Calm before the storm

Mary Ambler sets the scene in Le Harve for this weekends Transat Jacques Vabre start

With the final withdrawal of Victorinox from the race, there are now a total of 76 skippers competing on 38 boats in this 6th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre. It really is the calm before the storm here in Le Havre as the sun shines down on the fleet moored in the Paul Vatine Basin, and the shore teams quietly go about their last minute preparations – a far cry from the conditions expected at the weekend.

There was a lot of fog around this morning, both in the skies over Le Havre and in a lot of people’s heads after a swinging party on board the Pindar fishing trawler Hatherleigh last night. The real fog signaled a drop in temperature - 0°C at daybreak! The thermal difference between air and sea temperature (13-14°C) transformed the Race Village into a typical ‘pea soup’ scene.

The weather forecast for the weekend starts is not looking promising: for a start, there will be a strong SW current during the first hours of racing. For the monohull start on Saturday 1st November at 1500hrs French time, a weak high pressure system will create winds from the South West over the English Channel. However, the force is between 15 – 20 knots on the start line, a better scenario than the prediction for Sunday’s start.

For the multihull’s starting on Sunday 2nd November at 1500hrs French time, it is looking rather bleak: A south Westerly breeze will pick up to around 30 – 40 knots at the time of their start, and a choppy sea is expected with it, which will constrain maneouvrability not just for the multi’s but also the mass of spectator boats.

Good news, however, comes from the Race Organisers, of the prizes to be won during this event. No less than 150,000 euros will be distributed amngst the victors. The first three boats in the two 60ft classes will receive respectively 45,000, 15,000 & 10,000 euros. The Open 50 winner will receive 8,000 euros, and the second placed boat 2,000 euros.

Official Timer for the Transat Jacques Vabre, Baume & Mercier are giving two watches to each of the winning skippers in the 4 classes, and also a watch for the boat which establishes the best 24hr mileage (between 1200hrs one day and 1200 hrs the next), both for multi and monohulls.

At the Paris Boat Show, UNCL will present three trophies to the three winners in the Monohull Open 50 & 60, and Multihull Open 60 classes at their special dinner for the offshore ocean racing world.

After a small misfortune on board TIM last weekend, it was the turn of Open 60 Pindar today to be lifted on to the dry dock for a quick check of the keel. After a short test sail on Monday, Emma Richard’s monohull touched the entrance to the port, but she is now back alongside the other monohulls in the basin. On board Soldini’s multihull TIM, everything is in order now, and the daggerboards have been repaired after their collision during the delivery voyage to Le Havre.

Hervé Jan, co-skipper on board multihull Géant, advised his skipper Michel Desjoyeaux to take on Australian weather router Adrienne Cahalan. This is seen by the French as a real departure from the norm, as the usual weather experts hail from France and are male – Jean-Yves Bernot, Pierre Lasnier, Richard Silvani or group Météo Consult. Hervé described Adrienne, whom he knows from the Whitbread days: “She has a list as long as your arm of many successful campaigns she has worked with from the Maxis to Admiral’s Cup, as well as being a navigator herself on board several Round The World yachts, and is currently one of the pillars of Tracy Edwards’ Maiden project.

She decided to abandon her real profession as a lawyer in order to dedicate her talents to the sport of sailing. She took a Masters Degree in Meteorology at Reading University, perhaps taking after someone like Jean-Yves Bernot, as someone who is half navigator, half router, with the university education as a background.” Adrienne will be working from her base in England and remain in constant contact with Jean-Philippe Saliou, Géant’s shore team manager throughout the race.

Course Records to beat:
Open 60 Monohull class: In 2001, winners Roland Jourdain et Gaël Le Cléac’h (Sill Plein Fruit), crossed the finish line in Salvador, Bahia after 16 days 13 hours 23 minutes 41 seconds, at an average boat speed of 10.92 knots. Groupama established the multihull record of 14 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes and 25 seconds at an average boat speed of 15.04 knots.