Multihull start postponed

Transat Jacques Vabre monohulls to start today, but multis may wait until Wednesday

At a press conference held moments ago Gerard Petipas, Race Director of the Transat Jacques Vabre announced that the start for the 60ft trimarans would be delayed until either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

After the carnage in the Route du Rhum last year, the decision was met by frustration, but understanding by the skippers and made despite the latest forecast should conditions to be less ferocious tomorrow than previous forecast.

"It is a bit less, but the issue is that there has been a huge amount of wind out in the Atlantic an dyou'd going to have 6-8m waves out in the entrance to the Channel," Ellen MacArthur told thedailysail. "Obviously you have to get the boats out of the locks which is not easy when you have gusts of 55 knots - that's what Meeno [Schrader - their weather route] said this morning. Average 35, gusts 55. There is another system coming through, but that is going to move to the northeast. We have just got to let the sea calm down. With 8m you can't just pile off into that. It's boat breaking. It hink it is the right decision.

"People say the monohulls are going and should we go? But the monohulls are going 24 hours before and they have a chance to get away from it. And they are built for the Vendee Globe. These boats are not the same. They are built for the transat."

Jacques Vincent, crewman on Thomas Coville's trimaran Sodebo added: "I am very disappointed, but you have to understand aas well that we want to bring as many boats as possible to the finish. It is quite disappointing to be ready for a date and then not to go. Personally we were ready to try and our sponsor was behind us. The race organisers have a difficult job, but I think the decision should be left to the race organisers and not the skippers."



Above - weather for 1800GMT today (Saturday)



Above: Weather for 1800GMT Sunday



Above: forecast for 1800 Monday



Above: forecast for 1800GMT Tuesday

Meanwhile the sixth Transat Jacques Vabre is still due to get underway from Le Havre this afternoon with the departure at 1500 of the monohull fleet and the smaller multihulls

It is a sunny day here in Le Havre with a few cumulus clouds in the sky and the start looks set to be in around 15 knots of breeze from the west.