Henry extends

Toulon Provence Méditerranée Coychyères wins into Paimpol in Tour Voiles

After three mainly upwind offshore legs, the 30 boats competing in the Tour de France à la Voile found some more favourable winds finally.

The boats started this fourth offshore leg at 11.15 local time Saturday morning. Both Bouygues Telecom, CSC-ESSEC and Van Uden Tu Delft had made it to the start line despite technical problems - a damaged keel for the first, a broken cap shroud for the second, and a broken mast for the Dutch crew - their shore teams working overnight to effect repairs.

Bouygues Telecom got the best start, but Toulon Provence Méditerranée Coychyèreswas already chasing them. At the end of Saint-Malo channel, the boats put their spinnakers up, heading to Paimpol on one gybe in a NNEerly wind. At Tourelle du Grand Léjon, about 12 miles from the finish, Toulon Provence Méditerranée Coychyèreswas leading and maintained this all the way to the finish line. Astern the gaps between each boat were very small, the whole fleet crossed the finish line within 15 minutes. This leg, the shortest offshore leg after Toulon-Sainte Maxime in the Mediterranean, will probably be one of the fastest. It took the Mumm 30s only 4 hours and 25 minutes to cover 38 miles, at an average speed of 8,4 knots.

In the overall results, Fabien Henry's Toulon Provence Méditerranée Coychyères continues to increase her lead, flying ahead on her own in front of Bouygues Telecom who finished 9th today. 60 points are now separating the two boats. 3rd, 4th and 5th places are closer.

Tomorrow the Mumm 30s will sail an inshore course or an Olympic triangle off Paimpol, at 9.15, and will then have to start again in the evening at 21.45 to head to Douarnenez in western Brittany.

Overall results:

Pos	Boat	Skipper	Tot
1	TOULON PROVENCE MEDITERRANEE COYCHyères	Fabien HENRY	477
2	BOUYGUES TELECOM	Pierre Loïc BERTHET	417
3	DIEPPE SEINE-MARITIME	Romain GIBON	399
4	DEFI PARTAGE – MARSEILLE	Thierry BOUCHARD / Dimitri DERUELLE	377
5	VILLE DE GENEVE CARREFOUR PREVENTION	Julien DI BIASE	375
6	COURRIER DUNKERQUE	Gery TRENTESAUX	360
7	ESPOIR ILE DE FRANCE	Jean-pierre NICOL / Victor LANIER	357
8	ALPES-MARITIMES MANDELIEU THEOULE	Sylvain CHTOUNDER	342
9	REGION ILE DE FRANCE	Jimmy PAHUN / Nicolas PAUCHET	317
10	CSC - ESSEC	Hervé GAUTIER	315
11	PORT DE COMMERCE LA ROCHELLE	Alexandre MERCIER	295
12	ESPOIRS AQUITAINS	J.P.ALLILIAIRE/X.CANTEGREL/P.DENTRAYGUES/J.FALXA	294
13	NANTES SAINT-NAZAIRE	Sebastien PETITHUGUENIN / Gaëtan AUNETTE	292
14	VILLE DU PORT BRED LA REUNION	Marc GUESSARD / Gabriel JEAN-ALBERT	286
15	BELVEDERE – EDC – EBSCO	Tanguy FOURNIER LE RAY	285
16	ALFA LAVAL	Yoann RICHOMME	275
17	PERPIGNAN MEDITERRANEE	Paul McKENZIE	266
18	BIENNE – VOILE	R. HARTMANN / N. BERGER / C. KNOLL	249
19	EMINENCE – MARSEILLE	Parade KINY	248
20	COTES D’ARMOR	Michaël AVELINE	243
21	DEFI SCLEROSE EN PLAQUES	Stéphane VENEL	225
22	STAD GENT / VILLE DE GAND	Philippe BERGMANS / Bernard WILMET	212
23	DEFI GRANDES ECOLES TOTAL INSA	Anne Claire LE BERRE	205
24	T SERVICE INTERIM REGION DE BRUXELLES-CAPITALE	Laurent DECLERCQ / Jean-Marc FOBERT	196
25	BREST GRANDES ECOLES ENSIETA ENST-BRETAGNE	Gwenaël Riou	187
26	VAN UDEN TUDELFT	Gert VAN DER HEIJDEN / Berend-Jan EDENS	185
27	DEFI AMI – AVAYA - X - ENSAM	Olivier HONTANX	182
28	EIGSI – CHARENTE MARITIME	Antoine ALBARET	174
29	AMEC SPIE	Eric BASSET	172
30	HEC GAMELIN MECENAT CHIRURGIE CARDIAQUE	Ryan PARKIN	138