Heading for Horta

14 Class 40s to set off on this weekend's Les Sables-Horta-Les Sables race

For the third time, a fleet of Class 40s is set to compete in the doublehanded Les Sables-Horta-Les Sables race from the famous start/finish port of the Vendee Globe to the Azores is island of Faial and back.

Entries are slightly down this year perhaps due to the economic situation or the overly packed race calendar. However 14 boats are entered and what the fleet lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Three competitors are back for a third time - they are Lionel Regnier on Wanted Partner, and Jean-Edouard Fournier and Jacques Criquioche on Groupe Picoty, both of whom plan to compete in the Global Ocean Race this September. Among the competitiors is the British team Spliff skippered by Andrew Dawson with Jon McColl as crew.

The passage to Horta is one third of the way across the North Atlantic (the return trip is 2540 miles) and can bring with it the whole roster of weather conditions, from depressions and front early one, while depending on the location of the Azores high, the run into Horta can become a slow one. The forecast for the start shows that for the first couple of days of the race at least the high is located just to the south of the Azores.

The start will take place on Saturday 2 Julye at 19:02 local time. The return leg from Horta is scheduled for Wednesday, 13 July at 1802 local time.

Entries: