Wind disappears

In Italian bound leg of the Generali Mediterranee

A layday on Friday gave the crews of the Generali Mediterranee time to sort out their boats following the long coastal leg from Port Camargue east to Beaulieu.

This morning at 1100 local time the singlehanded crew set off from Beaulieu-sur-mer bound for the Italian port of Imperia and a rapid stopover there. The start was in 10 knots of easterly wind and brilliant Mediterranean sun and looked ideal for the crossing, leaving ports such as Monaco, Menton and San Remo to port.

Three distinct tactics emerged - those who hugged the coast, those who took the direct route and those who headed offshore. Armel le Cleach and Jérémie Beyou led their respective groups.

At 1530 the leaders were 12 miles from the finish at Imperia, with Sebastien Audigane on E. Leclerc/Protégeons l'environnement marginally out in front. Erwan Tabarly, Eric Drouglazet and Gildas Morvan were still offshore while Yann Eliès, Marc Thiercelin and the Figaro first time Christopher Pratt playing coast and Laurent Pellecuer and Gilles Chiorri in so close that they were slaloming the bathers...

Just short of San Remo the wind disappeared completely, giving the race organisers some concern over the prospect of finishing the race - the finish line was set to close at 1800. As this time came and went no one had finished and so the leg to Imperia has no results and the overall results remain unchanged with Gildas Morvan still leading Erwan Tabarly and Armel Le Cléach

Tomorrow the competitors will set off at 1100 back along the French coast bound Hyères.