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A start is born…
The Start for this first edition of the race Les Sables –The Azores has been given on time (1.02 pm Local time) and the 69 solo sailors could benefit from a little south-West breeze of 8-12 knots and a long swell. Only one thong was missing … the sun !
The Minis have been toed under the rain in the channel of Les Sables d’Olonne, but this did not prevent the enthusiast people from coming in number to encourage thess 62 men and 7 women, on the way to the 1.300 NM separating the Harbour in Vendée and the Faial island of the first leg. Long swell, broken water by the different ribs, West breeze of some 10 knots, the solo sailors have only been waiting for the sun that was taking time to come even if the rain had stopped. Really grouped on the Committee Boat side because the windward buoy could then be rounded without tacking, the fleet was looking for some place to take the first position, and finally, Adrien Hardy (Brossard) has been the promptest at the shotgun. But the pack was running after him with Didier Le Vourch (Vecteur Plus), the Portuguese Francisco Lobato (BPI), first production boat and Isabelle Magois (Voilerie Quantum)…
After this upwind tack, the competitors have then entered a crosswind tack towards the buoy anchored in front of the sea wall of Les Sables d’Olonne, one and a half NM further. The wind then has started to turn slowly North-West and the gaps increased between the leaders (Hardy, Le Vourch, Lobato) and the pack who had blocked at the windward buoy. But there has been no contact and only Stephan Bonvin (Marcel For Ever) had to go back to the harbour to fix one piece of his steering system : He finally took another start at 3.00 pm, straight to the Azores, which means that he is not so much penalized from this stop.
West heading
The most motivated already had prepared their kite for the broad reach tack towards one last buoy anchored two and a half miles away in the South of Les Sables d’olonne. Adrien Hardy, who was already leading the race, then did the break because Didier Le Vourch had some trouble to hoist the kite. Brossard then escaped and rounded the last mark of this preliminary course at least half a mile ahead the surprising Portuguese, although on a Pogo 2 ! The Slovenian skipper, Andraz Mihelin (Adria Mobil) was following him close, as well as David Sineau (Bretagne Lapins), the American Clay Burkhalter (Acadia), Raoul Cospen (1000bateaux.com) and Didier Le Vourc’h (Vecteur Plus)…
After three quarters of an hour and 6 NM, leaders then could harden the sails to go upwind in a West to North-West flood of some twelve knots, with the sun finally appearing. Indeed, the wind should logically turn to North West direction, which should allow the fleet to go straight to the Azores. The first night should be relatively quiet but serious game should start on Monday in the end of the afternoon, with the passage of a low pressure generating South-West winds of 20-25 knots, even more.
Anyway, this start of the first edition of the race Les Sables – The Azores – Les Sables, godfathered by Isabelle Autissier who came to fire the shotgun that have freed the boats, looks very good, and the Mayor of Les Sables d’Olonne, Louis Guédon, was completely pleased and already committed himself towards the representative from the Azores who had come to see the start, in perennializing and increasing this event. The sixty-nine solo sailors just have to cross the Biscay Bay and the Azores High Pressure to join Horta then…
Ranking at the last buoy of the preliminary course – Cayola (Prototypes) :
1-Adrien Hardy (Brossard)
2-Andraz Mihelin (Adria Mobil Too)
3-David Sineau (Bretagne Lapins)
4-Clay Burkhalter (Acadia)
5-Raoul Cospen (1000bateaux.com)
Ranking at the last buoy of the preliminary course – Cayola (Production boats) :
1-Francisco Lobato (BPI)
2-Isabelle Magois (Voilerie Quantum)
3-Sébastien Marsset (Raisonances)
4-Mathieu Viu (Godevin)
5-Bertrand Castelnérac (Alan France)
DBo. & AM.
 lundi 31 juillet 2006
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