 1 day 18 hours 19 mins to cover the 608 mile course from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock. This is the third major British race Joyon has won recently. Just over a year ago he was the underdog winner of the Europe 1 New Man STAR ahead of all the hot shots on the ORMA trimaran circuit. Earlier this year he won the Hoya Round the Island Race, demolishing the race and course records in the process.

Joyon described the start as dangerous. "The start was very difficult. We were sailing at 20 knots among all these other boats." The wind against tide conditions kicked up a short sharp sea, but this proved no problem for Eure et Loir who romped past the Volvo Ocean 60s just after Hampstead Ledge, after just 30 minutes (the Volvo Ocean 60s started 10 minutes before them). "We were sailing upwind at 16-17 knots. I think they were five degrees closer to the wind," commented Joyon.

Once out past the Needles the Fastnet became a one horse race for Joyon. Although two 60ft trimarans started Emma Richards' Pindar trimaran retired with gear failure early Sunday evening.

Tactically Pattisson said that their main concern was trying to find flat water more than trying avoid areas with adverse tide (sailing at 16-18 knots tide makes less of an impression on boat speed). So all along the south coast of the UK, Eure et Loir hugged the shoreline. "We went right into Poole Bay and Old Harry and then out," commented Pattisson. "We went outside at St Albans, because I thought it would be too rough. We went into Weymouth Bay then out to North East Shambles Light."

They continued going in close to Portland Bill and into Lyme Bay and then tacked out past Start Point and back into towards Plymouth passing to the north of the Eddystone. "We went quite a long way outside of the Lizard and then just fetched through past Lands End." Pattison recalled that they passed the Lizard Point at 0830 yesterday and Land's End at 1030 and had made the Fastnet rock by 1930 last night by which time the visibility had closed in.

The trip across to the Fastnet Rock was quick. "It was very fast," recalled Pattisson. "24-25 knots going up and going back." With the wind backing to the south and going light, the run into Plymouth was lighter than they anticipated and Pattisson said that they had to put up a large running sail in order to be able to lay Plymouth.