This Thursday 21 September at 12 noon, the start of the great race of the 4th edition of the 40' Malouine LAMOTTE will be given off Saint-Malo. For the time being, two courses are likely to be launched: one of 82 miles, the other of 157 miles. Franck-Yves Escoffier is due to make his decision this evening and it will be both the latest weather data and the opinion of all the racers that will tip the balance one way or the other. In any case, the programme promises to be as complete as it is technical, with lots of short sections and, by extension, lots of manoeuvres. All of which should give the competitors plenty of time to practise their skills before the famous Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie - Le Havre.
The last race and therefore the last major test before the Route du Café, the 40' Malouine LAMOTTE is obviously very popular with the Class40 racers and the organisation team is naturally keen to meet their expectations as closely as possible. It's for this reason that Franck-Yves Escoffier, the event's conductor, has decided to adjust the course for this 2023 edition. "The weather conditions, and in particular the sea conditions forecast offshore this mid-week, have prompted us to adapt the route of the major race in order to guarantee maximum safety for the sailors", explains the organiser, who has therefore chosen to replace the initial course built around the Channel Islands with two others located between Saint-Malo and the Sept Iles archipelago, near Perros-Guirec. One will be 82 miles long and the other 157 miles, guaranteeing around ten hours of racing for the first and around twenty hours at sea for the second. "The idea is not to send the boats too far offshore to avoid the worst of the bad weather. By staying within the defined zone, the wind should be blowing at between 15 and 25 knots," explains Le Malouin, who plans to make his decision this evening, after consultation with the sailors.
"I'm here first and foremost to experience a race".
Although they will have to wait a few more hours to find out the details of the menu, they are not complaining. "To be honest, the choice of course doesn't really matter to us. We're here to experience a race, the start of a regatta and to get into shape before the Transat Jacques Vabre. The result isn't really a priority, even though, of course, we're competitors and any event is an opportunity to finish ahead of the others", relates Nicolas D'Estais (Café Joyeux), for whom the most important thing is above all to take advantage of the opportunity to perfect his preparation, optimise his trimming, carry out a series of manoeuvres and compare himself in terms of speed. In short, it's a chance to practise your skills in a race situation. "It's a perfect opportunity to check that the boat is ready for the transatlantic race and to do so, as a bonus, in slightly stronger winds - which we've lacked a little since resuming at the end of August - but also in the English Channel, where the first few miles of the Jacques Vabre will be sailed" adds the navigator, Léo Debiesse's partner. Nicolas Jossier, skipper of La Manche Evidence Nautique, confirms: "The important thing is to be up against the others. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in the camp of those who think they're doing what's best for the fleet. Franck-Yves knows the level of the others. He's certainly going to produce the course that's best suited to everyone. We know he'll make the right decision and that what lies ahead of us will, whatever happens, be interesting to confirm as many things as possible".
Source : SNBSM
Entry List : 40 Malouine LAMOTTE - Class40
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