Wild boar conditions in the Atlantic!

Right in the Thick of It

The Class40 fleet has now entered the thick of the action. Gusts of up to 35 knots, speeds reaching 25 knots on Axel Tréhin's Lift V3, a keel singing under load and waves crashing over the deck: the footage just sent by the skipper of Exalt speaks for itself. “It's pretty impressive,” confirms the sailor from Morbihan. “We're really powering along under gennaker!”

The sailors will nevertheless need to adapt quickly to these conditions, reorganise life on board, reduce sail and, above all, keep a cool head. “We mustn't do anything stupid to get through this,” Jules Bonnier (Plastic Odyssey) reminded everyone this morning.

Balancing full-on speed with protecting the boat is no easy equation. But no one is losing sight of the ultimate goal: reaching the other side of the Atlantic, even if it means sacrificing a few miles along the way. Pep Costa (VSF Sport) sums up the mindset perfectly: “I'm preparing for what's ahead, so that we can handle the strong winds in the best possible conditions and with the best route, while staying in good shape and keeping the boat intact. That's the goal.”

Playing It Safe… as Evelyne Thomas Would Say!

On board Défi Solidaire avec Ellye et l'Arche, Sophie Faguet has chosen to preserve her boat's capabilities as much as possible ahead of the depression's exit. From this afternoon, she plans to sail with three reefs in the mainsail and the storm jib. A decision she fully stands by:

“We're pretty much in the eye of the storm, surrounded by very strong winds. I've eased off quite a bit… The wind has picked up to 25–30 knots. It's really building again. I've decided to keep going straight and play it safe. For now, I'm under gennaker, making 17 knots, but that's not my average speed, unlike some of my fellow competitors. The gaps are starting to widen, but that's my choice, as Evelyne Thomas would say!”

Gaëtan Thomas (Barco Brasil) has adopted much the same approach, also choosing to ease off:

“We're right in the thick of the depression now. I've taken in a lot of sail and put the racing slightly to one side. I need to go and tidy up my cabin and put my helmet on because things are getting pretty wild out here. We'll just have to grit our teeth for the next two or three days!”

Passing Through the Heart of the Depression

Guillaume Pirouelle has also put his helmet on. Currently in the centre of the low-pressure system, the skipper of Sogestran – Seafrigo is enjoying a brief lull, with winds of just 10 knots. But the respite won't last long:

“Everything is shifting completely to the right. We arrived with south-easterly winds of 30–35 knots. We'll soon be able to tack. It was pretty full-on, and it's going to be pretty full-on again when we come out the other side!”

“And there we go! We're now on starboard tack,” says a delighted Achille Nebout (Amarris). “The wind has eased off nicely. I'm taking advantage of this lull to tidy everything up, move the gear around and prepare for what's next, because in a few hours the wind is going to pick up again, quite significantly and quite quickly. I'll need to be ready. The J2 is already set up, so all I have to do is unfurl it, take in a few reefs and get inside.”

The passage through this depression is far from over. The sailors will need patience, vigilance and a good deal of composure to see it through.

In Celtic mythology, the wild boar, a symbol of war and courage, was often depicted on warriors' amulets. A lucky charm that could prove particularly useful to the Class40 fleet in the hours ahead!