Fight to the finish

Lumpy conditions for Tour de Bretagne Figaro fleet as they make for Perros-Guirec

Stage two of the Tour de Bretagne upwind into 15 knots westerlies was one where those making the least errors won out.

The fleet got away after two general recalls and it was Figaro veteran Gildas Morvan and former Team New Zealand Bertrand Pace on board Cercle Vert who made the best start. It was after rounding the mark to the north of Bréhat island that conditions got rough with the tide turning against the wind. It was in these conditions that some of the boats were able to make a small break on the competition.

At the Mare buoy off Brehat it was Damien Grimont and Dominic Vittet on Solétanche Bachy that were leading the fleet. Meanwhile Cercle Vert was in a pack alongside Jeremie Beyou and Gilles Chiorri on Delta Dore and Charles Caudrelier-Bénac and Pascal Bidégorry on Bostik Findley.

At the finish line off Perros-Guirec, it was Cercle Vert which again moved into the lead with Bostik Findley second one minute astern, who now hold first place in the overall rankings.

It was a disappointing leg for Sam Davies and Emma Westmacott on Skandia who slipped down the fleet to finish 25th. Their problems started after the first mark: "We got a bit buried at the start which was a shame because we were right up there for the first two starts - one time we were right next to Bertrand Pace," said Davies. "We were on a fast reach and knew we had to change down to a smaller jib (Solent) - we did an 'in-line' change, it was perfect, as the rest of the fleet dropped their jibs and then re-hoisted losing them speed so we were in a good position mid-fleet."

The breeze had increased steadily gusting up to 28 knots when the Solent jib ripped out of the forestay. Skandia had to bear away downwind as Davies fought on the bow to retrieve the sail at the same time losing valuable miles. "We couldn't believe it," said Davies. "But we got it sorted having lost quite a few places, rehoisted the Solent in the second forestay groove only for it happen for a second time...we couldn't use the sail anymore and had to go down to a storm jib."

Ultimately, as the wind increased to 30-35 knots occasionally gusting up to 38 knots the storm jib was the right sail but the race was all but over for Davies and Westmacott. "At the end we had to do a triangle Olympic course - we went for our biggest spinnaker and starting to catch the others who didn't fly theirs but it was too late."

Now Davies and Westmacott face a mountain to prepare the boat for tomorrow's leg: "We have got to try and work out the problems with the forestay grooves for the jib - not sure why it is happening - and repair the ripped jib and mainsail which was also ripped as it flogged around in the gusts. "It was survival mode out there but we survived and its good to have a bashing early on - from now it can only get better!"

Tetraktys was the first casualty of the race, suffering a ripped mainsail.

Results from leg 2

Pos	Boat
1	CERCLE VERT
2	BOSTIK FINDLEY
3	DAVID OLIVIER
4	DELTA DORE
5	PETIT NAVIRE,LE BON GOUT DU LARGE
6	DEFI SANTE VOILE
7	GENERALI ASSURANCES
8	THALES
9	SOLETANCHE BACHY
10	CREALINE
11	CREDIT MUTUEL VILLE DE CHERBOURG
12	D'AUCY
13	REVE DE GRAND - ACTUAL INTERIM
14	ESPOIR CREDIT AGRICOLE
15	BERMUDES
16	CREPES WHAOU!
17	SKIPPER AG2R
18	PORT TREBEURDEN
19	CAMUS IMMOBILIER
20	SOR TMC
21	UNILOG
22	FUTUR
23	CYP
24	ING REAL ESTATE
25	SKANDIA
DNF	TETRAKTYS