Start spreading the news ! New York will be start city for the new MOD70 class’s first ever trans-oceanic race when Race for Water (Steve Ravussin), Foncia (Michel Desjoyeaux), Edmond de Rothschild Group (Sebastien Josse), Spindrift Racing (Yann Guichard) and Oman Sail (Sidney Gavignet) set off on Saturday July 7th to take on the MOD 70 KRYS OCEAN RACE’S 2950 miles of racing between the evenly matched new one design, high speed 70 foot trimarans. Skippers Ravussin, Desjoyeaux, Josse, Guichard and Gavignet will lead their five strong crews across the North Atlantic to a finish in Brest, France.
Officially launched at the French Consulate in New York, today Thursday 26th April in the presence of the Consul M Philippe Lalliot and renowned American sailor Dawn Riley, the American program which forms the prelude to the MOD 70 KRYS OCEAN RACE promises a full complement of activities between June 28 and July 7 shared between Newport and New York.
From Newport to New York City
Ahead of this first true ocean challenge, a short prologue from Newport to New York should prove an exciting initial taster of what is to come, followed in New York by an afternoon of all-out sprints, the Speed Match.
A full menu of action and excitement is promised for the class’ inaugural visit to the USA, where the fleet musters in strength for the first time ever.
History in the making in Newport and New York
Though the MOD 70 KRYS OCEAN RACE will start from New York, the fleet will first establish itself in historic Newport, Rhode Island where the MOD70’s will be based at the Newport Shipyard marina between June 28th and July 2nd, not far from where the AC World Series finale runs 26th June to July 1st.
While based in Newport, the boats will be put through all their safety and technical scrutineering, vital checks which are all the more important given that once they are docked at New York’s North Cove Marina, the MOD70’s will be in full race mode, with no further work allowed to the boats beyond stocking them for the passage.
Prologue
For the five high speed trimarans, the 120 miles prologue races starts on Monday July 2nd from Newport – the world renowned sailing centre synonymous with America’s Cup – to a finish line off New York’s iconic Statue of Liberty where they would be due to finish July 3rd.
From the eve of the USA’s Independence Day, through the July 4th festivities, the fleet will have their home at Manhattan’s tranquil North Cove Marina.
Then on the afternoon of July 5th the fantastic five match up to see who will be New York’s sprint kings on the Hudson River, when Race for Water, Foncia, Spindrift Racing, Edmond de Rothschild Group and Oman Sail will take part in a speed match virtually at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. Race Director Jacques Caraës will be supported by the very active Manhattan Sailing Club under Commodore and Race Committee Chairman Michael Fortenbaugh.
The Race is On
But the excitement will peak for sure on July 7th at 1100hrs (LOCAL) when the French Consul in New York, Philippe Lalliot will be joined by the Mayor of Brest François Cuillandre to fire the start gun which will set off the KRYS OCEAN RACE across the Atlantic to Brest.
The gun marks the start of the first great oceanic adventure for the MOD 70’s and the 30 crewmembers, making history as the world’s first fleet of identically matched ocean racing one design multihulls goes head to head.
Over a course measured at 2950 miles, some of the world’s best ocean racers – some who are already winners of the biggest offshore races and records in the world – will finally compete at thrilling high speeds, on even terms over the ensuing six or seven days, fighting to be first across Brest’s finish line, into the very heart of the historic Tonnerres de Brest nautical festival.
Philippe Lalliot, Consul General of France in New York City : « The world of sailing, synonymous with epic journeys, but also with perseverance and endurance, is certainly one of those worlds that fire your imagination the most. Suspense and emotions will no doubt be part of this new, nautical adventure. I look forward to its opening impatiently and wish it the greatest success. »
Dawn Riley, Chief Executive Officer Oakcliff Sailing New York : “The MOD70 class already is full of French Rockstars and I hope that we will see an American Team joining them shortly. We are all very excited that these multihull machines will be in New York.”
Michael Fortenbaugh, Commodore Manhattan Sailing Club : “We have this incredible symbol which is the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French. We always dreamed that someday there would be a race that would start from beneath it and connect with France, which New Yorkers are so closely linked to. This has great symbolic meaning and is the benchmark for future races.”
Franck David, Chief Executive Officer Multi One Design S.A. : “Multi One Design’s ambition is to build the ultimate sailing class of reference in the world…To start the MOD70 story with the KRYS OCEAN RACE in New York City is the exact representation of what we want to buil : an international circuit, with exiting host venues, combination of City Races and Offshore sailing adventures!”
The U.S. program for the KRYS OCEAN RACE 2012:
Newport:
June 28 : Deadline for arrival of MOD70
July 2 : Start of the prologue
New York City:
July 3 : Finish of the prologue
July 5 : Speed Match
July 7 11:00 local: Official start of the first edition of the KRYS OCEAN RACE
Estimated arrival at Brest between 13 and 14 July 2012.
Oman Sail MOD70 (Photo courtesy of Oman Sail)
Marseille will host the MOD70 fleet from 23rd to 30th of September on the only French stop over during the MOD70 European Tour. The world’s leading skippers and their exciting new generation of one-design trimarans will be based from the natural sailing arena of Roucas Blanc concurrent with one of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour events.
The fleet of MOD70s will have raced to Marseille from Cascais in Portugal and will be set to race on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th in front of the famed corniche of Marseille, as the prelude to their final event of the Tour which will finish in Italy. Under the constraints of one design racing Stève Ravussin, Michel Desjoyeaux, Sébastien Josse, Sidney Gavignet and Yann Guichard and their star studded crews will therefore race on equal terms against each other on the highly competitive inshore races that will comprise city races and speed matches.
Marseille, capital of sailing
Marseille has chosen to welcome this exciting new MOD70 class alongside the World Match Racing Tour, which the city has hosted for the past four years running. The Phoenician city, which has an historic outlook on the sea with its 57-kilometre coastline, will become a mecca for sailing for the week.
In the heart of the sailing arena of Roucas Blanc the MOD70 and J80 fleet will take turns to race close to the coastline to give fans the chance to follow the racing live from land or enjoying the ambience of the race village, providing entertainment, running commentary and large screen. It will be open access.
Make a date to join us in September for a high quality sports event which will be easy to visit and very accessible.
Franck David, Executive Director of Multi One Design S.A.: “Being welcomed in Marseilles, a large French city, and along with an event on the Alpari-World Match Racing Tour, is a real opportunity for our new MOD70 circuit. Our aim is to showcase the fleet of MOD70s in the venues that host Multi One Design Championship events to as many people as possible, provide good entertainment and also allow our partners and competing team owners the opportunity to host quality public relations events. I think that all these elements will come together at the end of September thanks primarily to the town of Marseille, to whom I extend my appreciation.”
Dates to remember: 2011 / 2012
12 april 2012: Launching of the MOD70 OMAN SAIL
January to May 2012: Launching of the MOD70 PAPREC-VIRBAC 70
Race Programme: 2012 / 2014
7 July 2012: Start of the KRYS OCEAN RACE
2 Sep – 7 Oct 2012: MOD70 EUROPEAN TOUR 2012
June 2013: MOD70 EUROPEAN TOUR 2013
Nov 2013 – Apr 2014: OCEAN WORLD TOUR
Août 2014: KRYS OCEAN RACE
2011 KRYS MATCH - 6/8 OCT 2011 LA TRINITE SUR MER - DAY 2 - Race 4 (Photo by Sea & Co.)
Today, Monday 23 January, at the Dusseldorf Boat Show, the much anticipated 2012 MOD70 European Tour was unveiled. Starting on 29 August, five weeks of intensive racing will see the six competing MOD70s race nearly 5,000 miles in a mix of offshore competition, and races in the heart of five cities in five countries : Germany, Ireland, Portugal, France and Italy.
The six MOD70s are helmed by skippers with some of the biggest hauls of oceanic medals – Michel Desjoyeaux, Sebastien Josse, Sidney Gavignet, Roland Jourdain, Steve Ravussin and Yann Guichard. The teams will be setting off from Kiel in Germany, on the Baltic Sea, towards the east coast of Ireland, after a rather unfamiliar passage via the North coast of the Shetland Islands which will see the teams reach 60° North – as far north as Cape Horn is south.
After stopping off in the Emerald Isle, the teams will tackle the descent of the North Atlantic, heading for Cascais in Portugal, for an eight-day stopover before heading east.
Beyond the Pillars of Hercules, the MOD70s will cross the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea to tie up at the feet of the Bonne Mère in Marseille (France), while the final leg of the European Tour 2012 will take the MOD70s on a big looped circuit around the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, prior to climbing up to an Italian port looking out onto the Ligurian Sea…
At the end of this tour of Europe, the fleet will have covered 5,000 miles and crossed seven seas and one ocean.
Start : Kiel, Germany, 2 September :
Steeped in maritime tradition, Kiel is the city which played host to the Course de l’Europe during the first edition back in 1985, and again in 1997, for the 4th leg. For this 2012 edition of the MOD70 European Tour, the local authorities were the first to commit themselves wholeheartedly to the project. Alongside KIEL.SAILING CITY, the online gambling company, Betfair, will be present at both the legendary Kiel Week, to be held in June 2012, and the German stopover for the MOD70 European Tour 2012.
Uwe Wanger, Managing Director of Kiel Marketing GmbH : “In collaboration with Betfair, we’re proud to play host to the first leg of the European Tour, an event that forms part of the MOD70 circuit, for their first race in Germany. These spectacular boats represent technology at its highest level – a point they have in common with our new partner Betfair. With this stopover, we’ll be punctuating a series of prestigious sailing gatherings and we’re hoping for between 50.000 and 80,000 spectators at the heart of Kiel to witness the racing.”
Marco Simeoni, President of MOD Ltd. : “Today we’re happy to be able to present the first edition of the race around Europe, aboard MOD70s. Since 2009, we’ve been working on putting together a one-design class and a coherent circuit for racers, boat owners and our partners. With the current economic context colouring Europe, things haven’t been easy but we’ve managed to pull it off. The cities of Kiel, Marseille and Cascaïs are the first three cities to have signed up alongside us and the contracts with the remaining two cities involved in this project will be signed in the coming days. Featuring 5,000 miles, 5 countries, 5 host venues and 5 City races, this MOD European Tour will be the setting for a competitive and cultural oasis! Thanks to the one-design format, which guarantees sporting equity, we’re sure to witness some great on-the-water confrontations between the MOD70 crews competing in this 2012 season.”
Hervé Favre, Event Manager OC ThirdPole : “To organise a European tour is an opportunity to revive the great moments in the history of oceanic multihulls, but it’s also a genuine challenge in every possible way. This is true in logistical terms first of all, as not all the ports in Europe can accommodate 6 or 7 trimarans measuring 22 metres long and 17 metres wide. It’s also true in sporting terms, with the need to construct a balanced circuit and some interesting legs, with around 3 days spent at sea between cities. Finally there’s the marketing aspect, with our desire to select cities whose image and notoriety are recognised on the international playing field, and who are keen to communicate their outward-looking attitude to the sea. We’ve also endeavoured to involve the Teams and their partners, who have guided the final decisions. Launching a new event is never easy, particularly today, but we’re proud of this very fine course, which will support the increase in power of the new Multi One Design Class”.
Michel Desjoyeaux, skipper of the MOD70 Foncia: “This MOD70 version of the European Tour 2012 will be the second event of the season. It will be longer and more intensive than the Krys Ocean Race, but I bet you that the crew of Foncia will be very much into their stride! Added to that, the European Tour isn’t a complete unknown for me as I raced aboard Crédit Agricole, the winning boat in the first edition back in 1985. I sailed it again in 1993, aboard La Poste. It’s always a real thrill because there are a number of intriguing passages to be negotiated. The race zone really deserves to be highlighted! Alternating between offshore legs and inshore events appeals to me since it’ll give us the opportunity to show our different guests what the MOD 70 Foncia is all about during the stopovers. These moments of sharing and exchanges aboard our fantastic machines are always rich and interesting.”
Sidney Gavignet, skipper of the MOD70 Oman Sail : “Our MOD70s are capable of covering great distances in a short space of time so they’re really cut out for this type of course around Europe! For my part, I’ve already had the opportunity to compete in European races in 1993 and 1997. I have some very fond memories of them with some great battles on the water. I expect nothing less in this edition.
This European Tour really ties in with the agenda that my partner OMAN had in mind, which involves promoting tourism among the European public across the sultanate.”
Yann Guichard, skipper of the MOD70 Spindrift racing : “I’m more familiar with transatlantic events and this will be my first participation in a European Tour. I’m very enthusiastic about the idea of helming my MOD70 Spindrift Racing over this course, which will enable me to discover the race zones, particularly as regards the first leg between Kiel and Ireland. Another first for me is alternating between offshore and inshore races, especially over the course of a month! It’s going to be raced at a steady pace and we’ll have to be consistent and perform well, whatever the race format.”
Roland Jourdain, skipper of the MOD70 Veolia Environnement: “It promises to be an enthralling sail… Already at the time of the multihull, and also the monohull, all the racers adored the race. On a sporting level, it’s a superb mix of offshore and coastal courses. On a multihull we’re sure to have a ball!”
Stève Ravussin, skipper of the MOD70 Race for Water : “Germany is a great country for sailors, as it has a particularly important place on the map of Europe. As such I’m very happy and proud to be part of this first European Tour in Kiel. Adventure, speed and adrenalin, a mixture of spectacular offshore races and city races on an equal footing… it is the epitome of everything I love about sailing! In addition to the sports competition, I’m delighted to be able to raise awareness amongst adults and children about problems relating to water… Indeed, with the MOD 70 Race For Water, ambassador for the Multi One Attitude Foundation, we’re going to spread this message to the four corners of Europe as well as battling to sail some fantastic races!”
Sébastien Josse, skipper of the MOD70 Edmond de Rothschild Group : “T he European Tour is proposing an ambitious programme and it will be a difficult race. For three weeks we’re going to link together a series of offshore and city race formats at a steady pace and the team will have very little time to catch their breath. This second event of the 2012 season will showcase the crews’ stamina and their ability to adapt to the switches in format. The North-South route of the race is likely to provide us with some highly varied conditions. The northern part may give us some really lively conditions at that time of year, whilst the second part, in southern Europe, should prove to be milder. However, that’s just a hypothesis as the Mediterranean is never short of surprises and could very well dish out an entirely different scenario. The European Tour will be intense with a line-up of six honed crews after the Krys Ocean Race.”
The MOD70 European Tour 2012 in brief :
- First edition of the European Tour in MOD70s.
- 6 competing sailing teams (6 crew members per MOD70)
- 5,000 miles
- 5 countries visited: Germany (Kiel), Ireland, Portugal (Cascaïs), France (Marseille), Italy.
- 5 offshore races and 5 inshore events (city race and speed match)
Stopover schedule :
Kiel (Germany) from 29 August to 2 September
Ireland from 5 to 9 September
Cascaïs (Portugal) from 12 to 20 September
Marseille (France) from 23 to 30 September
Italy from 3 to 7 October
The multihull and the Course de l’Europe :
1985 :
- 1st edition of the Course de l’Europe created by Gérard Petipas with the support of the European Community
- Start on 9 August
- 8 legs: from Kiel (Germany) to Porto Cervo (Italy)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Philipe Jeantot on Crédit Agricole
1987 :
- Start on 12 July
- 8 legs from The Hague (Holland) to San Remo (Italy)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Daniel Gilard on Jet Services
1989 :
- Start on 17 July
- 6 legs from Hamburg (Germany) to Toulon (France)
- Victory for Serge Madec on Jet Services V who won 5 of the 6 legs.
1991 :
- Start on 12 May
- 6 legs from Lorient (France) to Santa Marguerita (Italy)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Laurent Bourgnon on R.M.O, just 93 seconds ahead of Mike Birch
1993 :
- Start on 23 May
- 6 legs from La Rochelle (France) to Stockholm (Sweden)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuji
1995 :
- Start on 20 May
- 7 legs from Venice (Italy) to London (England)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuji
1997 :
- Start on 1st June
- 5 legs from Cherbourg (France) to Stockholm (Sweden)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuji
1999 :
- 2 legs from Genoa (Italy) to Lorient (France)
- Victory aboard a multihull for Loïck Peyron on Fuj
Dates to remember: 2011 / 2012
25 January 2012: Launching of the MOD70 SPINDRIFT RACING
12 april 2012: Launching of the MOD70 OMAN SAIL
January to May 2012: Launching of the MOD70 nr.7
Race Programme: 2012 / 2014
7 July 2012: Start of the KRYS OCEAN RACE
2 September 2012: European Tour
June 2013: European Tour
November 2013 – April 2014: Ocean World Tour (6 stopovers, 5 oceans, 12 racing teams)
August 2014: KRYS OCEAN RACE
2011 KRYS MATCH- 6/8 OCT 2001 La Trinite sur Mer (FRA) , Day1
Oman Air's Majan (Photo by Mark Lloyd / Lloyd Images)
In an interview with Sam Davies the French skipper explains how his 100ft trimaran Oman Air Majan broke up.
After a long night for the Oman Air Majan team, they are pleased to report that skipper Sidney Gavignet is now safely onboard the bulk carrier Kavo Alexander. The incident which occurred at 16:35 CET yesterday (3 November) was dealt with swiftly by the shore team, race management, rescue teams and crew of the Kavo Alexander who ensured Sidney’s rescue within four hours or his first call. (Read previous story here.)
Kavo Alexander is en route to Turkey, and it is not confirmed if Sidney will be dropped off in Gibraltar or Malta with an approximate ETA between the 6 and 9 November respectively. The Oman Air Majan technical team drove through the night from the base in Lorient to Paris to board a flight to the Azores early this morning (4 November). They are due to arrive in Horta this afternoon. A boat is on standby and ready to leave with the team to take them to Oman Air Majan, which is still being tracked by the team, and is approximately 250 miles north east of the Azores.
The technical team are monitoring the weather, conditions are good and the forecast looks set to improve over the next 24-36 hours. It will take approx 24-hours for the technical team to reach Oman Air Majan by boat, during that time they will be preparing a plan to recover as much of the boat as possible. At this time the team believe that all parts of the boat are still together and they will aim to tow Oman Air Majan back to the Azores.
Transcribe of an audio call with Sidney onboard bulk carrier Kavo Alexander 22:00 CET (3 November):
Sam Davies: Can you explain the conditions you were in and what happened?
Sidney Gavignet: I was going upwind, at 70 true wind angle and I had two reefs, and a J2. I was ready with the J3, the wind was increasing and planned to increase a little bit. But I thought it was still safe handling for the boat.
It was daylight, I was well rested, well fed. Everything was fine, I thought nothing was damaged on the boat at that time so far it was a good race on that side. After we jumped over a wave, probably a little harder than others, I heard a crack and I thought it was the daggerboard even if the top of it was higher than deck level which is quite far up*. Then I came out and looked around and I saw on the front leeward crossbeam probably 1m away from the float the crossbeam was broken. Then it went very very quick, in probably 2 to 3 seconds I was easing the traveller and the float came out of the crossbeam I think it was still linked at that time with the aft crossbeam. But because the front was not linked to the float the boat capsized almost, the mast was horizontal and platform vertical.
I was pretty disorientated at that time but the damage was done so my first concern was to find my survival suit, liferaft and grab bag, which I found very quickly. I then realized in fact there was no massive panic as I had a feeling very quickly that the boat would stay afloat, and was safe in the boat. Which was my first concern in the beginning. I put the survival suit on and I called Race Director Jean Maurel. I didn’t reach him so left a message and then I called Seb Chernier from Oman Sail to explain the situation, I told him I would put the eprib on.
(*The daggerboard was not fully down. Sidney judges the level of the board by comparing the top of the board with the deck level.)
SD: What was your immediate reaction when this happened?
SG: When your boat breaks you realise it’s very serious, but about my life no, I reacted quickly to look for my survival suit. The safety de-brief we had before leaving in St.Malo was fresh in my mind so that was an important de-brief. I don’t think I was scared for my life. I was in some sort of control and I didn’t have any fear. My first concern was that the boat was totally broken and I needed to find a way to tell the family without making them too scared. They realised quickly it was safe, so that was a good thing.
SD: It is pretty hard to help the boat in that situation, did you attempt to try amd secure anything on the boat?
SG: I thought about it, but at the beginning I didn’t want to go out of the companion way too much, because there were cables moving around the exit, and the shrouds were just in front of the doors I thought it was a bit dangerous and I wanted to look at situation a little more before going outside. I was thinking about cutting the rig to let go of the mast, which was probably a good solution because I don’t think it is composite sandwich and would therefore sink. The problem is that you need to cut many, many cables and some were attached to the free float (which was separate from the float), that was pretty difficult because on the leeward side you have the broken mast and float so I think it was too dangerous to try that.
SD: Can you describe the next part of the rescue?
SG: Not long after a call to Jean Maurel race director, who said he would call the COSS (French organization for safety at sea), they called my iridium phone which was still working. After a few tries I managed to give them a position. Not long after I had a call from the Portuguese rescue organization who asked if I was ready to leave the boat. My first answer was yes, but after they asked me the question I was a bit concerned. I said yes, but then I thought is this really the right thing to do? I thought about it a bit more, I think it was the correct decision as there was nothing more I could on the boat. Before leaving to make sure we could track the boat (Oman Air Majan) I activated a spare tracker and an Argos beacon which is also giving a signal for the boat at the moment. I had to take the rescue beacon off the boat to make sure that the world knows the rescue operation is complete.
SD: What happens next?
SG: The boat is coming from Canada and going to Turkey, they don’t know if we will stop in Gibraltar or Malta in order for them to re-fuel. We are doing 13 knots towards Gibraltar at the moment. But for them it’s a risky situation and the people were great, they risked their life for me, especially when we had to climb in the small rescue boat when they came to pick me up. I’m not feeling very proud to have put them in that situation and I would like to thank them for all their help. Here on the ship I am very welcome but I can see that life continues for them.
SD: Can you briefly described the state of Oman Air Majan when you left her?
SG: Just before I left the boat the platform was vertical and the mast horizontal. Not long after that the mast was still in one piece but not long after the mast broke. As the mast broke the platform came back almost horizontal between 15-20 degrees. In fact it came back completely horizontal just between the port float and main hull, and the reason for that is that starboard float came totally loose, it was still partially attached by the aft cross beam, and then it finally broke. I thought it was a good thing but in fact I don’t think it is because that float came underneath the starboard crossbeam and I think now it is a free float which is hitting the main hull so I don’t know which one will resist but I don’t think it is good that the two pieces are hitting each other, and the mast is still attached of course.
SD: When do think you will arrive?
SG: It is not very clear. They have an ETA of the sixth but I think you can probably see we’re doing 13 knots and we are north of the Azores so you can probably calculate that. For me they still do their watch system and I didn’t have time to speak much with them. I try to be as discreet as possible to make the captain and those people accept me.
SD: How are you, were you injured?
SG: No, not at all. I have no injury from the crash. How do I feel? I don’t know, I feel very weird.
End.
David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail, commented: “Sidney Gavignet is a strong man, a hugely focused racer, a man of the sea who had a phenomenal start to the Route du Rhum 2010. I’m astonished at how well Sidney dealt with this scenario, he did everything right which meant we didn’t have to ask another competitor to divert. Dressed in his survival suit, mast wrecked, starboard float disconnected from the front of the boat, potentially sinking he asked me formally for permission to abandon ship.
Like Formula 1 it is a mechanical sport, Sidney was totally focused in racing mode. We have no idea what caused the failure, our capable team are on the way to the boat as we speak, and we hope that they will be able to recover the boat. Yes, of course we’re hugely disappointed about the breakage. Oman Sail and Oman Air worked incredibly hard with this part of the project, however Sidney is unhurt and safe and this is what really matters. We are inspiring the Omani nation to sail and with that come inherent risks – ones we will also make in the future.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Oman Air our fully supportive sponsor, Jean Maurel the race director and his team at Pen Duick for thier assistance. The captain of KAVO Alexander and his crew, my extremely capable response team, and of course Sidney for his phenomenal performance.”
Oman Air's Majan (Photo by Mark Lloyd / Lloyd Images)
At 1648hrs (GMT+1) the skipper of Oman Air Majan, Sidney Gavignet called to say that his boat has suffered a major damage to the leeward front beam. Oman Air Majan was sailing in headwinds of 20 knots, but the conditions were not extreme. Sidney Gavignet has activated his distress beacon. He has put on his survival suit and is uninjured. He is in the central pod and is clear of the water. Course Director Jean Maurel is in contact with the Portuguese MRCC to coordinate the rescue and is in permanent contact with Sidney and his shore team.
There is an air of expectancy about the port of St. Malo,and the main topic of conversation with the race teams is the weather or more importantly the wind! Projected weather and wind reports have been flowing in for several days now, and are eagerly studied in their minutest detail. One weather guru is saying ”stay north of the Azores” whilst another favours the more southerly route. With no definate pattern emerging it may be a lottery as to who makes the correct call on the day!
One thing however is certain. The big Tri’s will be across and into Quadalupe long before the other fleets. Rough estimates with presently predicted winds are for 9 to 15 days for their race. The Class 40′s however will still be at sea their predictions being somewhere between 19 and 25 days.
Sodebo's Bow with New Graphics (Photo by Colin Merry)
I include in my report today a gallery of just some of the ”Cate’gorie Ultime” boats. ‘Sodebo’ skippered by Thomas Coville looks good with her graphics that represent childrens doodles! I had the good luck to meet Thomas whilst I was on holiday in Bali a few years ago. I managed to get an interview for C&A and he gave me a guided tour of his rocket ship! I for one would love to go for a blast, maybe one day.
Sodebo (Photo by Colin Merry)
‘Idec’ with Francis Joyon is another very powerful looking boat. Well proven she will be one to watch.
IDEC (Phtoto by Colin Merry )
Sydney Gavignet will be piloting ‘Oman Air Majan’. This boat is beautifully turned out and certainly looks the business.
Oman Air's Majan (Photo by Colin Merry)
As a complete contrast two lovely old ‘Gaffers’ lay near the multihulls and what a pretty sight they made. Respendant in perfectly varnished wood they were getting as many admiring glances as the ‘rock stars’ further along the Quay!
Two Gaffers (Photo by Colin Merry)
Also moored a short distance from the race boats was the all aluminium ‘Pen Duick VI’ Built in 1973 she still looks the business today
Pen Duick VI (Photo by Colin Merry)
With everything now completed it was party time last night for the team on DMS. Pete Tom and myself welcomed on board the main sponsor Dave Summers and his family.
Party For Main Sponsor of DMS (Photo by Colin Merry)
Dave’s company packages vinyl and CDs for the music industry, and a few years ago Dave made up his mind that he would get rid of all plastic used in the packaging process. I think to date there is only 10% of his packaging that is plastic but this will reduce to 0% in the next couple of years. This is a tremendous gesture and one which needs to be taken up by all packaging manufactures. Plastic never goes away or degrades, it’s here to stay! Hence the logo on the hull of ‘DMS’ reads ”PACK IT IN”. Just sitting on the pontoon she has had many asking about her message. Just wait till she gets her monster kite up with ”Barney” emblazoned thereon. A sight that will surely stay in everyone’s mind!
IDEC and Oman Air's Majan (Photo by Colin Merry)
.
