Blown away

Lively start to 2004 Tour de France a la Voile

The wind conditions forecast last night were such that the race organisation was forced to dismantle the race village set up in Dunkirk for the start of the Tour de France à la Voile. As a result there were no tents left standing on the quay this morning with the HQ having been transferred to a more stable location.

Clad in storm gear, the skippers patiently awaiting the Race Committee’s decision at this morning’s briefing. The option was taken to cancel the prologue race in order to increase the chances of racing at least one leg while the strength of the wind allowed.

Consequently the fleet of Mumm 30s set off at 1020 GMT on a ten mile coastal course in conditions that some will have found overwhelming for their first outing. The 25 knot gusty winds and big seas clearly benefited the more experienced crews and the best prepared boats. In addition the 2.5 knot current proved to be a costly reminder of the rules of sailing as the fleet rounded the marks in lively seas.

It was in such surroundings that the Belgians on T Service Interim Region de Bruxelles Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedekijk Gewest tore their mainsail before they even took the start and had to turn back.

In contrast it was a good start for the Americans on Groovederci some minutes later as they headed the fleet at the first mark and managed to maintain their lead throughout to take leg victory.

Right on their tails was the extremely enlightened amateur crew on Dieppe Seine Maritime, beam to beam with the Mediterranean boats Theoule Mandelieu, Defi Partage - Marseiles and Toulon Provence Mediterranee Coych who finished in that order.
The young crew on Cotes d'Armor and the Catalans on Perpignan Mediterranee also
got off to a good start.

Further back in the fleet it was a rather more chaotic ambiance and the sad
tally of retirements totalled seven including the dismasting of Douarnenez - Voile Magazine, a broken stay on Defi Don Du Sang Allibert HEC-ESC Grenoble X and a borken halyard on Defi Sclerose en Plaques - Leonard de Vinci and Eigsi La Rochelle Charente Maritime. and finally rigging problems on Marseilles Universites Ville de Bandol and Alfa Laval.

For those concerned the race is on to be ready for tomorrow’s start bound for
Dieppe.

With conditions looking likely to improve slightly tomorrow, the fleet are due to leave the quayside at 1045 GMT with the start of the stage at 1200 GMT. The distance to Dieppe : 110 nautical miles.

Boats:

Professionals	Skipper	Nat
BOUYGUES TELECOM	Pierre Loïc BERTHET	France
DEFI PARTAGE - Marseille	Thierry BOUCHARD, Dimitri Deruelle	France
ESPOIRS AQUITAINS	Pascale DENTRAYGUE / Xavier CANTEGREL	France
GROOVEDERCI	Deneen B DEMOURKAS / Laurent PAGES	USA
REGION ILE DE FRANCE	Jimmy PAHUN	France
THEOULE-MANDELIEU MBH	Sylvain CHTOUNDER	France
TOULON PROVENCE MEDITERRANEE COYCH	Fabien HENRY, Pierre-Laurent GARNERO	France
Amateurs
BELVEDERE - FORCE EDC & LES COPAINS A BORD	Vincent PORTUGAL / Eric BASSET	France
BIENNE VOILE	R. HARTMANN / M. SCHWARB / A. SUTTER	Swiss
COTES D'ARMOR	Vincent BIARNES / Michaël AVELINE	France
CSC ESSEC	Hervé GAUTIER	France
DEFI JEAN BART	Guillaume DELACROIX / Thomas RUYANT	France
DIEPPE - SEINE MARITIME	Romain GIBON	France
NANTES SAINT NAZAIRE	Sébastien PETITHUGLLENIN	France
PERPIGNAN MEDITERRANEE	Paul MC KENZIE	France
PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN	Eric BLOUET / Pierre BIGOT / Sébastien TOUPET	France
TEPACAP	Jeanne GREGOIRE / A. PALLU DE LA BARRIERE	France
T-Service Interim - Région de Bruxelles - Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest	Jean-Marc FOBERT / Laurent BECLERCQ	Belg
Ville de Genève - Carrefour Prévention	Julien DI BIASE / Denis GIRARDET	Swiss
VILLE DU PORT BRED LA REUNION	Gabriel JEAN-ALBERT / Marc GUESSARD	France
Students
Alfa Laval - SI Sailing Team	Yoann RICHOMME	UK
BREST GRANDES ECOLES - ENSIETA ENST BRETAGNE	Panel de skipper Brestois	France
DEFI DON DU SANG ALLIBERT- HEC-ESC GRENOBLE X	Philippe LEGROS	France
Défi Grandes Ecoles Total - INSA	Florent GAGERRO	France
DEFI SCLEROSE EN PLAQUES- LEONARD DE VINCI	Stéphane VENEL	France
DELFT CHALLENGE TU DELFT	Ko STROO	Spain
EIGSI LA ROCHELLE CHARENTEE-MARITIME	Antoine ALBARET	France
MARSEILLE UNIVERSITES-VILLE DE BANDOL-	Jean-François CHEVALIER	France
Port de Commerce La Rochelle - Estudines.com	Pierre-François LEPOUTRE	France