Goodbye Atlantic

Tour Voile fleet complete last races in La Rochelle and now head for the Med

At 0600 hours this morning (Saturday) the Mumm 30’s left the old trawler basin in La Rochelle just as the last notes from Francofolies (Francophone Music Festival) were fading out. The boats moored in Port des Minimes awaiting a more reasonable hour to take the start of the first three races of the day, all contended in very light winds. These were to be the last sparring matches before the boats leave the ocean tomorrow bound for the Mediterranean via trailers.

During the first 2 windward leeward courses, the current favourites were clearly dominating with Theoule Mandelieu took 2nd and 3rd with Groovederci, still holding onto the blue leader spinnaker, 5th twice running. Region Ile de France finished 2nd and 4th and Defi Partage Marseille, already winner of the last leg, won the second leg.

Some amateurs nonetheless managed to slide in amongst the frontrunners including Cotes D’Armor who won the first leg. The young talent aboard Ville de Geneve Carrefour Prevention took 5th place on two occasions, continuing to stretch out their lead at the head of the amateur ranking. "Decidedly, we are still on a little cloud of success, it’s so good!" rejoiced skipper Julien di Biase.

The locals on Port de Commerce La Rochelle Estudines.com maintained their position too, very comfortable in home waters, with two 6th places, enabling them to pick up a 2nd place in the General Student Ranking, still behind Defi Grandes Ecoles Total Insa.

The third and final course of the day, the last Atlantic course for this year, is a coastal course. The latter is defined by different fixed marks in the bay of La Rochelle, as opposed to the Olympic course in which the marks, inflatable and removable, are positioned by the Race Committee.

Defi Partage Marseille, on a roll since their arrival in La Rochelle, took victory once again but this time it was Eigsi Charente-Maritime, ahead of Cotes D’Armor and Brest Grandes Ecoles Ensieta Enst Bretagne.

Amidst these amateurs including Alfa Laval, Espoirs Aquitains, CSC Essec and Ville du Port Bred La Reunion (from the Reunion Islands), solely Toulon Provence Mediterranee Coych and Bouygues Telecom upheld the honour of the pros! Even the unseparable Groovederci and Theoule Mandelieu were positioned 25th and 26th, both on the wrong side of the storm which battered the fleet during the race!

Theoule Mandelieu was forced into giving up first position in the General Ranking to Defi Partage Marseille whose skipper Dimitri Deruelle, highlighted the [feeling] aboard: "The cohesion of the crew improves at each regatta. Everything is very fluid. We’ve really learnt a lot from sailing together."

Groovederci and their star-spangled banner maintain a comfortable lead in the General Rankings while Bouygues Telecom having dropped down to 4th place after a dodgy day (8, 14 and 9).

Tomorrow the boats will be lifted out of the water and transported towards St Cyprien. The regattas will start again on Wednesday 21 July, inaugurated in their new sea by 2 courses around the bay.

General Ranking after Race 17 minus 1 leg before the jury
1 GROOVEDERCI 710,5
2 DEFI PARTAGE MARSEILLE 683,5
3 THEOULE MANDELIEU 683
4 BOUYGUES TELECOM 665
5 REGION ILE DE France 655,5
6 TOULON PROVENCE MEDITERRANEE COYCH 637,5
7 VILLE DE GENEVE CARREFOUR PREVENTION 616,5
8 DIEPPE SEINE MARITIME 586,5
9 CSC ESSEC 544,5
10 COTES D'ARMOR 542
11 BELVEDERE FORCE EDC LES COPAINS A BORD 506,5
12 DEFI GRANDES ECOLES TOTAL INSA 486,5
13 VILLE DU PORT BRED ILE DE LA REUNION 472
14 PORT DE COMMERCE LA ROCHELLE ESTUDINES.COM 448,5
15 DEFI SCLEROSE EN PLAQUES 444,5
16 PERPIGNAN MEDITERRANEE 425,5
17 PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN 421,5
18 ESPOIRS AQUITAINS 412,5
19 BREST GRANDES ECOLES ENSIETA ENST BRETAGNE 411
20 DOUARNENEZ VOILE MAGAZINE 410
21 DEFI DON DU SANG ALLIBERT- HEC-ESC GRENOBLE-X 396,5
22 NANTES SAINT NAZAIRE 386
23 ALFA LAVAL 360
24 BIENNE VOILE 357
25 EIGSI CHARENTE MARITIME 315,5
26 TEPACAP 309,5
27 MARSEILLE UNIVERSITES VILLE DE BANDOL 291
28 DEFI JEAN BART 281,5
29 T Service Interim Région de Bruxelles Capitale 280
30 DELFT CHALLENGE 275,5

General amateur ranking after race 17 minus one leg before the jury
1 VILLE DE GENEVE CARREFOUR PREVENTION 319,5
2 DIEPPE SEINE MARITIME 305,5
3 CSC ESSEC 300,5
4 COTES D'ARMOR 287
5 BELVEDERE FORCE EDC LES COPAINS A BORD 272
6 VILLE DU PORT BRED ILE DE LA REUNION 256
7 PERPIGNAN MEDITERRANEE 234,5
8 PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN 219
9 BIENNE VOILE 197,5
10 TEPACAP 173,5
11 DEFI JEAN BART 167,5
12 T SERVICE INTERIM REGION DE BRUXELLES CAPITALE 161,5

General Student Ranking after Race 17 minus 1 leg before the jury
1 DEFI GRANDES ECOLES TOTAL INSA 325,5
2 PORT DE COMMERCE LA ROCHELLE ESTUDINES.COM 310
3 DEFI SCLEROSE EN PLAQUES 305
4 BREST GRANDES ECOLES ENSIETA ENST BRETAGNE 293
5 DEFI DON DU SANG ALLIBERT- HEC-ESC GRENOBLE-X 288,5
6 ALFA LAVAL 265
7 EIGSI CHARENTE MARITIME 244
8 MARSEILLE UNIVERSITES VILLE DE BANDOL 239,5
9 DELFT CHALLENGE 224

Challenge AGF Ranking after Race 17 minus 1 leg before jury
1 DEFI PARTAGE 890
2 THEOULE MANDELIEU 700
3 GROOVEDERCI 670