TeamWork (Photo courtesy of Oliver Blanchet / TeamWork)
David Raison has won the singlehanded Transat 650 on his innovative boat TeamWork Evolution. His achievement will be a milestone in the world of yacht racing.
TeamWork (Photo courtesy of Oliver Blanchet / TeamWork)
Start of The Transat 2008 © DPPI
The oldest solo ocean race of them all, The Transat™, born as the OSTAR in 1960, has been rescheduled away from its habitual 2012 slot. The event has been organised every four years since its inception, and has been the breeding ground for both technology like the multihull itself, and the heroes that have made the sport what it is today, such as French legend Eric Tabarly. Rescued at the last minute for the 2004 edition by OC ThirdPole, in 2008 the event became a monohull only race with a strong commitment made to the 60-foot monohull IMOCA Class, with the exclusion of all multihulls. With Artemis as title sponsor, the event was a great success and in particular a real result for sailing in the UK with a very well attended pre-start village in Plymouth, the historical ‘home’ of the event.
Start of The Transat 2008 © DPPI
Following the postponement of this year’s Istanbul Europa Race scheduled for July, due to insufficient entries, OC ThirdPole, a long time supporter* of the IMOCA circuit, has acted to help solve the difficult position of this IMOCA race. By offering to release to it’s organiser Olay Nautic it’s long established May slot in the pre-Vendée Globe 2012 calendar, it has permitted the rescheduling of the Istanbul Europa Race to 2012 with hopefully a stronger fleet.
OC ThirdPole will now re-evaluate, along with its partners, the future timing and format of The Transat™, with potentially a biennial event alternating between the historical solo and duo formats, supporting IMOCA’s key pillars of a round the world race every two years (Vendée Globe, Barcelona World Race).
OC ThirdPole hope that IMOCA will now work on a much needed long term strategic marketing plan and vision, in order that the Class can once again attract new sponsors at both team and event level.
*The commitment by OC ThirdPole to IMOCA over this decade has been significant between this event, the creation of the Barcelona World Race, and the organisation of the Artemis Challenge, as well as management of numerous IMOCA campaigns including Kingfisher, Skandia, Estrella Damm, BT, and Artemis Ocean Racing.
BT On Day Four Before Distress Call Sent Out (Photo Courtesy Of Offshore Challenges)
First alert 1020 GMT
At approximately 1020 GMT today, BT crew Sébastien Josse and Jean-François Cuzon have activated their EPIRB distress beacon after having suffered major damage following a night battling it out in fierce seas and winds reaching 60 knots at times. The skippers are in regular contact with Race Director Jean Maurel, and have reported significant damage to the coachroof, and water entering the boat. The MRCC are coordinating operations with the Transat Jacques Vabre Race Direction and the BT shore team, to ensure the safe recovery of the skippers. MRCC Falmouth confirmed that the RCC Azores was had sent a helicopter and a Navy vessel over to BT, whilst carrying out a satellite broadcast alert to shipping in the area.
This morning’s message sent by Jean-François Cuzon said it all, and takes its full measure in the light of this morning’s events. Having battled it out in waves reaching more than 8 metres of height, the BT boys were still ver confident this morning, so one can only imagine the shock it must have been for them to discover the damage. Here is what Jeff wrote, a few hours before all hell broke loose: “Impressive, the conditions are really hard on the water, 35 to 60 knots with a big swell (thankfully we are not upwind). Onboard BT, we just put our heads down and wait for better times, we just had a couple of gusts at 55 knots. Jojo has done a great job at the helm and we are now with only the main sail. We hope to get out of that terrible weather in the middle of the day.” With Veolia heading towards the Azores due to a torn mainsail track and Artemis also reporting a string of gear failures, last night’s storm took its toll on the fleet and BT certainly endured the nastiest blow, after having led for most of the race.
1400 GMT – Rescue boat 30 miles away
Jeff Cuzon spoke to Race Director Jean Maurel at 1325 GMT approximately, the situation is stable on board and both men are secure, calmly waiting for the rescue operation to unfold. A helicopter is currently refuelling and will depart to locate BT as soon as possible. Due to the conditions it might not be possible to recover the skippers by air. However, a rescue boat is 30 miles away from BT and making best speed towards BT. The crew still have their handheld Iridium satellite phone, and the EPIRB beacon is functioning properly, reporting BT’s position.
1705 GMT – Visual contact
The Ocean Explorer vessel, taking part in the rescue operation, made visual and VHF contact with the crew aboard the BT yacht…
1800 GMT – They’re safe!
After having considered all the options, decision was taken to use the helicopter aboard the Ocean Explorer and Seb and Jeff were lifted to safety and taken straight back to Terceira, in the Azores. A tugboat is now on standby, and all efforts will now be made to salvage the BT yacht. The technical team left the UK at midday and will arrive in the Azores this evening, with a planned departure Saturday morning to attempt to salvage the BT yacht. Currently the BT shore team have 15 minute position data from the yacht thanks to its tracker.
Race direction just spoke with Sébastien, both men are perfectly fine and getting ready to seeing the plane fly over them very shortly. The visibility is rather bad.
15:50 GMT
A scientific vessel is getting near BT’s position, and a plane should also be in the perimeter very shortly.
15:00 GMT
No more news for the moment, the rescue boat is heading towards the BT yacht on board which the situation is stable.
Rescue boat 30 miles away
Jeff Cuzon spoke to Race Director Jean Maurel at 13:25 GMT approximately, the situation is stable on board and both men are secure, calmly waiting for the rescue operation to unfold. A helicopter is currently refuelling and will depart to locate the BT yacht as soon as possible. Due to the conditions it might not be possible to recover the skippers by air. However, a rescue boat is 30 miles away from the BT yacht and making best speed towards the boat. The crew still have their handheld Iridium satellite phone, and the EPIRB beacon is functioning properly, reporting the boats position. �The website will be updated every 30 minutes (on the hour and half past) with news.
BT waiting to be rescued
The crew have reported that the coach roof was torn and said the boat was 2 thirds full of water. They have prepared the TPS survival suits and liferaft, and wait for the rescue resources to reach them. MRCC Falmouth confirmed that the RCC Azores have sent a helicopter and a Navy vessel towards BT, whilst emitting a satellite broadcast alert to shipping in the area.
BT activates distress beacon – rescue operation underway
At approximately 11:00 GMT today, BT crew Sébastien Josse and Jean-François Cuzon have activated their EPIRB distress beacon after having suffered major damage following a night battling it out in fierce seas and winds reaching 60 knots at times. The skippers are in regular contact with Race Director Jean Maurel, and have reported significant damage to the coachroof, and water entering the boat. The MRCC are coordinating operations with the Transat Jacques Vabre Race Direction and the BT shore team, to ensure the safe recovery of the skippers. MRCC Falmouth confirmed that the RCC Azores was had sent a helicopter and a Navy vessel over to BT, whilst carrying out a satellite broadcast alert to shipping in the area. BT is currently 210 miles North of the Azores, 42 10º N – 27 50º
Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson On Aviva (Photo by Lloyd Images)
Demanding conditions and the loss of a wind instrument have made for a testing fourth
night onboard Aviva for Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson. The British duo is, however, still within the leading pack of the IMOCA Open 60 class due to their determination and team work.
With the strong winds and difficult conditions set to last for the next 48 hours, Caffari and Thompson will need to draw on their combined experience to make the best of the situation until they can safely attempt to execute a full repair.
Harry Spedding, Aviva Ocean Racing Campaign Manager added: “Last night Dee and Brian were racing in over 40 knots of wind and big Atlantic swell. Just before dusk one of the two wind instruments at the top of the mast was literally flicked off with the force of movement. The other
instrument has been playing up. Of course any boat can be sailed without these instruments, but it makes racing a whole lot harder.
“Dee and Brian would have been relying on the instruments to ease the decision making on both course and sail choice. With the Wind Direction showing, a tactical shift in the wind can help to make gains towards the finish; with the Wind Speed showing the choice of sail is made obvious. With neither of these two things working Dee and Brian will be relying much more on their
experience to make the decisions of sail choice.
“When one of the two people onboard is resting, the other is on deck. When they are not driving the boat they are trimming the sails, and when they trim the sails for speed the autopilot will drive. Normally this would be set on a Wind Angle setting, so that the boat remains on a course relative to the wind. With no wind instruments the pilot can drive the boat on the compass setting, it is just less efficient.
Dee and Brian will today try and make a patch up that will last the next few days. However they will not be back up to speed for a couple of days, when the sea state may drop enough to allow one of them to go to the top of the mast and effect a proper repair.”
Aviva At Start Line (Photo by Lloyd Images)
The 10h00 race ranking positioned Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson, onboard Aviva , in sixth place, 57.8 miles behind race leader BT .
Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson’s latest diary entry received on 12 November 2009 at 0825 GMT :
“ It is difficult to write today as it is so bumpy. We have been through many squalls of 40 knots in the last night-time hours. We were waiting to tack when the time was right like so many of our little group we have found ourselves sailing with. We knew it was right when we saw a little shift and also in the position reports everyone else had also tacked, now we just needed a window of opportunity, that was a light patch to do our manoeuvre in.
I was grateful there are two of us because nothing seems so bad with two. 35 knots saw us tack
and that was the last we knew about the wind as we no longer have a wand at the top of the mast. Ignorance is bliss and without the numbers the squalls were not as bad. The pitch dark squalls had some clear skies between them and we struggled with the stars through the cascades of sea water stinging our eyes. We were struggling to see stars from vessel lights or maybe we are just a
little fatigued .”
Dee and Brian
Start of Jacques Vabre 2009 ( Photo by Gilles Martin-Raget)
It was only a few hours after the start gun fired in relatively gentle conditions off Le Havre that both the IMOCA Open 60 fleet and the Multi 50′s racing in the ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre to Costa Rica had a sharp reminder that fortunes can change in seconds.
After capsizing, already the hopes of Yves Le Blevec and Jean Le Cam seem to be in tatters after their new trimaran Actual is reported to have pitchpoled yesterday evening. The two co-skippers are reported to be OK and the boat is being towed towards Cherbourg.
Leading the Multi 50 fleet are the duo who set the pace off the start line yesterday Franck-Yves Escoffier and Erwan Le Roux on Crepes Whaou, gaining to lead by nearly 30 miles this morning.
Meantime it is the formidable pairing of Michel Desjoyeaux and Jérémie Beyou who have held the overnight lead in the IMOCA Open 60 fleet, now calculated to be just under three miles ahead of Kito de Pavant and Francois Gabart on Groupe Bel.
After the quiet start the IMOCA Open 60′s have been making good speed through their first night at sea, immediately into fast reaching conditions, already having made between 230 and 260 miles since the start.
Transat Jacques Vabre Start ( Photo by Marcel Mochet / AFP )
Foncia are set up more in the south of the main group, while Alex Thomson and Ross Daniel on Hugo Boss are furthest to the north and west as the race exits the English Channel and heads for whatever the Atlantic chooses to throw at them. While the early gains and losses may be boost or sap the early morale, all the teams know only too well that a ridge of high pressure will quickly require to be negotiated.
After their excellent start Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson have worked hard through the night to lie third this morning on Aviva.
Transat Jacques Vabre 2009 Fleet At Start ( Photo by Marcel Mochet / AFP )
François Gabart (Groupe Bel) – 2nd in the IMOCA Open 60 Class at 0800hrs:
“We had a relatively quiet departure but the breeze built as we worked out of the Bay of the Seine, especially around nightfall when we were off Cotentin. The night was very dark and the waves built. But as soon as the stars came out then it became a little easier and with more light we have been going well. The sea is flatter. It feels good to be at the front and eating miles, because the more you can do now, the more you feel like you are getting towards Costa Rica. Each mile is important and the idea is to go as hard as possible from the off and all the time we try to pace Mich (Desjoyeaux) to ensure he does not escape.
Dee Caffari (Aviva) second in the IMOCA Open 60′s at 0800hrs
“The wind was not exactly as we hoped so we all headed slightly high of course. As the afternoon progressed we were all very close and before we knew it the daylight had faded and it was dark. With the dark came the wind and a change of direction. In fact it so dark you could not see the large waves we were sailing into any longer. The real buzz came at about 2200hrs when we were surfing along at 23 knots alongside Akena. All you could see were navigation lights and the walls of spray leaving the bow wave. We were so close and both boats were doing similar speeds. It took us ages to get clear so we could relax again. With a cloud full of rain visibility was the worst it had been and we lost any navigation lights we were trying to track.” Now after what has seemed like forever, the sun has risen, the wind has dropped and the sea is left with a messy swell and about four yachts have reappeared. Just to leeward on the horizon we can see Foncia so that has made us smile with our porridge. Today we have light winds for a few hours before meeting a new depression and tackling the cold front late tonight. We will be busy today, that is for sure.”
Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson onboard Aviva (Photo by The Press Association)
On Sunday 8 November, British sailing duo Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson will start in the ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from France to Costa Rica , onboard the Open 60 racing yacht Aviva. The Transat Jacques Vabre will be the first competitive race since the epic Vendée Globe round the world race which saw Caffari finish sixth out of 30 starters to become the first woman to sail solo, non-stop, both ways around the world.
Joining Caffari, Thompson and Aviva on the start line, will be 13 other Open 60 racing yachts of which 11 competed in the Vendée Globe and three are British. The 4800-mile course, following the historic coffee trade route, will be the first time Caffari and Thompson have sailed two-handed together having been rivals throughout the 2008 / 09 edition of the Vendée Globe.
Dee Caffari said:
“I can’t wait to be back out on the water racing Aviva and the opportunity to sail with Brian as co-skipper is fabulous. We were so close to each other during the Vendée Globe it’s as if we’ve already spent a lot of time sailing together. We’re determined to pull off a great performance for the British”
Brian Thompson added:
“We have a quick boat and get on well together so I believe we will be competitive out there. With so many new Open 60s racing it is going to be intense, but very exciting.”
The Transat Jacques Vabre has twenty entries in total assembled from two different sailing classes – the Imoca Open 60 monohulls and the Open 50 multihulls. Previous editions of the race have concluded in either Brazil or Columbia with Costa Rica added for the first time this year. The new route will take the fleet across the Caribbean Sea, requiring both tactics and the ability to adapt to changing weather conditions, with the possibility of a light wind finish in the Western Caribbean Sea or even the tail end of a late season hurricane.
Aviva, the world’s fifth largest insurance group, has supported Caffari since 2005 and announced a new partnership with Caffari last month as the racing team’s founding partner. Dee is now actively searching for a new title sponsor to support her 2012 Vendée Globe campaign.
Caffaria and Thompson Grinding (Photo by The Press Association)
Dee Caffari
At 13:13 (GMT) on 16 February 2009, Dee Caffari completed a double world first by crossing the official finish line of the Vendée Globe yacht race after 99 days to become the first woman to sail solo, non-stop both ways around the world.
Round Britain and Ireland Record
On 22nd June 2009 Dee Caffari and an all female crew, including fellow British yachtswoman and Vendée Globe race rival Samantha Davies set a new record for sailing around Britain and Ireland – 6 days, 11 hours, 30 minutes and 53 seconds. This was 17 hours and 16 minutes ahead of the previous record set in May 2004 onboard Solune.
Brian Thompson
Finishing fifth in the last Vendée Globe onboard Bahrain Team Pindar, this British yachtsman exudes quiet determination. Brian Thompson has an exceptional ability to adapt to a variety of circumstances and knows how to get the most out of everything that floats.
Brian has become a key crew member on a large number of both mono-hull and multi-hull boats and among his many achievements are the Oryx Quest 2005, taking the role of watch leader on the round the world record in 2004 on Cheyenne and the Columbus Route the previous year on PlayStation.
In recent years, Brian has sailed a great deal with his compatriot Mike Golding and raced the Artemis Challenge and the Rolex Fastnet race this summer with Dee Caffari and her crew onboard Aviva, finishing 5th in both events. Rightly considered one of the most experienced sailors on the international scene and holder of 25 sailing records, Brian will be looking forward to joining forces with Dee and racing with her rather than against her.
Mutua Madrilena (Photo by onEdition/OC Events/FNOB )
Mike Golding will compete in the upcoming Transat Jacques Vabre race with Javier Sansó (ESP). The 4730-mile race from Le Havre in France to Costa Rica starts on the 8th November. Golding, who has competed in every edition of the biennial Transatlantic Race since 1999, was originally going to sail with Bruno Dubois, his long-term friend, team sail advisor and Managing Director of North Sails, France, but Dubois has elected to stand down in favour of the Spanish skipper.
Javier approached Mike a while ago to sail this Transat Jacques Vabre but as Mike and I have sailed together many times before, and I suppose in a way, I was the easy option! But after further conversations with Javier, Mike and I agreed that we ought to give him the chance. And a race like the TJV is perfect – not too long and not too short!,” explained Dubois.
Javier Sanso (Photo by Alicia Valino)
“It is a measure of the type of person that Bruno is that he has pursued the option to stand down. The IMOCA Open 60 class has really begun to take off in Spain, helped primarily by events like the Barcelona World Race. When we sold ECOVER II to Pedro Campos a couple of years ago it was really th e beginning and since then it has really moved on and there is now a good core of Spanish Open 60 sailors, and ‘Bubi’ is amongst the leading players,” comments Golding.
“He is an accomplished sailor in his own right with a Vendee Globe, a Barcelona World Race and two TJV’s under his belt already.” He added, “I very much hope that I might be able to share a bit of my own experiences, but I very much see this co-operation as a two-way street.
“The boat itself is in great shape and we are very keen to get back out racing again! The new Transat Jacques Vabre course [to Costa Rica] will s ee a change in the dynamic of the race and it will be interesting to see how we all measure up again after the Vendee Globe. ”
Make Golding (Photo by Mark Lloyd / Lloyd Images)
For his part Sansó is excited at the prospect of sailing with Golding. “Mike and I have known each other for a while, albeit we have never sailed together before. I have a lot of respect for what he has achieved in his career and am very much looking forward to the opportunity to learn and develop my own Open 60 skills.”
Javier will join Mike for the final preparation sailing in the UK and the qualification passage. Currently Mike’s IMOCA Open 60 is in Ocean Village in Southampton and has undergone a comprehensive refit over the past eight months.
Golding and Sansó are sailing the event unsponsored, and the team has benefited from the considerable support of Mike´s long-term business partner, Jørgen Philip-Sørensen.
“We are obviously now looking for a new sponsor to take us through the next IMOCA cy cle, and as such both Philip-Sørensen and I felt it was important to take part in this race as it is a key one to look at both our own, and the competition’s performance”, commented Golding. “By supporting this entry we will be able to not only do that, but also raise awareness of our search for a new sponsor.”
Thomas Ruyant, Winner Mini Transat 650 (Photo by Denis van den Brink / GPO)
Doing little jumps, a carnival hat from his hometown Dunkerque on his head, crying, Thomas Ruyant (Faber France) made a grand entrance in the Marina of Bahia. In front of the pack of journalists in a big smile, he started: “I do not like it too much and I do not know what to say in those moments. It was a great feeling when I crossed the finish line. A great moment of happiness.”
Thomas Ruyant (Faber France) has just cut the line of the second leg of The Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6,50. His journey between Funchal and Bahia was 18 days 20 hours and 16 minutes long at a speed of 6.92 knots on average.
After a good caïpirinha, Thomas still very moved talked about his race: “The difference, I work on it for two years. Two years of work to achieve this. We stayed in contact with Schipman and Delesne and it was really nice. We spoke to the VHF. But it is so difficult this Transat. Crossing the Atlantic on such boats is not really effortless.”
And he says: “I talked every day to my boat. I know her qualities and imperfections. She answered to all my expectations. I really took risks in the Doldrums. I was constantly at the helm saying, after there you will beat and you will rest. I really did not let go. I sometimes used my spinnaker even when I met with a squall. At this point I have gradually widened the gap. Then I made the crossing at top speed by helming almost all the time.”
We bring him fruits and caïpirinha. He is pleased: “That, that is missing. Food. That is so good. Now, what I want is to eat well, be with family and friends and… sleep on my belly. ”
What is the Mini Transat? Racing school, first step to become a professional skipper, life’s adventure, having the will to live closest to the ocean for over a month of sailing. The challenge of vanquishing the sun, solitude, thirst, hunger and fear of sailing without any external assistance, accustom the body to sleep by 20 minutes slots, optimize a 4m3 ” flat ” with an ocean view, kitchen, bedroom, and integrated toilets… The Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6, 50 is all that and remains THE out of the common race.
They all participated and admit that the transatlantic is the 1st world’s race to start single-handed racing. That race is subtitled: ” Get your Mini first! “It must be said that the predecessors are famous ones and the list of registrants can get you dizzy: Ellen Mc Arthur, Isabelle Autissier, Catherine Chabaud, Yves Parlier, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, Michel Desjoyaux, Loïck and Bruno Peyron, Yvan and Laurent Bourgnon, Roland Jourdain, Sébastien Josse, Thomas Coville, Lionel Lemonchois, Halvard Mabire… They are all here! ” On water, I really learned what solitude is because I had no way to communicate. When I finished the race I realized that I had made it by myself as a real solo guy and that everything had been fine without asking myself any questions. We become tough to pain… And crazy “, Thierry Dubois, winner in 1993 on Amnesty International.
Thirty-two years after the race was created, the 17th edition of The Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6,50 fleet began racing to Salvador de Bahia (Brazil). Previously known as Mini-Transat, this now legendary event brings together every two years, skippers of all backgrounds, (small ones, large ones and future large ones) in a spirit made of solidarity, and mutual respect with all nationalities represented! The Charente Maritime / Bahia Transat 6.50 race is the most international solo race with no less than 12 nationalities represented. This 17th edition will bring together American, Australian, English, Spanish, Italian, Swiss, South African, French, German, Portuguese, Norwegian and Brazilian…
Impressive! Really impressive to see the power of the Finot-Conq and the control of the skipper who is now 65 miles away from the second HP Schipman (Maisons de l’avenir-Urbatys). With in his wake, Francois Cuinet (Plan Jardin); François that continues to push his Plan Bouvet 2002, but that can only observe the maestro, the young and talented Thomas. He is now 74 miles behind! And it continues with the two plans Manuard launched at 12.53 knots for Bertrand Delesne (Entreprendre durablement) and 12.33 knots for Stéphane Le Diraison (Cultisol-Marins sans frontières). That have to do something, it is now or never, and they know it.
Yet, the accordion played its favourite tune once more out of the Doldrums and Thomas managed to establish almost 100 miles between him and the 5th…
