Course change

Severe weather forecast affects Solitaire Afflelou le Figaro's third leg

The third leg of La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro from Brest to La Coruña, Galicia, got off to a clear start at 3pm today in the Rade de Brest in 8 knots of westerly breeze. Race Organisers called 50 competitors taking part in La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro race this morning to announce a change to the course of the third leg due to severe weather situation.

The 762-mile course to La Coruña, was to include the Fastnet Rock as a Race mark, but the Race Committee have announced a change to this, cutting out the Fastnet Rock and replacing it with the BXA mark, now to be left to starboard, off Bordeaux before heading for La Coruña in Spain. The resulting leg is now 560 miles long.

The gale force wind warning for Tuesday at the Fastnet together with the uncertainty as to how the depression will position itself and build over the race area has made the organisation modify the course.

"It took us some time to make this decision," said Race Director Jacques Caraës at this morning's briefing. "I know that some of the skippers would have preferred to go up to the Fastnet, but with the forecast conditions together with the rough sea, we did not want to take the risk of making this race dangerous. We are not here to do a circus act, but to do a yacht race."

The start time for the third leg of La Solitaire did however remain at the same time of 1500 local time.

All the skippers reacted well to the new course. "You have to adapt yourself and then I think that it is a wise decision not to send everyone off for a good thrashing," said race leader, Fred Duthil ( Distinxion) before the start. "Anyway we are still going to face a 560-mile race in quite strong conditions. We are just going to have to look at our new race course quickly and get back to the chart table."

The new 560 mile course is still not going to be a walk in the park. The fleet are still expected to experience tough conditions with strong winds from the southwest, between 25 and 30 knots from BXA to La Coruña and particularly strong for the final 12 hours of the race. For the first 250 miles to BXA the solo sailors will have to firstly head downwind in a moderate northwest breeze before the wind backs to the west and then to the southwest under the effect of the southern part of the depression coming in. In the latest forecasts, weather routers are predicting a finish on the evening of 15 August.

"We can expect light wind for the start this afternoon, then a 10-15 knot northwest wind will establish tonight," explains Sylvain at Météo France. "A ridge should cross the fleet tomorrow, which will then back and decrease in strengt. Over the next few days there will be a succession of three active cold fronts. There will be near gale wind and rough sea so the weather conditions are still going to be strong despite the course change. The course may be shorter and different, but the weather conditions are still going to be heavy for the Figaro competitors."

Local sailors, Gildas Mahé ( Le Comptoir Immobilier), Gildas Morvan ( Cercle Vert) and Thomas Rouxel ( Defi Mousquetaires) will relish the fact that they start in their home town in a bay they know like the back of their hand. The first miles to the Pen Hir Gate where the Radio France Mark is set will require delicate handling in the very light and oscillating breeze and flood tide that turns at around 5pm today. The race then is completely open; the options are to go in search of thermal breeze closer to shore or further offshore for the synoptic. Many of the Figaro sailors are very familiar with this coastline and we could see some strange options as they choose to play with the currents and breeze in different ways.

Nigel King (Nigel King Yachting) gave his views: "You can see the situation is like being stuck between a rock and hard place. So obviously it was tough but the right decision to change the course. I would have been happy to sail whichever course the Race Organisers set. I am not sure if these conditions will favour me, as I have no experience in a Bénéteau Class II boat in this weather. I would be more comfortable further offshore in these wind strengths but then that is where I have experience."

James Bird on GFI Group said he would have preferred a longer course... "I think obviously you have to err on the side of caution. There was a talk of people who own their own boats that would not have taken part had the original race course been maintained. People do not want to damage their boats, so would have delivered them straight to La Coruña for the final race; which personally would have given me a chance to then catch up on quite a few boats. There is an obligation for safety and it is an ocean race, so if you do not like then don’t go. There is not much you can do to prepare for the new course, I need to look at the weather and prepare the routing. This course will favour the locals as it pretty much goes round the perimeter of the Bay of Biscay. It is going to be pretty tricky to sleep because you will have the coastline and fishing boats to deal with. It is going to be tough. I would have preferred a longer course."

Jeanne Grégoire (Banque Populaire) discussed the little time to prepare for the course change. "I think this change to the race programme is totally reasonable," she said. "We have never had a Race Director with this much sailing experience. He knows full well where he is sending us into and what can work for 50 competitors and that is what is important. There is not much preparation time. We prepare for the Figaro legs back in February. We need to spend at least three good half days on each leg. Here me won't even have an hour. So it is a different kind of exercise. The first part to BXA, is like a true Figaro race: we will have no wind, downwind, all the things we like…then after that it is going to be a thrashing…See you in La Coruña!"