La Solitaire du Figaro, gruppo compatto verso Wolf Rock
FigaroMonotipiaSolitaire du FigaroVela 17 Agosto 2009 Zerogradinord 0
La Solitaire du Figaro – Dingle – Si è aperta con un fuori programma la mattinata dei solitari della Figaro. La barca stampa si è portato in mezzo alla flotta per documentare da vicino l’avanzare dei protagonisti verso il Fastnet. Un avanzare che vede alla guida del gruppo Frederic Duthil, Michel Desjoyeaux e Francois Gabart. Una leadership utile più al morale che alla classifica, visto che il gruppo segue compatto nell’arco di 5 miglia.
Sino ad ora le scelte tattiche sono state praticamente ininfluenti. La brezza ha soffiato da ovest-sudovet tra i 10 e i 15 nodi, permettendo una rapida discesa del Mare Celtico. Le cose però cambieranno nelle prossime ore, con l’approssimarsi di un’alta pressione che renderà il vento debole e instabile. Tutto ciò, comunque, dovrebbe avvenire con una certa gradualità e i solitari, lasciato alle spalle Wolf Rock, dovrebbero iniziare la dificile navigazione Seven Stones con condizioni ancora favorevoli.
Lo sa bene Nicolas Lunven che da bordo di CGPI, leader della classifica generale, fa sapere: “Sono contento di aver scelto questa rotta. La flotta non è impacchettata: siamo tutti insieme ma la separazione laterale è notevole. Ho scelto di navigare a nord per poter orzare quando il vento calerà e questa mattina mi sono trovato davanti il gruppo di testa. Ho avuto l’impressione di essere più veloce e questo è un buon segno. La prossima fase sembra abbastanza complicata, non vedo l’ora di ricevere le carte meteo per capire cosa sta succedendo”.
Solitaire du Figaro, Dinge-Dieppe
1. Frederic Duthil, BBox Bouygues Telecom, DTF 272.8 nm
2. Michel Desjoyeaux, Foncia, +o.1 nm
3. Charler Chaudrelier, Bostik, +0.5 nm
4. Francois Gabart, Espoir Region Bretagne, +0.6 nm
5. Gildas Mahé, Banque Populaire, +o.8 nm
seguono 47 skipper
[flashvideo filename=video/solitaire/Solitaire09_primoDieppe.flv /]
Video courtesy Nefertiti Production/La Solitaire du Figaro.
LA SOLITAIRE DU FIGARO, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING
[La Solitaire du Figaro Press Release] It isn’t often that the Race Office drops in on the fleet in the middle of an offshore yacht race, but that was the case this afternoon when the chartered jet carrying the whole circus of organizers and race officials of La Solitaire du Figaro were able to buzz 52 very surprised skippers mid-Irish Sea. The accompanying journalists will be able to write with the authority of first hand experience that at midday the fleet were making steady progress under spinnaker, on calm seas and with good visibility, on their way to Land’s End and their next mark of the course, Wolf Rock. The 16.00 position report shows Frédéric Duthil (BBox Bouygues Telecom), Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and François Gabart (Espoir Région Bretagne) olding the top three places, but with the bulk of the fleet within 5 miles of the leaders.
Ireland and the damp and misty weather of the last few days are now well in the fleet’s wake, and the last 24 hours have delivered some of the best sailing so far encountered in the four legs of this year’s series of fiercely contested races. Having had up to 15 knots of south westerly and west-south-westerly wind to carry them this far, 20 miles or so from Wolf Rock, the real business of strategy is about to start as the breeze lessens and a less predictable weather regime imposes itself. As the weather front arriving from the west runs up against the high pressure system presently sitting over England a zone of transition is setting up, with the wind due to pass into the south and ease to the 5–10 knot range. Conditions for the passage up the Channel to the Isle of Wight are looking to be light then, but not to the degree expected, only the last hundred or so miles across to the finish in Dieppe looking like torturing the skippers with frustratingly fluky conditions.
At present the main tactical difference seems to be between the main body of the leaders, including the current top three, following closer to the direct route, and the likes of overall leader Nicolas Lunven (CGPI) along with Erwan Tabarly (Athema) and Nicolas Troussel (Credit Mutuel de Bretagne) a few miles to the north, trading extra distance for a better angle as the wind eases and backs. Lunven is comfortable with his performance so far: “The fleet isn’t really in single file, it’s quite spread out laterally, but I’m happy with my strategy. I suffered a bit at the start in Dingle but really cracked on under spinnaker all night, the boat went quickly and I think I steered a really good course. I had the leading pack in front of me this morning, but I seem to be catching them up a bit now, which is a good sign. The next phase looks complicated though, and I check the weather charts just as soon as the forecasts come in, to try and understand what’s happening.”
Also in good heart this afternoon was British skipper Nigel King (Nigel King Yachting), currently holding his best placing of the series so far and enjoying being on home ground. In 11th place overnight, and right up with the leaders throughout, he is currently 18th, but less than 4 miles from the front runners on the direct route to the next mark: “It’s going pretty good, I seem to be hanging in OK at the front, so I’m happy. It’s a tricky night ahead though, so just a case of trying to keep the boat moving and getting along the south coast as fast as possible.” Fellow British skipper Jonny Malbon has found more difficulty in keeping up with the pack in the fast reaching conditions, presently placed 51st, 11.8 miles from the frontrunners.
Estimated time of arrival at Wolf Rock for the leaders is 20.00 (French time) this evening.
Solitaire du Figaro, Dinge-Dieppe
1. Frederic Duthil, BBox Bouygues Telecom, DTF 272.8 nm
2. Michel Desjoyeaux, Foncia, +o.1 nm
3. Charler Chaudrelier, Bostik, +0.5 nm
4. Francois Gabart, Espoir Region Bretagne, +0.6 nm
5. Gildas Mahé, Banque Populaire, +o.8 nm
followed by 47 skippers
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