Weather not playing ball

Motoring to find wind and schedule adjustments in the Tour de France a la Voile

After the big breeze of the previous days, it was a lack of wind that prevented the boats from setting off from Dieppe this morning on the next leg of the Tour de France à la Voile. Consequently the fleet of Mumm 30s had to motor along the coast, hunting down breeze under motor until they were able to hoist their sails.

It was finally ten miles from Dieppe off St Valery at 1021 GMT that the race committee gave the start in a fairly light reaching north-easterly set to strengthen towards the end of the day and during the night.

PSA Peugeot Citroen managed to miss the start and had to retake the line while the other boats were already off under spinnaker. As for estimations for the finish, the competitors may be expected in Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg Octeville, between 2200 and 2300 GMT tonight.

From Cherbourg, the start of the leg to Perros-Guirec was initially planned for 1400 GMT on Wednesday but at the skippers briefing this morning the race committee was concerned about a wind forecast of up to Force 8 for tomorrow. Conditions along the coast here could prove potentially perilous in such conditions, particularly with the current against them.

To avoid any risk, Sylvie Viant, president of the race committee, decided - to the general astonishment of the racers - that the start in Cherbourg would be given at 0500 GMT tomorrow morning. As a result the sailors will make a rapid stopover in Cherbourg, with time enough for a quick nap and some restocking of provisions before heading off for a further hundred miles.

Positions at the first course mark, 1.3 miles from the start.

1 ESPOIRS AQUITAINS
2 TOULON PROVENCE MEDITERRANEE COYCH
3 REGION ILE DE FRANCE
4 THEOULE MANDELIEU
5 DEFI SCLEROSE EN PLAQUES - LEONARD DE VINCI
6 VILLE DU PORT BRED LA REUNION
7 BOUYGUES TELECOM
8 CSC - ESSEC
9 GROOVEDERCI (USA)
10 VILLE DE GENEVE CARREFOUR PREVENTION (Switzerland)
11 NANTES SAINT NAZAIRE
12 DOUARNENEZ - VOILE MAGAZINE
13 BELVEDERE - FORCE EDC & LES COPAINS A BORD
14 PERPIGNAN MEDITERRANEE
15 DIEPPE SEINE MARITIME
16 ALFA LAVAL (UK)
17 BREST GRANDES ECOLES ENSIETA ENST-BRETAGNE
18 DEFI GRANDES ECOLES TOTAL INSA
19 T SERVICE INTERIM REGION DE BRUXELLES CAPITALE / BRUSSELS HOOFDSTEDELIJK GEWEST (Belgium)
20 COTES D’ARMOR
21 BIENNE-VOILE
22 TEPACAP
23 EIGSI LA ROCHELLE CHARENTE-MARITIME
24 PORT DE COMMERCE LA ROCHELLE ESTUDINES.COM
25 DEFI JEAN BART
26 DELFT CHALLENGE TU DELFT (Holland)
27 DEFI PARTAGE - MARSEILLE
28 DEFI DON DU SANG ALLIBERT HEC-ESC GRENOBLE-X
29 MARSEILLE UNIVERSITES VILLE DE BANDOL
30 PSA PEUGEOT CITROËN

A second non-official ranking was made 9 miles before Fécamp, 2h30 later. Of note here was the great comeback made by race favourite Defi Partage-Marseille after a poor start.

1 TOULON PROVENCE MEDITERRANEE COYCH
2 REGION ILE DE FRANCE
3 THEOULE MANDELIEU
4 ESPOIRS AQUITAINS
5 BIENNE-VOILE
6 VILLE DE GENEVE CARREFOUR PREVENTION (Switzerland)
7 COTES D’ARMOR
8 DIEPPE SEINE MARITIME
9 DEFI PARTAGE - MARSEILLE
10 BOUYGUES TELECOM
11 GROOVEDERCI (USA)
12 BELVEDERE - FORCE EDC & LES COPAINS A BORD
13 CSC - ESSEC
14 PORT DE COMMERCE LA ROCHELLE ESTUDINES.COM
15 TEPACAP
16 VILLE DU PORT BRED LA REUNION
17 DEFI SCLEROSE EN PLAQUES - LEONARD DE VINCI
18 NANTES SAINT NAZAIRE
19 ALFA LAVAL (UK)
20 PERPIGNAN MEDITERRANEE
21 DEFI JEAN BART
22 EIGSI LA ROCHELLE CHARENTE-MARITIME
23 MARSEILLE UNIVERSITES VILLE DE BANDOL
24 T SERVICE INTERIM REGION DE BRUXELLES CAPITALE / BRUSSELS
HOOFDSTEDELIJK GEWEST (Belgium)
25 DOUARNENEZ - VOILE MAGAZINE
26 DEFI DON DU SANG ALLIBERT HEC-ESC GRENOBLE-X
27 PSA PEUGEOT CITROËN
28 DELFT CHALLENGE TU DELFT (Holland)
29 DEFI GRANDES ECOLES TOTAL INSA
30 BREST GRANDES ECOLES ENSIETA ENST-BRETAGNE