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Press release In two periods, three movements
With the arrival of the last competitors, last night in the port of Les Sables d'Olonne, the 2010 edition of Les Sables - The Azores - Les Sables ends on an encouraging note. A smaller flotilla than usual, but very adept competitors, exceptional weather conditions and the conviviality that reigned over the race will be the watchwords of this year. And now, back to the start of a race for the prize giving on Saturday, at 19h30 at the “Jardins du Tribunal at” Les Sables d’Olonne.
The adventure began at the end of July on the pontoons of Les Sables d'Olonne. Thirty-six single handed skippers have an appointment for what will be the largest offshore race of the Classe 6.50 calendar for 2010. The flotilla is smaller than usual, but there is great serenity on board. With few exceptions, this little world is ready for adventure. The time for fanatical refits and repairs, drills and wrenches, a few hours before departure, is long gone.
First movement: Moderato cantabile
The start of the first leg is like a promise. The wind was idling all morning, and then decides to stand up to allow the fleet out towards Horta. A one and a half mile beat upwind, before the long descent under spinnaker towards the Azores. The fleet does not know it yet, but it is the only edge skippers will have to do for nearly the entire race.
The Bay of Biscay is swallowed to a good trim already the favorites link the tip of the bow. In prototype Jörg Riechers (mare.de) and Bertrand Delesne (Prati'Buches) begin their duel. The first on a route very close to the Great Circle route, the second choosing an option a little further south towards Cape Finisterre to get more pressure. There is a similar scenario in the production fleet where Davy Beaudart (Innovea Environnement) and Xavier Macaire (Starter) in the south, emerge early as the two favorites.
Behind, the first disappointments disarm certain ambitions: Nicolas Boidevezi (GDE) perfectly placed since the start, breaks his bowsprit into three pieces and has to let the two leaders, who were in his sights, go. Thomas Normand (Financière de l’Echiquier) has to stop in La Coruna to find an alternative to his fuel cell that stubbornly refuses to start. Thomas leaves after a stopover of little more than twenty-four hours. Another unfortunate in this first round, Pierre Denjean (Oufti), dismasts for an unknown reason. Pierre makes for the harbor of Bayona and arrives without assistance.
Other skippers mention a few odds and ends: Véronique Loisel (De l’Espace Pour La Mer) has seen her auto-pilots fail and must continuously helm. Some spinnakers cannot survive the treatment they have endured and self-destruct. But overall, the fleet is dashing at a brisk pace, on a calm sea to the Azores. A dream leg, as conditions like this exist only once every ten years on the North Atlantic. The arrival in the Azores will be decisive.
In prototype, Jörg Richers thinking he has done the hard part, sees Bertrand Delesne back on his heels twenty-four hours before his arrival. Andrea Caracci (Speedy Maltese) continues to fight for third place with Sébastien Rogues (EOLE Generation GDF Suez). In series, the duel between Xavier Macaire and Davy Beaudart is joined by Jean-Marc Allaire (Baker Tilly AG2R La Mondiale) who appears from nowhere. Jean-Marc, who has suffered a difficult start, punctuated by small technical problems and tenacious seasickness, proves once again his ability to run his boat.
The approach in the islands upsets some scenarios. Jörg Riechers decides to move into the southern island of Pico and wins the second leg just under two hours ahead of Bertrand Delesne who chose to spend in the northern archipelago. For third place, Andrea Caracci and Sébastien Rogues, both sink in the channel between the islands of Sao Jorge and Pico, a high-risk option, as the winds are light and unstable. Andrea Caracci loses his podium position, stuck in a calm, beaten into forth place by Sébastien Rogues who finally takes third place. The Italian navigator shows all the vigor and passion of Latin temperament as his disappointment was great. In series, Davy Beaudart finally wins, some forty minutes in front of Xavier Macaire. Behind, Jean-Marc Allaire is also left locked between Pico and Sao Jorge and pays with four hours of complete shutdown in the calms.
Second movement: Azorean break
A little over six days: the record is broken for this first leg. The entire fleet rallies in the Azores for eight days and single handed sailors can enjoy the charms of the stop. Between the inevitable bar discussions at Peter Café Sport, plans to climb Pico - the highest mountain in Portugal - and scooter trips around the island, time flies. The small community of “ministes” takes full advantage of scenery, good weather and the exceptional welcome of the people of Horta, who, under the leadership of Armando Castro, went out of their way to meet the needs of the skippers.
Third movement: return prestissimo
In light winds the fleet returns from the Azores, directly under spinnaker. The fleet heads northward to catch the faster flow from west to south-west, which should propel the competitors at high speed toward France. The game will be to know when to gybe. Dan Dytch (Ocean Works) and Lucas Montagne (ONG Conseil) in prototype, Ysbrand Endt (Mediabrein) in series, decide to go early and gybe to the east first. This daring option will bear fruit since skippers have no problem readjusting their heading towards the front of the pack.
The entire fleet still awaits the passing of the first front. As the front approaches, Bertrand Delesne engages overdrive. He knows that if he manages to sail as fast as possible in front of the pressure gradient, he will have excellent conditions for a very fast passage. The skipper of the “côtes d’armor” increases his speed until finally completes 304.9 miles from point to point in twenty-four hours. 12.7 knots average ground speed. To maintain such an average, this means that the boat is always just surfing to fifteen, sixteen or seventeen knots.
Quickly Bertrand Delesne opens up an impressive gap with the rest of the fleet. Jörg Riechers, meanwhile, takes the southerly option, hoping for a wind shift that never comes. Misfortune takes him, because he loses all hope of a podium on the second leg.
Behind Bertrand Delesne, the other skippers of the first step remember our good advice. Thomas Normand boldly plies his luck on the northerly route while Vincent Barnaud (NorthStar) feels that the podium is within reach. Sébastien Rogues is grappling with the delamination of a rudder fitting and cannot push his boat as fast as it is capable of. Andrea Caracci is distanced and Jörg Riechers plays a dangerous game in the south. At the entrance to the Gulf of Biscay, Vincent is feeling confident of his position when he dismasts suddenly, without apparent reason. His podium hopes crash. Sebastian Picault (Kickers) after a great first leg performance discovers that his keel is vibrating and Seb cannot exploit the potential of his boat for fear of further damage. Another return to the forefront: Véronique Loisel makes a great showing and looks to take a podium position on the second leg and shows that a boat a slightly older generation can also compete with the best prototypes. Her hopes are dashed, however, when a broken bowsprit, less than twenty miles from the finish, deprives her of third place.
In series, Xavier Macaire sprints from the beginning at a torrid pace. Davy Beaudart, grappling with rudder problems cannot compete. On his Pogo, Xavier Macaire competes with the prototypes, charging more sails, helming constantly ... Behind him, only Jean-Marc Allaire and Amaury François (amauryfrancois.com) manage to keep up. Ysbrand Endt, also on the pace, dismasts more than 300 miles from the finish. He tinkers an ingenious rig and manages, despite everything, to finish the race on time. The hierarchy is completely disrupted, as it is Jean-Marie Oger (JMO Sailing) who finally captured the fourth place.
The return to Les Sables d’Olonne proved far more physically grueling than the first leg. We cannot count the bowsprits broken, torn sails, the blown rudders.
In less than six days, Bertrand Delesne destroys all records. Finally, sailors will have taken less time to complete the round trip than it had taken them to complete the first leg to the Azores in 2008. Extreme weather, perfect preparation, high-level competitors, the 2010 edition has confirmed some obvious talents. Bertrand Delesne will again come head-to-head in 2011 some of his opponents, especially the new guard Thomas Normand, Sébastien Rogues and others who would like to swap their production boat for a prototype. Jörg Richers should also be present. Others make no secret of going elsewhere to see if the sea is bluer as Xavier Macaire who dreams of following in the footsteps of Francisco Lobato, Adrien Hardy and Isabelle Joschke on the Figaro circuit. One thing is certain: such a concentration of talent sets the standard that others will have to match in 2012.
PFB
 jeudi 2 septembre 2010
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