Underway again

But the first 24 hours of the Solitaire du Figaro's second leg will be vital

The second leg of La Solitaire du Figaro from Vigo to Cherbourg-Octeville got off today at 14:45 after further delays due to lack of wind. This forced the Race Committee to adopt an alternative start plan. The fleet of Beneteau Figaro boats was towed out 1.5 miles offshore beyond the Cies Islands a straightforward start directly into the race course, so leaving out the traditional offset and Radio France marks in order to get the sailors off as soon as possible.

45 minutes into the race and the first position report confirmed Laurent Docteur ( Valnet Aromathérapie), Christopher Pratt ( DCNS 97), Nicolas Troussel ( Financo), Jeanne Grégoire ( Banque Populaire), Nicolas Bérenger ( Koné Ascenseurs) and also François Gabart ( Espoir Région Bretagne) to have made the best starts as they head north or northwest at an average 5 knots.

“Most of us opted for the offshore side at the start hoping to get more pressure from the gentle westerly breeze", described Christophe Lebas ( Lola) while leg one winner Nicolas Troussel ( Financo) headed closer to the shore in the hope of picking up some thermal breeze. The 3 to 6 knots westerly which is forecast to back round to the south and remain light and variable for the 45 mile run north to Cape Finisterre was giving the competitors a chance to reach under spinnaker, but “it is a matter of delicate boat handling to keep the sail full” described Jeanne Gregoire ( Banque Populaire) just an hour into the race.

Moods were buoyant on the first conversations held over the VHF this afternoon as the fleet spinnaker reached in 7 to 8 knots of wind. Many foresaw turning the corner at Cape Finisterre overnight to latch on to the westerly 15 knot winds that would take them across the Bay of Biscay. One thing is for certain; the sailors will face an intense first night at sea for the initial part of this second leg. It will be a matter of who is first to reach the westerly winds off the north of Galicia. The outlook will be very different for those who get there late.

Skippers comments:

Christophe Lebas ( Lola):“I bet you do not know where you get the “Depart a l’Anglaise” (traditional simple start leaving out offset mark), well it is in … Cherbourg, where we are going! I arrived in Vigo two days ago, in a very depressed state ( Lola ran aground on the rocks on the delivery trip to Vigo after the finish of he first leg) and now here I am really happy to be at sea again on a perfect boat. My shore crew and the Spanish friends really have done a fantastic job to get my boat fixed and ready in time. And now, I am heading to my home port, not just any port! Looking at the weather, since yesterday I have been telling myself that we must not hang around and not wait for the wind, but go and look for it up North, so let’s get going!”

Top rookie François Gabart ( Espoir Région Bretagne): “I am pleased to get off and I think it was a good decision to leave the bay and head offshore for the start. Things are going pretty well right now…I am just behind Jeanne. There is a long way to go but I am fully of energy. I am going to have to keep focused...if we managed to go quite fast today, there is a chance we should do so over the rest of the race. Right now we have 7 knots so if we keep this up over the next few hours, we will be doing quite well. Once we are into a steady wind stream we will be able to get some rest in order to keep on top of it and focused for the next part.”

Jeanne Grégoire ( Banque Populaire): “The start was tougher on the Race Committee than on us, it was not easy to set something up that would work out. It was an original start, a good fun experience! I have my pink cap on, sun cream and then 7 to 8 knots of wind tight reaching under spinnaker, so we are moving but do have a big waves off the shore which just stops the boat dead in it’s track, so you have to handle it carefully. But then it is nice like this than in 35 knots of upwind conditions! I am happy to be up with the good bunch ahead and to have had a good start, but then it’s just the beginning. We face four days at sea…”

Gérald Véniard ( Macif): “I had did not know of this British custom of starting like this, it was quite fun and it all went well as there was no contact between the boats. There was favourable start end of the line, offshore and we of course all wanted to be at the right end but then it all worked out well in the end…it will be something to remember! We all wanted to get off, breathe some offshore air. I have chosen my side and holding on to it. We are doing okay, but and am sticking to my plan. The big question is what is going to happen at the tip of Brittany and Cotentin, but then if the wind holds out the tides and currents should not be too much of a problem. It is a long leg with lots of passages to negotiate but then you have to take care about what is said before the start of races as we well saw on the first one. I heard of broad long reaches to get to Brittany, so let’s get to them!”