8 days after their first departure from Le Havre, which gave rise to some superb images in the Bay of Seine, the 40 crews took to the roads leading to Martinique in the crowded waters off Groix on Monday morning. The 80 sailors set off in unseasonable conditions, with 2.5 metre seas and a steady 20 knot westerly or south-westerly wind. But that's without taking into account the copious squalls which are adding to the challenge in the area, with torrential rain and slams at 35-40 knots. Off Lorient, the tradition of competitive starts which has made the reputation of the Route du café is being respected to the letter. For the fleet of monohulls setting sail at 10:45 today, the trade winds will have to be earned.
You had to get up early and don't forget to put on your foulies to greet the crews as they set off on this Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre. In Lorient, the warm, intimate farewells before the great ocean ride ahead had a special family flavour and a friendly ring to it. Among those who answered the call from the pontoon were the co-skippers of Dékuple, William Mathelin-Moreaux and Pietro Luciani, who officially announced their withdrawal as they were unable to repair their damage on the first leg in time. But for their comrades, for whom the game is still on, it's time to go. At 8.40am, the 6 Ocean Fifty boats and the 40 Class40s finally left the pontoons of Lorient La Base, where they had been sheltered since Monday 30 October.
On the water, conditions are steady, or rather "engaged", as the sailors call it, as they set off in a low-pressure weather system. At 10:30 am, the Ocean Fifty entered the dance. A quarter of an hour later, it was the turn of the Class40s to take the plunge once more into the deep end of the course that awaited them via Port Santo in Madeira. The wind has eased to 15 knots, but a big squall on the horizon means that this lull will be short-lived. At the top IBSA (Bona-Santurde Del Arco), Café Joyeux (D'Estais-Debiesse), Project Rescue Ocean (Trehin-Riou) and Edenred (Le Roch-Bourgnon), to the left of the line on the island of Groix, are in the mix. At the clearing buoy, Seafrigo Sogestran (Chateau-Pirouelle), back in the race after a commando mission to repair a badly damaged boat in the Bay of Seine, is showing her colours. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with. At the mark, he is leading the fleet ahead of Interinvest (Perraut-Bloch), Legallais (Delahaye-Douguet), and La Manche #Evidence Nautique (Jossier-Loison)... Ahead of the bows of this compact fleet: the promise of 48 hours as invigorating as they are strategic, during which it will be necessary both to preserve the boat and not to drag their feet in order to get out of the race and reach Cape Finisterre. All in all, it's quite an art, easier said than done when tacking, before beginning the long descent towards downwind conditions...
It should be noted that the crew of Engie DFDS Britanny Ferries (Lee-Ragueneau) had to return to the port of Lorient La Base. More information to follow...
Source : Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre
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