Foncia review MOD70 European Tour Leg 1
by Multi One Design 7 Sep 2012 08:59 BST
7 September 2012
A true epic, the first leg of the European Tour for the MOD 70s resulted in the second victory in a row for Team FONCIA, at 2319 UTC last night, amidst a zone of calms off the shores of Ireland. This flawless performance since the start of the Kiel City Race has enabled Michel Desjoyeaux and his men to consolidate their position as leader of the overall standing. However, there is still a long way to go between now and the event's climax in Genoa in early October. During the Irish stopover, Thursday will be the only rest day for the circuit's 5 crews. On Friday, everyone will be back on deck for a series of races in the bay surrounding Dun Laoghaire. After a short night of sleep, Michel Desjoyeaux reviewed the intensity of this first round...
Review of a breathtaking finale
"Some 20 miles from Dun Laoghaire, as the wind was easing, we found ourselves neck and neck with Spindrift (Yann Guichard and his team had led from the northern tip of Denmark). We clawed back our lost ground centimetre by centimetre. Everyone was on deck, keeping an eye on the boat's trim and the sail trimming, with Manu (Le Borgne) focused at the helm. We maybe took an hour and a half to gain 150 metres and we ended up overtaking them level with Kish Bank lighthouse. Then 2.5 miles from the line (4.5km), the wind completely vanished. The only way for us to make headway was to drift in, meantime Spindrift was coming back on us with a puff of breeze. We crossed the line virtually at a standstill, with a 31-second lead! It was a fantastic finale. We had to battle right to the finish. We worked hard for this victory!"
A few incidents along the way
A gennaker halyard broke in the Celtic Sea, which called for two ascents of the 27-metre high mast, and they had an unexpected encounter between a shark and one of the trimaran's rudders, which sent FONCIA's crew into a cold sweat. Indeed, over the 1,238 miles and 3 days, 10 hours and 19 minutes of racing, they were sailing within sight of their two main rivals. It was necessary to battle not to get overtaken by Sébastien Josse (Edmond de Rothschild Group), who was a really threat all the way to the finish, and also to try and make up our 10-mile deficit in relation to Spindrift... as well as win the leg.
Constantly intense
"You had to constantly put in manoeuvres and adapt to the very varied conditions. Upwind, light airs, strong winds with peaks of speed of 35 knots and numerous obstacles along the way: shipping, fields of wind turbines and oil barges. You had to have stamina. There were small coups to be had each time, but no real blinders. There were opportunities not be missed if you wanted to avoid losing ground. It was constantly intense. All the crews are really top players. If the rhythm remains as it is for the next four legs, we'll be in a sorry state by the time we reach Genoa!"
The satisfaction
"Sailing within contact of the boats made us really think about how to make up for any dips in speed. We've managed to find the right control buttons for a certain number of things and today we're among the fastest on the water. We have a highly motivated crew, which really digs deep, and that enables us to ensure we're up for a fight the whole time. Even when wemake mistakes, we quickly move on from them. Added to that, these victories have given us the energy to really commit ourselves to the task at hand. However, the points we've racked up for the provisional standing don't really carry much weight."
24 hours' rest before returning to the battlefield
This Thursday was the only rest day during this Irish stopover. In Dun Laoghaire, the focus is on regaining strength and vitality. For Michel Desjoyeaux, Charles Caudrelier, Xavier Revil, Thierry Chabagny, Antoine Carraz and Manu Le Borgne, siestas and massages have been the order of the day (Aymeric Rabadeux, their physio-osteopath is accompanying them throughout the event). The MOD70 FONCIA is in good condition thankfully. Indeed, from tomorrow through until Saturday, the fleet will be back in action to compete in a series of races around the bay (City Races). The two grinders, Nicolas Texier and Julien Falxa, will be back onboard for this inshore competition. On Sunday at 1300 UTC, they'll be off again, this time on the second offshore leg: 1,215 miles bound for Cascais (Portugal).
The standing for the first leg
1. FONCIA - Race time: 3d 10h 49mn 9sec
2. Spindrift Racing : 31 seconds astern of the winner
3. Edmond de Rothschild Group : 1 minute 17 seconds astern of the winner
4. Race for Water : 35 minutes and 16 seconds astern of the winner
5. Musandam-Oman Sail : 1 hour 34 minutes 51 seconds
Provisional overall standing for the European Tour
1. FONCIA : 65 points
2. Spindrift Racing : 58 pts
3. Edmond de Rothschild Group : 54 pts
4. Musandam Oman Sail : 43 pts
The Irish Programme
Friday 7 September - Dublin City Races and/or Speed Matches
Saturday 8 September - Dublin City Races and/or Speed Matches
Sunday 9 September - Start of the offshore leg 2 Dun Laoghaire, Dublin Bay-Cascais