Tour de Corse

ORMA 60 trimaran racing season gets under way with race around Corsica (plus photos by Gilles Martin-Raget)

The Round Corsica Race for the seven ORMA 60 trimarans got away at 1108GMT this morning in a gentle westerly breeze with a lap of the Bay of Calvi.

Franck Cammas and his team on board Groupama 2 made the best start along with Giovanni Soldini on TIM-Progetto Italia, Pascal Bidegorry on Banque Populaire and Armel le Cléac'h on Foncia, who all passed close to the boat committee on starboard tack.

On Géant, Michel Desjoyeaux preferred the middle of the line in port tack crossing just behind four boats, whereas Thierry Duprey, at the helm of Gitana X, and Fred le Peutrec on Gitana 11 were both down at the pin.

The light westerly wind of 5 to 8 knots was shifty and those close in to the citadel at Calvi, seem better off. At the weather mark off the Revellata lighthouse, Franck Cammas was leading three boat lengths in front of Michel Desjoyeaux and Pascal Bidegorry, who rounded together, followed by Gitana XI, Foncia and TIM-Progetto Italia all within less than three lengths, with Gitana X as usual bringing up the rear.

By the mark at Spano Gitana II had managed to pass Géant. Back at Calvi the wind had dropped to five knots from the west and Groupama was the first to head off southwest towards the Strait of Bonifacio followed by Banque Populaire, Gitana II, Géant, Foncia, TIM-Progetto Italia and Gitana X.

By 16h00, Groupama was in the middle of the Gulf of Ajaccio having sailed approximately 45 miles in four and a half hours. Franck Cammas' green trimaran was roughly two miles ahead of Gitana II, Frederic Peutrec having passed Armel Cléac'h on Foncia just before sailing through the Sanguinaires islands. Also in contact with this duo was Pascal Bidegorry on Banque Populaire.

The boat are expected to finish on Friday afternoon but this depends upon the breeze.

Positions at 17h00 :
1 - Gitana 11
2 - Groupama-2
3 - Foncia
4 - Banque Populaire
5 - Géant
6- TIM-Progetto Italia
7 - Gitana X

More photos on the following pages...

Crew line-up

Banque Populaire
Pascal Bidegorry (skipper-helmsman)
Mathieu Richard (tactician)
Charles Caudrelier (navigator)
Jacques di Russo (trimmer)
Greg Evrard (trimmer)
Lionel Lemonchois (trimmer)
Florent Chastel (grinder)
Fred Pautler (grinder)
Bruno Laurent (pit)
Ronan Lucas (n°1)

Foncia
Armel Le Cléac'h (skipper)
Gildas Philippe (tactician)
Nicolas Troussel (navigator)
Thierry Briend (trimmer)
Damian Foxall (trimmer main)
Frédéric Brousse (grinder)
Fabrice Blondel (grinder)
Ronan Le Goff (pit)
Thierry Chabagny (n°2)
Gilles André (n°1)

Géant
Michel Desjoyeaux (skipper)
Hugues Destremau (tactician)
Vincent Riou (trimmer-navigator)
Jean-Philippe Saliou (trimmer)
Emmanuel Le Borgne (trimmer)
Christophe Espagnon (trimmer main)
Jean-Paul Levrel (grinder)
Guillaume Soubranne (grinder)
Nicolas de Castro (n°2)
Renaud Banyuls (n°1)

Gitana X
Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (skipper-helmsman)
Erwan Le Roux (tactician)
Mayeul Riffet (pit-navigator)
Mathieu Tatibouët (trimmer main)
Yann Le Govic (trimmer main)
Jacques Guichard (trimmer)
Caroline Vieille (trimmer)
Arnaud de Boringer (grinder)
Xavier Dagault (grinder)
Antoine Carpentier (n°2)
Léopold Lucet (n°1)

Gitana 11
Frédéric Le Peutrec (skipper)
Daniel Souben (tactician)
Benjamin de Rothschild (performer-navigator)
Jean-Baptiste Levaillant (trimmer)
Jean-Baptiste Epron (trimmer main)
Jean Le Huérou-Kérisel (trimmer)
Alex Quiblier (grinder)
Loïc Le Mignon (grinder)
Antoine Mermod (pit)
François Denis (n°2)
Christophe Lassègue (n°1)

Groupama-2
Franck Cammas (skipper-helmsman)
Pierre Pennec (tactician)
Franck Proffit (navigator)
Thierry Fouchier (trimmer)
Bruno Jeanjean (trimmer)
Philippe Touët (trimmer)
Stéphane Guilbaud (grinder)
Eric Coulon (grinder)
Ewen Le Clech (pit)
Nicolas Pichelin (n°1)

TIM-Progetto Italia
Giovanni Soldini (skipper-helmsman)
Alberto Sonino (tactician)
Guido Broggi (trimmer main)
Enrico Caccia (trimmer main)
Bertrand Cudennec (trimmer)
Tommaso Stella (trimmer)
Mauro Rossetti (grinder)
Enrico Lupetti (grinder)
Diego Bucci (grinder)
Marco Spertini (n°2)
Gerardo Siciliano (n°1)