© Photo : Benoit Stichelbaut \ n.c. Hats off ! The Azores high pressure does not treat everybody the same way ! When the pack stuck in no wind, especially the production boats’ leaders, the first prototypes stride along the rhumb line, and the late burst up at full speed…. The new deal is amazing ! Nothing, or almost nothing. And when it comes, it comes from no where. And it stops again. And it comes back. Rien. A haunting melody that gets on the nerves more than uses the bodies. And the high hole is not going to disappear soon, not at all ! The high are going to spread towards France and logically the whole fleet should stop at one moment. All of it ? Not really, as the breeze comes from the back with an Atlantic disturbance. Those we have called “Icelandics” (the five solo sailors who had chosen to head extreme North at the exit of the Azores Archipelago) are pulling THE coup… They already have a South Westerly breeze of some twenty knots and some of them burst up to North East at an average speed of more than eight knots, downwind, with kite up ! It is not the same in the centre of the fleet, not at all as there is no wind or almost, and when there is, it hesitates between South Westerly and North Easterly. Logic, it is the centre of the high (1030 Hpa) that is on 42° North and 20° West, just where most of the production boats’pack and many prototypes are. Because, in front, the leaders still ahve a Northerly wind that let them sail at more than seven knots, with mainsail and gennaker. But for how long ? It will depend on the extension of the high that should catch them at midnight…. The Atlantic parable What the Spanish skipper Gerard Marin (Escar l’escarla-CN Llanca) is realizing is just huge ! After having brought up the rear, he is now a scout… For four days, the solo sailor who finished fourth in the first leg, have suffered, keeping his original strategy : go North, even if it meant crossing the calms, to catch the polar edge of the high and then, a South Westerly flood. Four days moping, doubting, observing that the others were escaping in the East, hearing at the radio that he was 200 miles behind the productions boats’ leader, Thomas Bonnier (architecture élémentaire)… And finally, on Saturday sun set, a blow, then zephyr, and at last a flood cam from the back : South Easterly winds reaching twenty knots, allowing to send the kite up, on a still slight sea starting to froth. Six knots, than eight, at finally, nine knots as a constant, easy ! 52nd in the overall ranking of this Sunday morning, the Spanish is going to mark up the places by ten… Because, now the first production boats are stuck, trapped, stopped : one knot, even less as an average speed in the direction of the arrival ! And to get out of it, it is going to be very long, hours, even maybe one whole day and night. On top of it, Gérard Marin should not slow down anymore, at least till the Biscay Bay. Pushed by this South Westerly flood, a cold front generating a more than twenty knots Westerly breeze should catch him and may take him to Les Sables d’Olonne ! Just like that, the Iberian is also clever enough to keep on his course to the North East and this way, circumvent the high centre by the North side, on a majestic parabola course. Hats off ! The only other skipper who can also get out of this Atlantic trap seems to be Jean-François Quélen (Galanz), second of the first leg in production boat. He also hit the jackpot, but his speed of this Sunday afternoon is still only six knots. But going North Eat, he should also find the breeze and ride with kite up. The Atlantic parable : « get the worst part over with first, before having it easy » In the front of the fleet, David Sineau (Bretagne Lapins) has taken the lead of the prototypes - but till when, if the calms also catch him tonight ? – with Adrien Hardy (Brossard), de François Salabert (Aréas Assurances) and Isabelle Joschke (Degrémont). This “Gang of four” widen the gap. Regarding the production boats, Thomas Bonnier can question himself : with a speed inferior, it is going tough for him to master Romain Vidal (Bingo), Elodie Riou (KPMG) and mostly Francisco Lobato (BPI), the winner of the first leg who also come back very fast from behind… At least, this week-end has been marked by a damage : Dominique Barthel (Yamm) has broken his port rudder : the support boat Kanaloa has changed his course to help him, if necessary. DBo. & AM.  lundi 21 août 2006 Brèves : Fabienne Robin est arrivée Vol 774 pour Les Sables Bruno Simonnet et Marc Vertes sont arrivés Benoît Lenglet est arrivé Les trois mousquetaires Vidéos : Clip vidéo Remise des prix 28 août aux Sables Arrivée de Véronique Loisel aux Sables Arrivée de Pascal Chombart de Lauwe Téléchargement : ... Embarquez ... :  Vous souhaitez embarquer sur un bateau accompagnateur... RSS feeds Réalisation : Adonnante.com | Design : fabienne.est.une.indienne | Hébergement : BleuRoy.com