Tactical leg ahead

Round two of the Solitaire du Figaro from Vigo to Cherbourg sets off tomorrow

The second leg of La Solitaire du Figaro will set sail from Vigo to Cherbourg-Octeville tomorrow [Friday] at 1000. The 590-mile leg is long and full of complex navigation, notably around Ushant, the Channel Islands and the route to the top of the Cotentin Peninsula and the Cherbourg finish. Nicolas Troussel and his Financo holds on to a strong lead following leg one, but getting caught by an adverse tide could easily destroy this.

The first part of the leg will consist in heading up Galicia’s Costa de la Muerte, past Cape Finisterre at the northwest corner of Spain. The forecast is for a light 8 to 10 knots southwest breeze. The first 60 miles could be difficult, but once round the headland and into the Bay of Biscay, a depression is due to bring some 15 to 25 knots of westerly or southwesterly wind giving the fleet a fast run across the Bay of Biscay. It is likely they will enjoy a fast crossing under spinnaker, if they can latch onto the favourable winds preceeding the depression. “We are still going to have to position ourselves well to round the Brittany point because the playing field is going to be very open,” explains fourth placed Erwan Tabarly ( Athema).

The biggest hurdle of this leg will be the tidal gates at the Raz de Sein, Ushant and the Raz Blanchard,etc. Each gives the 49 sailors a chance to make a comeback. “This is what the others are going to be saying to themselves to get motivated and attack me,” muses the skipper of Financo. Meanwhile the competition is more open for the rookie leadership with just four minutes separating François Gabart ( Espoir Région Bretagne) and Adrien Hardy ( Agir recouvrement).

The steeple chase continues into the English Channel with the Channel Islands to pass, the Alderney Race, then the Raz Blanchard at the top of the Cotentin Peninsula where it is possible to find 10 knots current and either accelerate or have the gates shut on the final approach to Cherbourg-Octeville.

The Figaro sailors are expected in Cherbourg-Octeville from Monday.

Skippers look forward to leg two

Andy Greenwood ( Imtech): “I have come in feeling not too bad actually, shortening the course and having the sail down was a bit of slog, because it was a sort of delivery but you did get a chance to catch up on some rest…I have pretty much ticked all the boxes off on the jobs list and there is nothing broken on the boat, so the time spent in preparation back in La Rochelle is paying a bit of dividends now. The boat is pretty much ready to go, it is just a case getting some rest and eating before concentrating on the weather for the start of the next leg.”

Franck Le Gal ( Lenze): “I have just had a night of ten hours sleep…and must say that I have not had time to look at the weather files for the second leg yet. I will wait for the telephone meeting with the weather routers: Dominic Vittet, Erwan Le Roux and Jean François Bonin. My priority is to get as much rest as possible. The idea is to get the latest weather files so it makes no sense to start looking too soon.”

Pietro d’Ali (Mc Louis): "to really improve on my last result over this second leg. On this type of race you just never know what can happen. Sometime you think it is going to be a straightforward leg and then it just gets complicated and is much tougher than you expect. I have not looked at my weather files in detail yet. I was so tired when I got in yesterday and my priority is to get some rest, relax and try and stop worrying too much. I also have to sort my eye problems. With the strong sun, I have got a really bad case of conjunctivitis. It is getting better, but I still have to take care.”

Thomas Rouxel ( Défi Mousquetaires): “I had a quick glance at the weather yesterday, which shows light conditions for the start and then running wind for the Bay of Biscay crossing…quite nice really. I have to admit though, that I do not have enough detailed information. The clock is ticking; yesterday I prepared my food box, did my laundry and above all, slept. I will look into the weather more seriously this afternoon.”

Romain Attanasio ( DCNS 62): “For my return to Figaro sailing, the first leg was quite a challenge. I would have not wished it on my worst enemy! This next one should be a bit faster, which is already something. It will most likely be hard to get out of Vigo up to Finisterre. It is going to be a matter of getting out as fast as possible to get onto the wind. After that, it should be a spinnaker run across the Bay of Biscay. We may see the wind lighten as we reach the tip of Brittany, but then we will see what happens. The finish should be really nice. We are going to have to not muck around at the Raz Blanchard where you get 100 coefficient tides, which can be quite worrying. There are going to be a few points of passage that will need careful handing so nothing decided for now.”