Le Peutrec into the lead

Surprise results after the first three races of the Marseilles Grand Prix for the 60ft trimarans

With 25 knots of wind and more in the gusts, it was a lively day of racing for the 12 60ft trimarans taking part in the latest Grand Prix of the ORMA circuit in the waters off Marseilles in the south of France. The conditions were so brisk that they could well have caused damage to the 60ft long fliers.

After being diagnosed with a serious medical conditions earlier this year which caused him to hand the helm of his Nigel Irens-designed trimaran across to his project manager Jean Maurel, Tornado champion Fred le Peutrec today put in a consistent performance in the three races today on board his Bayer Cropscience to take a convincing lead after the first day of racing.

In the big conditions and short sharp sea it was necessary to look after the boat as well as to carry out immaculate crew work in the manoeuvres as well as to make the correct tactical manoeuvres.

The three races today were extremely hard on the crew with nearly 10 hours on the race course, while making 16 knots upwind, 32 knots on the reaching dog leg and 26 knots downwind under genniker. Most boats were sailing with one reef and staysail.

Like Cagliari winner Karine Fauconnier, who was not favourite prior to the regatta, Le Peutrec has never yet shown so far in his boat (a sistership to Fauconnier's) and particularly not since having to put a new mast into his boat following the Challenge Mondial Assistance (Bayer is currently using the spare mast and sails from Banque Populaire.)

The conditions today were perhaps responsible for today's result which saw numerous place changes within the fleet - Banque Populaire first at the weather mark in the first race only to finish last, similarly Belgacom in the last race, only to finish fourth, and Fauconnier's Sergio Tacchini, which lost five places in the last race.

The big conditions proved exciting for the competitors. Jean-Luc Nélias, skipper of Belgacom on which the likes of Finn champion Sebastien Godefroid and Open 60 skipper Roland Jourdain are racing, said that they were very lucky to get the boat back into port. "During the second we nearly capsizing in a sudden gust of wind: the mast was literally horizontal!"

Tomorrow the forecast is for slightly less wind off Marseilles.

Results

1 Frederic Peutrec (Bayer CropScience) 3+1+3 = 7 points
2= Jean-Luc Nélias (Belgacom) 1+7+4 = 12 points
2= Thomas Coville (Sodebo) 7+3+2 = 12 points
4= Franck Cammas (Groupama) 10+5+1 = 16 points
4= Karine Falconer (Sergio Tacchini) 4+4+8 = 16 points
6= Michel Desjoyeaux (Giant) 2+10+6 = 18 points
6= Giovanni Soldini (TIM) 5+6+7 = 18 points
8= Lalou Roucayrol (Popular Bank) 12+2+5 = 19
9 Jean le Cam (Bonduelle) 6+9+9 = 24 points
10 Philippe Monnet (Sopra Group) 8+8+13 = 29 points
11-Stève Ravussin (Covefi Bank) 9+12+10 = 31 points
12 Lionel Lemonchois (Gitana) 11+11+13 = 35 points