Pindar Open 60 Kingdom of Bahrain (Photo by Lloyd Images)
On 25 November, Sail Bahrain’s Kingdom of Bahrain Volvo 60 racing yacht was stopped by Iranian navy vessels, as it was making its way from Bahrain to the start of the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race. The boat may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters.
The five crew members, all British nationals, are still in Iran. All are understood to be safe and well and their families have been informed.
British media identified the five as Oliver Smith, Sam Usher, of Scarborough, North Yorkshire; Luke Porter, of Weston-super-Mare; Oliver Young, of from Saltash, near Plymouth; and David Bloomer, from Malahide, county Dublin. Bloomer, a Bahrain-based radio presenter who was due to air broadcasts about the race, was travelling with a British passport but is believed to have dual British-Irish citizenship.
The families of several of the sailors said they had been able to speak to them by phone since their detention. Charles Porter, father of Luke Porter, said he had talked to his son on Monday and “he was as good as can be expected.”
“He is a very strong character, very resilient. He’s a professional sailor, very used to dealing with adversity.”
RAN Rounding Fastnet Rock (Photo by Rolex / Kurt Arrigo)
While a line honours victory for Mike Slade’s 100ft super-maxi ICAP Leopard might seem obvious, the brand new Hong Kong 80-footer Beau Geste of Karl Kwok is closing on them. At 03:00 GMT this morning they were 35 miles behind and by 14:00GMT were only 24 miles astern. Over the course of the late morning and early afternoon the smaller boat was occasionally sailing three knots faster down the course.
The reason, according to round the world race veteran, Steve Hayles, navigator on Niklas Zennström’s Ran 2, is that the boats astern of ICAP Leopard have enjoyed stronger wind from the northwest. “This breeze built from behind, it came down from the Fastnet Rock, so it has been a bad bit of timing for them. It was just unfortunate. We have more headed breeze and more of it. But to be honest we are suffering the same thing with the two STP65s behind us. We feel pretty happy with what we have done. We have stopped the rot here recently.”
Hayles says they are expecting the wind to veer towards the north in the next six to ten hours and to go light. “The breeze is going to drop below ten knots for sure. We will go around Bishop Rock at about 18:00 GMT. The last 90 miles to the finish, the routing has us doing it in nine hours, but my own thinking is that it is going to take 14.” So a breakfast time arrival in Plymouth. Significantly, and regardless of the slow finish, Hayles is quietly confident of Ran 2 winning under IRC handicap, which she is leading at present.
BEAU GESTE After Rounding The Fastnet Rock (Photo by Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi)
The IMOCA 60s still remain in contention, with BT IMOCA 60 around 22 miles astern of Beau Geste. Despite being sailed doublehanded, this afternoon she has overtaken the fully-crewed Artemis Ocean Racing. The first IMOCA 60s are expected home tomorrow mid-morning.
BT Was The First In The IMOCA 60 Class to Round Fastnet Rock, Seb and Jeff Smile after they round (Photo by Jean-Francois Cuzon)
Since yesterday the cycle of the wind has changed phase and while en route from Land’s End to the Fastnet Rock yesterday, the fastest boats were heading north awaiting a shift to get them west; today the bulk of the fleet has been heading west waiting for a shift to get them north. Some of the outbound boats have even taken the unorthodox approach of going to the west of the Scilly Isles, rather than the conventional shorter course to their east. Many have been heading so far west that the faster boats returning from the Rock, have seen them coming the opposite way. “Earlier this morning we saw several. I am surprised to see quite so many – it is a pretty aggressive punt out to the west for those boats,” said Hayles.
One of the boats heading out west was Tanguy de LaMotte’s Initiatives Saveurs-Novedia Group, the new leader in the Class 40. According to Papua New Guinean round the world sailor Liz Wardley who is sailing on board, they were obliged to dive so heavily west because of the wind direction. “We had a huge lift on starboard, more than we expected and so we really had to wait for a huge knock before we could tack over. So yes, we are quite far west.” They finally tacked back to the north at around midday.
“We are hoping the wind is going to lift us a little bit more, so we can make the Fastnet in one tack, because we are 10 degrees low,” continued Wardley, adding that at around 15:30 GMT they had 16-17 knots from the west, with the wind building the further north they sailed.
Further behind, Katie Miller and Hannah Jenner, two-handed on Miller’s Beneteau Figaro 2, Hot Socks, were enjoying the conditions off Land’s End. There the wind was southwest and Miller was hoping that it wouldn’t build as they are unable to use their water ballast at present since the pump “has just died”.
They are recovering from a difficult first night when they had to make two attempts to anchor off Portland Bill in 45m of water. If getting the anchor down was a problem, getting it up for the two of them was even harder, the operation taking more than 45 minutes. “We are going to be muscle women by the time we get back,” commented Miller, who says that the Rolex Fastnet Race is personally proving to be as tough as the singlehanded transatlantic race she completed recently. “The race is so short compared to the Atlantic that you are constantly pushing the boat as hard as you can, so you almost sleep less than you would on your own.”
In terms of the handicap standings, little has changed since this morning in the larger classes where Ran 2 remains ahead in Class SZ. La Floresta del Mar leads Class Z three quarters of the way towards the Fastnet Rock, while Codiam is first in IRC 1, half way to the Rock. However HOD35 Malice has taken over the lead in Class 2, despite a large dig out to the west , with David Lees’ High Tension 36, Hephzibah ahead in Class 3, the latter 10 miles northwest of the Scilly Isles.
The latest forecast indicates that the first boat home will be ICAP Leopard, sometime before dawn tomorrow.
First away, punching into the last of the flood tide, were the IMOCA 60s. With their ‘big gear’ unfurled seconds before the start, it was Dee Caffari’s Aviva that made the most positive start towards the pin end. However she was soon overhauled by Seb Josse on BT IMOCA 60 sailing in slightly better breeze on the island side of the course. By the 1430GMT position report, the leading IMOCA 60s were already halfway across Christchurch Bay with Mike Sanderson’s Pindar leading, narrowly ahead of Aviva, BT and Arnaud Boissieres’ Akena Verandas.
With the tide having turned favourable to flush the remaining classes west, it was the small IRC classes that were next up. By the 1430 update they too were out through the Needles, with David Lees’ High Tension 36 Hephzibah leading from the 2005 Rolex Fastnet Race winner Iromiguy, Jean-Yves Chateau’s Nicholson 33 in IRC 3B, just ahead of David Collins’ Swan 43 Cisne, leader in IRC 3A.
For the boats heading west down the Solent, the transition to the south westerly breeze occurred for most off Yarmouth resulting in a short lull before they were put hard on the wind. Fortunately the boats were driven west towards the new breeze by the tide.
With the largest boats catching up the smaller ones, Christchurch Bay was becoming grid-locked mid-afternoon, with the IRC 2 leaders David McLeman’s J/109 Offbeat and David Walter’s J/39 Jackdaw having cruised most of the way through the Class 3 fleet, as had Jacques Pelletier’s X-43 L’Ange de Milon and Andrew Jackson’s First 40.7 Genie, leading their respective halves of IRC 1.
Despite having started an hour later than the IRC 3 boats, even the IRC Zero fleet had caught up, with John Shepherd’s Ker 46 Fair Do’s VII leading on the water from Jack Pringle’s Farr 45 Fraxious.
In their planning of the starts, the Royal Ocean Racing Club had left the best to last. On schedule at 1440 BST, it was the turn of the Class 40s to take their start with the breeze still from the east. Here it was the two Verdier designs, Giovanni Soldini’s Telecom Italia and the Felippe Cubillos’ Chilean yacht Desafio Cabo de Hornos which made the best starts. By the time they exited the Solent Soldini was tied for the lead with Andrew Dawson’s Spliff and Mike West’s Kerlaria.
Five to six miles short of St Alban’s Head, at 1600GMT Tanguy de LaMotte reported from the Class 40 Initiatives Saveurs – Novedia Group that they were upwind, albeit port tack favoured, and that having put in a few tacks to get offshore they were making 5-6 knots, but the wind was slowly dying on them.
Finally there came the biggest boats in the fleet, led off the line by Mike Slade’s towering Rolex Fastnet Race record holder, the 100ft super-maxi, ICAP Leopard. Luna Rossa, with Flavio Flavini helming and Volvo Ocean Race winner Torben Grael on tactics, followed in their wake with Niklas Zennstrom’s Ran 2 leading Karl Kwok’s Farr 80, Beau Geste up the mainland side.
By the 1500 update, ICAP Leopard had already pulled ahead of all the IRC boats with only the IMOCA 60s ahead of her on the water. Among the Mini Maxis Beau Geste, thanks to her longer waterline length, had pulled ahead of Ran 2 and the STP65s Luna Rossa and Rosebud/Team DYT, although probably not enough to lead on corrected time.
Prior to the start America’s Cup helmsman and Beau Geste skipper Gavin Brady, for whom this is his third Rolex Fastnet Race, said that they were still on a “steep learning curve phase” with their newly launched boat. “We have had the opportunity to do three races this week which was good for us to learn the boat, but it is never fun, when you have a brand new boat, to look at the scoreboard at the end of it. So we know from on board the boat that we have a lot more speed to get out of it, but like any new boat at the moment there is a long list of things to do to get there. If the Rolex Fastnet Race was in one month’s time we’d be a lot better off.”
Like the other Mini Maxis, Beau Geste has a very strong crew including former Luna Rossa helmsman Francesco de Angelis and from Volvo Ocean Race winner Ericsson 4, New Zealanders David Endean and Phil Jameson.
In the Rolex Fastnet Race, Beau Geste has the second highest IRC rating, to ICAP Leopard, but given the newness of the boat Brady felt it unlikely they would be nipping at heels of ‘the big cat’. “We are very respectful of the fact that they are 100-foot long with a canting keel. ICAP Leopard would have to have a pretty bad race and we’d have to have an extraordinary good race to beat them; but this race has seen strange things before and you have to navigate the Celtic Sea and the currents. I think we have an outside shot, but the rating tells the story: they owe us seven minutes an hour.”
The 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race could well be decided this evening as the wind drops and the majority of the fleet struggle to make it around Portland Bill without having to kedge.
Two handed Division
One of the strongest sub-divisions of the Rolex Fastnet Race fleet are the two handed, twenty eight boats sailing just two up. The 2007 winners in the class, Simon Curwen and Paul Peggs, both former Mini Transat competitors, aboard Curwen’s J/105, Voador, made a strong start in Class 2, alone in gybing early towards the island side.
Many will be following up-and-coming British solo sailing star Katie Miller, freshly returned from the singlehanded transatlantic race in her Beneteau Figaro 2, Hot Socks, which she is racing two handed in Class 1 with fellow solo sailor Hannah Jenner. Miller very nearly didn’t make the Rolex Fastnet Race start when some delamination was discovered in Hot Socks’ keel structure. Her boat was only relaunched yesterday thanks to some 11th hour assistance by Endeavour Quay in Gosport.
Despite the last minute panic, Miller was looking forward to a light wind race. “Last year the only IRC race I won my class in was when we had a really light crossing going to Cherbourg. So a bit of light upwind conditions to the Fastnet and some stronger downwind conditions back to Plymouth – that should work well for us.”
IRC Class Start At Fastnet 2009 by Rolex / Kurt Arrigo
Sam Davies, Zara Phillips, Dame Ellen MacArthur and Dee Caffari At Artemis Challenge (Photo by Rick Tomlinson))
- Seb Josse and IMOCA 60 BT (Photo Courtesy of Offshore Challenges Sailiing Team)
Seb Josse and his all-star team, including celebrity guests Dame Ellen MacArthur and Radio 1 DJ, Rob Da Bank have won the Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week. On an east-bound course, the fleet set off at 10:00 from the Royal Yacht Squadron line on a downwind leg flying their huge code zero gennakers. Mike Sanderson and team, including celebrity guest Paul Rose (TV presenter and adventurer), led off the startline but complicated winds soon started to affect proceedings and within 10 minutes, fleet positions had turned inside out.
Team Pindar today finished second in the Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week, skippered by Former ISAF World Sailor of the Year and TEAMORIGIN Team Director, Mike Sanderson.
Light winds this morning forced organisers to modify the normal ‘round-the-island’ course, to a shortened 35-mile route through the Forts and around Nab Tower off the Isle of Wight. 8 miles from the official line, as the wind dropped further, the race was called to an early finish, sealing victory for Frenchman Seb Josse and his crew on board BT IMOCA 60.
Now in its third year, this year’s Artemis Challenge attracted a total of eight Open 60’s many of which had not competed since the end of the non-stop solo round the world yacht race, the Vendée Globe earlier this year. Each yacht played host to a celebrity sailor which included names from the world of entertainment and sport: Zara Phillips, Bryan Adams and Rugby World Cup winners Will Greenwood and Mike Tindall. Sailing on board Team Pindar was BBC TV presenter, adventurer and Earthwatch ambassador, Paul Rose.
Mike Sanderson commented: “Obviously it was disappointing not to have more breeze, but we had a good time and definitely made the most of the day. Considering how well the boat has been performing in the strong winds over the last few days, I was really encouraged to see how well she handled the light breeze too.”
Earthwatch Ambassador, Paul Rose commented: “I’ve been sailing all my life but it’s not everyday you get to be out on the water on an Open 60 and with some of the best sailors in the world. It’s been a tremendous event and a great opportunity to raise awareness for Earthwatch and its Oceans Appeal.”
Team Pindar is now preparing for the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race, which starts from the Royal Yacht Squadron
Team Pindar Open 60 Second Place Winner in Artemis Challenge (Photo by Lloyd Images)
A further five hours later the fleet made its way back up the Solent from No Man’s Land Fort after the course was shortened for the first time but the wind totally disappeared between Portsmouth and Ryde creating a concertina effect on the fleet.
Making zero headway against a now adverse tide, the race officers made a decision to put the self-shortening course procedure into action. It was agreed this morning that all competitors were to time themselves round each mark of the course, and take the times of the boat ahead and behind should this particular scenario happen.
The race office confirmed that the results would be based on the timings at Bembridge Ledge which meant that BT who was leading at the time was deemed the overall winner, and Pindar was second. Simon Clay on Artemis The Profit Hunter with celebrity guest Bryan Adams, were third. Stable mates – Artemis Ocean Racing – with Sam Davies and special guest Zara Phillips finished 4th.
Transat Finish Boston MA (Photo By George Bekris)
We Have A Winner
Michel Desjoyeaux The Victor
At 2129 GMT (Tuesday, 8.6.04) Frenchman Michel Desjoyeaux crossed the finish line of The Transat at the entrance to Boston Harbour to claim victory in the 60ft ORMA multihull class of the historic solo transatlantic race.
Emotional scenes surrounded the arrival of Michel Desjoyeaux on board Geant as he set a new transatlantic race record from Plymouth to Boston of 8 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes and 55 seconds. He raced the 2800 mile course at an average speed of 13.61 knots. The previous record for the race was held by solo round the world record holder Francis Joyon who set a record of 9 days, 23 hours and 21 minutes in the last race in 2000. Desjoyeaux has taken 38 hours and 52 minutes off the record.
Desjoyeaux crossed the finish line between Deer Island Light and Long Island Head Light at the entrance to Boston Harbour , four miles from downtown Boston , at a speed of 23 knots. Support boats and spectators were awaiting his arrival. This classic solo race that began in 1960 is raced against the prevailing winds and conditions of the North Atlantic and the Transat race lived up to its reputation as the toughest transatlantic race. A series of low depressions delivered 45+ knot head winds and huge seas as the 60ft multihull’s battled their way across. In the final stages of the race, the risk of icebergs forced the boats south. The tough conditions have caused some damage in the race fleet including two dismastings and one boat, Cheminées Poujoulat-Armor Lux, which lost its keel in the 60ft monohull class.
A total of 37 boats, included 12 ORMA trimarans, started the race at 1300 GMT on 31st May and to date five boats have abandoned the race. The remainder of the ORMA fleet will finish in Boston over the next few days whilst the Open 60 monohull class leaders are expected to arrive from Saturday (12.6.04) onwards.
At 2338 GMT (Tuesday, 8.6.04) Frenchman Thomas Coville crossed the finish line of The Transat at the entrance to Boston Harbour to claim second place in the 60ft ORMA multihull class of the historic solo transatlantic race.
Coville raced the 2800 mile course in 8 days, 10 hours, 38 minutes and 0 seconds at an average speed of 13.47 knots. Michel Desjoyeaux claimed victory at 2129GMT setting a new transatlantic race record of 8 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes, 55 seconds. The previous record for the race was held by solo round the world record holder Francis Joyon who set a record of 9 days, 23 hours and 21 minutes in the last race in 2000. Desjoyeaux has taken 38 hours and 52 minutes off the record.
Despite closing on Desjoyeaux in the final stages of the race to within 26 miles at 1700GMT on Tuesday afternoon (8.6.04), Coville had no real opportunity to overtake ‘Le Professeur’ and crossed the finish line between Deer Island Light and Long Island Head Light at the entrance to Boston Harbour, four miles from downtown Boston, 2 hours 8 minutes and 5 seconds behind Desjoyeaux.
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX’S RACE:
31.5.04: Second across the start line and first ORMA 60 to reach the Eddystone Lighthouse – awarded Omega Seamaster watch.
1.6.04: First big low pressures approaches: “I’m too old to take all these waves!”
2.6.04: 0500GMT Geant takes the lead. Extreme close racing with Sodebo (Thomas Coville) only 200m apart at times through the night. Picks up speed in 35 knots, reaching conditions: “These are good winds for us. It is what the boats are designed for.” Michel Desjoyeaux/Geant current holder of Omega 24hr speed record 440 miles recorded between 0500-0500 GMT.
3.6.04: Head for centre of first major low pressure system and tacks south out of the low at approx 2030 GMT.
4.6.04: Reports 44 knot winds and 5-6m seas during the night. Claimed to have slept all night and allowing the automatic pilots to steer the boat. ORMA skippers agree to self-imposed ice waypoint 47 N 47 W.
5.6.04: Heads straight for Flemish Cap – closest ORMA to ice waypoint.
7.6.04: 150 mile spread between Geant, Sodebo and Groupama and his lead seems unassailable.
8.6.04: Reports fast and flat sailing conditions in early morning and has a 64 mile lead over Sodebo at 0500 GMT. Geant slowed by lighter airs – only makes 9 miles in two hours – and Sodebo closes down lead to 26.6 miles at 1700 GMT poll with 81 miles to the finish.
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX PROFILE:
Date of birth: 16/07/1965 (age 38)
Nationality: French
Place of birth: Concarneau
Current residence: La Foret Fouesnant
Personal status: 3 children
Previous participation in The Transat 2000 / 7th Class 1 Monohull
Mini profile:
Winner of the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe, the Solitaire du Figaro on two occasions (1992 and 1998) and the 2002 Route du Rhum, Desjoyeaux is the one of most successful single-handed offshore racers taking part in The Transat.
Desjoyeaux heralds from Port la Foret, la vallee des fous (valley of the mad) as it is known because of it being the Mecca of solo offshore racing. At 20, Desjoyeaux cut his teeth racing with Eric Tabarly on the maxi Cote d’Or in the Whitbread Round the World Race. Like the great French skipper, Desjoyeaux shares a passion for innovation. Equally, he openly shares his ideas and has been responsible for the advancement of many Figaro rookies earning himself the nickname ‘Le Professeur’ (the teacher).
Desjoyeaux’s sailing CV is impossibly long. He has been racing large multihull’s competitively since the mid-1980s and on many of the trimarans during the 1990s starting with a win in the TwoSTAR with Jean Maurel in 1990. It was in the late 1990s that Desjoyeaux graduated up from the Figaro class with his new Open 60 PRB. He won the Vendée Globe and a ticket into the 60ft trimaran class with his latest sponsor Geant, the French supermarket chain.
Groupama Comes in 3rd-What A Race
Click to Enlarge & View Page 24 of our Transat Picture Galley
Franck Cammas on Groupama crossed the line at 03h 16m 02secs GMT, making his elapsed time for the course 8 days 14 hours 16 minutes 2 second.
The next 60ft multi on the horizon is Alain Gautier on board Foncia currently in 4th with 221 miles to go to Boston – his nearest rival is lone female competitor Karine Fauconnier on Sergio Tacchini. Gautier started the race a few hours late and in the first major depression broke 4 mainsail battens….
The next 60ft multi on the horizon is Alain Gautier on board Foncia currently in 4th with 221 miles to go to Boston – his nearest rival is lone female competitor Karine Fauconnier on Sergio Tacchini. Gautier started the race a few hours late and in the first major depression broke 4 mainsail battens….
Sailing faster average speeds than Pindar AlphaGraphics, Mike Golding on Ecover has managed to eek out a 23 mile lead on Mike Sanderson – the furthest distance apart these two boats have been for a long while…
American skipper Kip stone sailing the new Merfyn Owen designed 50ft monohull has retaken the lead ahead of Joe Harris albeit by 2.3 miles this morning… Go Kip Go and yes, you may have guessed I liked this guy and his boat, when we met in Plymouth and am rooting for him.
Nick Moloney on Skandia has pulled out a 14 mile lead of Conrad Humphreys this morning and moves into 4th place in the Open 60 class. The sparring battle between these two skippers is far from over with 980 miles to go to the finish…
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX’S RACE:
31.5.04: Second across the start line and first ORMA 60 to reach the Eddystone Lighthouse – awarded Omega Seamaster watch.
1.6.04: First big low pressures approaches: “I’m too old to take all these waves!”
2.6.04: 0500GMT Geant takes the lead. Extreme close racing with Sodebo (Thomas Coville) only 200m apart at times through the night. Picks up speed in 35 knots, reaching conditions: “These are good winds for us. It is what the boats are designed for.” Michel Desjoyeaux/Geant current holder of Omega 24hr speed record 440 miles recorded between 0500-0500 GMT.
3.6.04: Head for centre of first major low pressure system and tacks south out of the low at approx 2030 GMT.
4.6.04: Reports 44 knot winds and 5-6m seas during the night. Claimed to have slept all night and allowing the automatic pilots to steer the boat. ORMA skippers agree to self-imposed ice waypoint 47 N 47 W.
5.6.04: Heads straight for Flemish Cap – closest ORMA to ice waypoint.
7.6.04: 150 mile spread between Geant, Sodebo and Groupama and his lead seems unassailable.
8.6.04: Reports fast and flat sailing conditions in early morning and has a 64 mile lead over Sodebo at 0500 GMT. Geant slowed by lighter airs – only makes 9 miles in two hours – and Sodebo closes down lead to 26.6 miles at 1700 GMT poll with 81 miles to the finish.
MICHEL DESJOYEAUX PROFILE:
Date of birth: 16/07/1965 (age 38)
Nationality: French
Place of birth: Concarneau
Current residence: La Foret Fouesnant
Personal status: 3 children
Previous participation in The Transat 2000 / 7th Class 1 Monohull
Mini profile:
Winner of the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe, the Solitaire du Figaro on two occasions (1992 and 1998) and the 2002 Route du Rhum, Desjoyeaux is the one of most successful single-handed offshore racers taking part in The Transat.
Desjoyeaux heralds from Port la Foret, la vallee des fous (valley of the mad) as it is known because of it being the Mecca of solo offshore racing. At 20, Desjoyeaux cut his teeth racing with Eric Tabarly on the maxi Cote d’Or in the Whitbread Round the World Race. Like the great French skipper, Desjoyeaux shares a passion for innovation. Equally, he openly shares his ideas and has been responsible for the advancement of many Figaro rookies earning himself the nickname ‘Le Professeur’ (the teacher).
Desjoyeaux’s sailing CV is impossibly long. He has been racing large multihull’s competitively since the mid-1980s and on many of the trimarans during the 1990s starting with a win in the TwoSTAR with Jean Maurel in 1990. It was in the late 1990s that Desjoyeaux graduated up from the Figaro class with his new Open 60 PRB. He won the Vendée Globe and a ticket into the 60ft trimaran class with his latest sponsor Geant, the French supermarket chain.
