Big shifting breeze

For Tour Voile competitors as they approach Marseille

Despite gale warnings, the wind was easing as the Tour Voile fleet raced along the Camargue coast on the offshore leg between Gruissan and Marseille.

At the first positions at the Challenge AGF mark just after the start this morning, Groovederci was leading the fleet ahead of Toulon Provence Mediterranee Coych. However a first slight shift of the wind to the northwest considerably favoured those who had taken an inshore option, also on a very fast point of sail and allowing them to lay the mark. As a result it was Dieppe Seine Maritime that came off best from this, ahead of Region Ile de France, but their advantage came to an abrupt end when the wind shifted southwest as it eased.

Due to the forecast big conditions the Race Committee had forbidden the use of masthead spinnakers. At the time of writing, 35 miles from the finish, the fleet was expected to be sailing in northwesterlies again, forecast to be between 25 and 30 knots off Cap Couronne, at the entrance to the bay of Marseille.

The winners are likely to be those who have made the best of the wind shifts, chosing the right on the crossover between sails.

However landing in the bay of Marseille with the Mistral may well, once again, hold some surprises and it is still difficult to gauge either the time of arrival of the boats tonight or a prognosis on the winner.

Tomorrow two courses are planned around the bay, either windward leeward or coastal courses. The skippers’ briefing will be held at 0830 GMT and the first start will be given at 1030 GMT.