Transat AG2R preview

We look at the race and the form of this top Figaro doublehanded event, starting tomorrow from Concarneau

Outside of the annual Solitaire du Figaro, the other top event in the Figaro calendar is the biennial two-handed Transat AG2R. This year the course has been slightly modified, the start moving north up the Brittany coast from Lorient to the more popular Figaro stronghold of Concarneau and heading as ever to the glamorous French Caribbean island of St Barts. Previously the race has had a stop mid-way but this year it is non-stop, albeit rounding an obligatory mark off Porto Santo, the most northeasterly island of the Madeira archipelago. As the crow flies the race is 3,710 miles long.

The non-stop aspect has changed the complexion of the Transat AG2R slightly with crews now having to stock up with supplies and spares - typically the race is expected to take around 19-20 days - and not having the luxury of a technical pitspot (this is allowed albeit incurring a penalty).

The race is also now run by Pen Duick, who always used to organise the Round Europe race but is now best known for putting on France's top offshore event, the Route du Rhum. For the Transat AG2R a useful 90,000€ is available in prize money.

As with the Solitaire du Figaro what is impressive about the Transat AG2R is the line-up:

	Skipper	Co-Skipper	Boat	Nationality
1	BESTAVEN Yannick	GUERIN Ronan	AQUARELLE.com	FRA,FRA
2	BEYOU Jérémie	RIOU Vincent	Delta Dore	FRA,FRA
3	BOUVET Christophe	GOUEZIGOUX Laurent	Guy Hoquet L'immobilier	FRA,FRA
4	CAUDRELIER Charles	BERENGER Nicolas	BOSTIK	FRA,FRA
5	CHOMBART de LAUWE Marine	BRANGER Julien	Esprit 93	FRA,FRA
6	DAVIES Samantha	BARRIER Alexia	Roxy	GBR,FRA
7	DEFERT Eric	RIOU Gwen	Suzuki Automobiles	FRA,FRA
8	de BROC Bertrand	PETIT Benoît	Les Mousquetaires	FRA,FRA
9	de PAVANT Kito	D'ALI Pietro	Groupe Bel	FRA,ITA
10	DICK Jean-Pierre	JOURDREN Bruno	Virbac-Paprec	FRA,FRA
11	DOUGUET Corentin	CHABAGNY Thierry	E. Leclerc / Bouygues Telecom	FRA,FRA
12	DUTHIL Frédéric	MANUARD Samuel	Brossard	FRA,FRA
13	ESCOFFIER Servane	LEBAS Christophe	Armor Lux / Salaün Holidays	FRA,FRA
14	GREGOIRE Jeanne	VENIARD Gérald	Banque Populaire	FRA,FRA
15	JOURDAIN Roland	NELIAS Jean-Luc	VEOLIA	FRA,FRA
16	LE BAUT Jimmy	MONSEMPES Adrien	Port Olona	FRA,FRA
17	LE CLEAC'H Armel	TROUSSEL Nicolas	Brit Air	FRA,FRA
18	LIVORY Yannig	FOUCHE Jean-François	Entreprendre Au Pays de Lorient	FRA,FRA
19	MASLARD Stanislas	WARDLEY Liz	Donneurs de Vie - All Mer	FRA,AUST
20	MORVAN Gildas	TABARLY Erwan	Cercle Vert	FRA,FRA
21	NIGON Erik	JOUANY Marc-Pacôme	AXA Atout Coeur pour Aides	FRA,FRA
22	PAVAGEAU Pierre-Emmanuel	BERTHO Nicolas	Objectif Océans	FRA,FRA
23	PELLET Jean-François	CASO Jean-Christophe	Lubexcel	FRA,FRA
24	SEGUIN Damien	LEMAITRE Denis	Des pieds et des mains	FRA,FRA
25	THIERCELIN Marc	KRAUSS Oliver	Siemens	FRA,FRA
26	TREUSSART Ronan	ROUXEL Thomas	Groupe Céléos	FRA,FRA
27	TRIPON Armel	DROUGLAZET Eric	Gédimat	FRA,FRA
28	VITTET Dominic	LEMONCHOIS Lionel	ATAO Audio System	FRA,FRA

Within this group is simply formidable short-handed ocean racing talent. Of the 28 boats total we can count up to 18 who are in with a real chance of winning: This is what makes the Figaro such a unique, shorthanded offshore racing class.



Probably race favourite, if such a thing is possible within this line-up, we would tentatively offer up the 'supreme team' of Jérémie Beyou and Vincent Riou (above). Both Figaro veterans, Beyou is fully on song at present having won the all-important 2005 Solitaire du Figaro while the quiet, mild-mannered Riou won the Vendee Globe last year. However the superstitious will maintain Beyou and Riou are all set to be eaten by sea monsters following their win in yesterday's Prologue race - this is deemed highly unlucky in Figaro circles.

Other Solitaire du Figaro winners of recent years competing include Charles Caudrelier (2004) sailing with the highly experienced Nicolas Berenger, Kito de Pavant (2002) is racing with Italian Pietro d'Ali, formerly a Prada America's Cup stalwart and who won the Soltiaire du Figaro leg into La Rochelle last year.

Having copped out of racing the Route du Rhum on board his 60ft trimaran Foncia, Armel le Cleac'h, winner of the Solitaire du Figaro in 2003 and winner of the last Transat AG2R, is back on one hull racing with his winning co-skipper from two years ago, Nicolas Troussel. Eric Drouglazet won the Solitaire du Figaro in 2001 and is paired up with Armel Tripon, winner of the 2003 Mini Transat.

Highly ranked but two individuals who have still yet to notch up one of the major Figaro titles have teamed up in the form of Gildas Morvan and Eric Tabarly's nephew Erwan. Morvan finished this race in second in 2000 sailing with Bertrand de Broc.Could this be the occasion they come good? Equally potent are the 40 something duo of Open 60 veteran Roland Jourdain (previously a winner of Transat AG2R with Jean le Cam in 1994) who and fellow Port la Foret resident Jean-Luc Nelias, formerly skipper of the 60ft trimaran Belgacom. This duo have done the race before together finishing third in the first Transat AG2R in 1992. Dominique Vittet, winner of the Solitaire in 1993 and who took a radical flier to the south in the Transat AG2R two years ago, is back with the much respected Lionel Lemonchois who won Transat AG2R in 2000 for Karine Fauconnier.



Above: ol' timers - Dominique Vittet (left) and Lionel Lemonchois

These eight teams probably represent the top of the premier league, but a small step below them lie some equally remarkable individuals. Vendee Globe skipper Jean-Pierre Dick is clearly attempting to up his shorthanded skills sailing with Figaro veteran Bruno Jourdren, winner of the Transat AG2R in 1998. Dick is should be remembered is a former Tour Voile winner and while new to the Beneteau Figaro is no newbie when it comes to one design racing. Also to be watched is fellow Vendee Globe veterans Marc Thiercelin (sailing with Olivier Krauss), and Bertrand de Broc sailing with Figaro vet Benoit Petit. Another Figaro veteran Fred Duthil is sailing with leading Mini designer/sailor Sam Manuard and the talented nippers Yannick Bestaven/Ronan Guerin are also in with a fighting chance, Guerin having finished third in 2002.

Among the five female competitors Jeanne Gregoire finished the Transat AG2R fifth with Sam Davies two years ago and is back with her own boat Banque Populaire while Davies is racing under her new Roxy colours with pint-sized Mini sailor Alexia Barrier, the only all-female duo in the race.



The Roxy girls - Alexia Barrier (left) with Sam Davies in her favourite pink

While Davies is now into her fourth Figaro season, Barrier is new to the class this year. How will Roxy do? "It is difficult to tell because everyone is so good," Sam told thedailysail. "On a sprint basis we are not so good because we are not strong physically and Alexia is new to the Figaro, so we are learning it together. It is different when you sail with someone who has never sailed in the Figaro because there is a whole load of stuff you are so used to not have to tell people to do, because I am used to sailing with other Figaro sailors.

"So the short distance we are not as good as Jeremie Beyou or Jeanne, who I know in the first two miles of the course it will be difficult to be in front of but then long distance I think we will be pretty good. If we make the right decisions we won’t be so heavily penalised for not having so much Figaro experience. The last Mini Transat was all downwind like the weather is looking for this race and I think Alexia is pretty good are soaring downwind conditions, so that will be pretty handy."

Despite the newness of their pairing Davies and Barrier have been training hard together since the start of February including four weeks formal training at the famous Figaro centre in Port la Foret followed by another four weeks of more sporadic training and boat prep. Having concluded her sponsorship with Skandia last year Davies is sailing the Beneteau Figaro belonging to her currently sponsor-less boyfriend Roman Attanasio. This boat finished third in 2004.

During the race this time in addition to weather fax and other 'publicly available' weather sources they have been allowed satcoms and so will be sent GRIB files they can pull into MaxSea. Cleverly the race organisers have specified Iridium as the mandatory satcom gear and this comes with a pitifully slow download rate thereby making web surfing nigh on impossible. "There is a bit of fiddling to be done at the chart table and decisions to be made rather than following your nose in a straight line and that makes the race a bit more interesting for us," observed Davies, who admits the problem she has with the Transat AG2R is the duration of the race. "In terms of boat speed we are good and we know the boat. I am just so used to being in the Solitaire where you make a tiny mistake and you lose 15 places, I haven’t really got a Transat in my head at the moment."

Sam Davies will be sending occasional reports back to thedailysail during the course of the race.