EPIC RIDE IN MANCHE

Tuesday June 2 at 7:15 AM: the Class40 LEGALLAIS reaches the Wolfrock lighthouse, at the south-western tip of England, in the lead. Wednesday June 3 at 5:03 AM: SOGESTRAN-SEAFRIGO passes the mark off Dieppe in first place. Between these two moments, the lead group was at noon off the Côtes d'Armor at the Portsall mark, and at 9:00 PM at Cap de la Hague at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula. A wild charge through the English Channel, and an exceptional episode both for the CIC NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE — which has seen plenty — and for the Class40 class. Speeds and averages went through the roof during this day, reminiscent of some legs of the GLOBE40: 29 knots peak speed for VSF SPORTS, 22 knots for the leaders in the Raz Blanchard with the current, the speedo rarely dropping below 20 knots in this frantic downwind day in 20 to 30 knots of wind. The day was unfortunately also marked by the dismasting of ZEISS, sailed by Thimoté Polet and Alexandre Demange, at 6:00 PM — thankfully with no injuries to the crew. A final phase awaits the competitors, once again tactical, with an upwind beat in sustained winds over approximately 80 miles from Dieppe to Ouistreham, where the leaders are expected between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

Passing the Dieppe mark in the lead this morning, the Le Havre-based project of Guillaume Pirouelle and Jules Ducelier, SOGESTRAN-SEAFRIGO, will have already covered 730 miles since the start in Caen/Ouistreham last Sunday, at an average of 11.30 knots. A complex course through the demanding waters of the English Channel, with the light winds of the Solent passage and a highly tactical route where, apart from the leg between Wolfrock and Portsall, tacking has always been required — whether upwind or downwind.

Competition is relentless among the lead group, as in every part of the fleet. While the Le Havre duo held a 40-minute lead at Dieppe, the early stages of the upwind beat have reduced that to just 4 to 6 miles over the first chasing group of VSF SPORTS, CUSTOPOL and MACCAFERRI FUTURA. The day promises to be very intense given the forecast for the area: 20 to 25 knots from the south-west in the morning, 25 to 30 with gusts to 35 knots in the afternoon, then a calmer phase of 20 to 25 knots from 6:00 PM onwards. A south-west to southerly wind that, according to forecasts, will not have time to build too heavy a sea in the area, with the Cotentin peninsula sheltering from the worst of the low pressure system.

Among the top 10, LEGALLAIS and BLANC BLEU PLANETE LOCATION are neck and neck at the Dieppe mark, while SOLANO and HIRSCH-CENTRAKOR are the next expected at this waypoint. An intermediate group of 6 Class40s is spread between 62 and 78 miles behind the leader, headed by the all-female crew ALDERAN of Sasha Laniece and Axelle Pillain, whose performance deserves special mention. As expected, the 2 "pointus" (classic Class40s with a pointed bow) bring up the rear, as the downwind legs in a breeze do not allow them to compete with the latest-generation Class40s known as "scows" (with a rounded bow). The Class40 SIRECO-OSE is planning a technical stop in Cherbourg.

This final, highly tactical and thrilling episode will bring the 17th CIC NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE to a close — decidedly never quite the same, yet never entirely different, as the poet says. A gripping epilogue to a unique event, as the race has been from the very first minutes of last Sunday's coastal leg. And no surprises can be ruled out before the ultimate crossing of the finish line: a record to beat — just 6 seconds between the top two at the finish!

To follow the race: https://normandy-race.com/suivre-la-course/

Source: SIRIUS EVENEMENTS