The next to last race of the season has just ended. The final preparations before the Transat Jacques Vabre have now started.
After three days of intense racing, 17 Class40 arrived in the port of Plymouth on the weekend of August 15. Sometimes within few seconds, such as Rune Aasberg (Solo) which precedes Olivier Magré’s Akilaria (Palanad 2) of 36 seconds only, but all in less than 18 hours.
Sébastien Rogues and crew (Fabien Delahaye, Arthur le Vaillant and Bertrand Castelnérac) have fought hard against Gonzalo Botin’s brand new Class40 (Tales II) and managed to raise GDF SUEZ on the highest step of the podium 20 minutes before the Spanish crew.
The new Humphreys design, driven by Austrian skipper Andreas Hanakamp and crew, completes the trio of this beautiful edition, closely followed by Bruno Jourdren (Lord Jiminy) and Mathias Blumencron (Red) who signs a great race after his fourth place in Les Sables-Horta in July.
One Class40 had to withdraw at the very start of the race, the JPK design Obportus 3, of skipper Olivier Roussey.
While the Worlds 2013 have been canceled due to an insufficient number of participants, Gonzalo Botin remains champion for another year. Most of the Class40 fleet is now focused towards the ultimate challenge of the season: the Transat Jacques Vabre, double-handed race which will lead about 25 Class40 from Le Havre to Itajai, that is to say 5395nm across the Atlantic, with a mandatory crossing of the Equator ... and the dreaded Doldrums.
By November 3, skippers will have much to do. Like Ned Collier-Wakefield who looks forward to launching its new Forty1Desig. Surely Ned and Sam Goodchild, coskipper, will exploit the maximum of the few weeks between the launching of the boat from the Transat Jacques Vabre start to test out the boat.
Same thing for another British duo, Mike Gascoyne and Brian Thomson, whose Akilaria RC3 has just started sailing recently.
Other teams who recently acquired a Class40 continue to discover their new boat: Bertrand Guillonneau and Sebastien Audigane on Owen/Clarke design No. 79 renamed Matouba or Denis Van Weynbergh and Jean-Edouard Criquioche on Mach40 No. 104 Proximedia.
At the end of the last race of the calendar, the 2013 Champion Class40 will be finally known. GDF SUEZ, still unbeaten this year (apart from her withdraw to the Normandy Channel Race), is in the lead of the ranking, followed closely by Campagne de France. Whatever the results, the international Class40 fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre will offer beautiful moments for sailing races lovers.
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