Mini Fastnet 2014 update
by Catherine Ecarlat 25 Jun 2014 08:57 BST
21-28 June 2014
Fastnet... or Slownet?
Calm seas with a few light breezes, a broad blue sky... fabulous weather in the Celtic Sea! These warm, high-pressure conditions don't suit the competitors in the Mini Fastnet, who are struggling to get their speedy vessels to inch ahead: no wind, no speed. At an average of 2 to 3 knots, the first competitors made the Fastnet lighthouse last night in rather a go-slow mode.
Damien Audrain and Pierre Brasseur (EPC – Rêves de Clown) have been leading the Prototype fleet since yesterday evening, while Damien Cloarec and Yannick Le Clech (www.damien-cloarec.fr) have once again strengthened their leadership in the Production boats.
Navigating in an offshore race with no wind is horribly stressful and exhausting. The sails hardly fill, sometimes not at all. An involuntary time-out. Then, a tiny breeze arrives and it's celebration time! You hold your breath, you fine-tune all the settings with your fingertips, ever so gently, don't scare off that wind... The very next moment, it's gone, and the sun is once again far too hot.
Don't lose heart. Stay calm, breathe and optimise time and again your speed and your trajectory. To be a great sportsperson, you have to concentrate on each moment, think of nothing but your immediate performance and not be distracted by the end result. Simple, right?
And, above all, don't pay any attention when the fickle breeze blows sweetly into the sails of your closest rival.
Patience and tenacity
The Mini Fastnet fleet is progressing more or less directly towards the Fastnet lighthouse. The leaders are about 25 nautical miles from Stags Buoy, located 13 nautical miles east of the lighthouse. At 2.5 knots, they won't be rounding the Irish rock much before the middle of tomorrow night. Patience, tenacity and the passing of time will be the order of the day on board these Minis – they'll have to stay focussed, think positive – and fight!
In the Prototypes, the advantage has been with Damien Audrain and Pierre Brasseur (EPC – Rêves de Clown) since yesterday evening, as they regularly chalk up a slightly higher speed than their racing companions. Since halfway through the day, they have been neck and neck with Luke Berry and Pierre Denjean (Wild Side) 2nd, and Davy Beaudart/David Raison (Cultisol), who this morning came back to the head of the fleet in 3rd position. Jean-Baptiste Daramy and Pierre-François Dargniès (Chocolats Paries – Sygespro) are just on their heels – or their transom, at any rate. These four are all bunched within 2 nautical miles. The VHF must be earning its keep!
The nine other Prototypes are battling it out in their wake. Six are making headway right in amongst the Production boats. Jean-Christophe Allo and Diane Dhome (Reality) are bringing up to rear 35 nautical miles further back.
In the Production boats, nothing's changed. Damien Cloarec and Yannick Le Clech (www.damien-cloarec.fr) persist and are leaving their mark. This duo from Carantec is proving rapid and effective. This afternoon, they have a 4-nautical-mile lead on their would-be contenders Jonas Gerckens and Thibault Reinhart (Netwerk), who have pulled it back from the brink. Arnaud Machado and Jimmy Pahun (Velasco II Du Léman à l'Océan.com) 2 nautical miles back are in 3rd position. A change in the wind has forced them to tack around to the north since 4pm – and at 4 knots, it becomes a triple punishment. Ones to watch: Quentin Vlamynck and Loïc Coudret (quentinvlamynck.fr) in 4th position, who have decided to head westwards.
The pack of Production boats is relatively closely grouped: Juan-Mari Odriozola and Albert Lagneaux (Donostia 2016) in 20th position are still less than 30 nautical miles from the leaders.
Tomorrow's another day
The next few hours are likely to be long indeed for the competitors of the Mini Fastnet. The wind isn't due to lift before tomorrow daytime, with the arrival of a low-pressure system. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that the breeze will be south-westerly so the spinnakers won't be out yet, at least, not for a while!
Still, the breeze should be backing westerly later. After triple punishment, time for triple fun!
www.winchesclub.com/minis650/fastnet650