Solo Concarneau Trophée Guy Cotten - Day 1
by Artemis Offshore Academy 8 May 2015 18:09 BST
7-9 May 2015
Start of the 2015 Solo Concarneau Trophée Guy Cotten © Artemis Offshore Academy
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At 1408 BST on Thursday 7th May, the Artemis Offshore Academy's eight British Figaro skippers set off on the 330nm Solo Concarneau Trophée Guy Cotten. Starting from Concarneau, 34 skippers enjoyed a relatively straightforward start with 8 knots and calm waters. Self-confessed slow starter Jack Bouttell (GAC Concise) broke from the norm and was the first British skipper over the line on port, while the majority of the British fleet favoured the starboard side of the course. In the end hanging right paid off and Chatham skipper Sam Matson, Alan Roberts (Magma Structures) and Rookie Rob Bunce (Artemis 37) all rounded the first turning mark inside the top 10. Redshift skipper Nick Cherry set his sights high early on, chasing double Solitaire winner Yann Eliés to the mark and also rounded inside the top 10, with Rookies Robin Elsey (Artemis 43) and Andrew Baker (Artemis 23) close behind. It was not a great start for Rockfish Red skipper Henry Bomby, last over the line and last to the first mark, but there is still plenty of time to catch up.
With a warm front set to 'bring the rain' on the first night of racing, reactions to a sharp shift in the wind in the strong tides of the Raz de Sein could define the race early on. Already faced with a difficult course along the rugged French Atlantic coast between rocks, fish farms and islands, a complicated weather forecast only adds to the challenge as Nick explained: "The wind looks pretty interesting with two weather systems moving through – a warm front on the first night and cold on the second. Combined with the obstacles out on the course, there probably won't be a lot of sleep happening. The warm front will cause the wind to drop and shift, the effect this will have will depend on where we are on the course – it's really tidal north around the Raz de Sein and Ushant. The cold shift will take things up a gear as we start to tire, we're forecast heavy gales into the second day."
The Solo Concarneau – Trophée Guy Cotten is the third and final training race for the skippers ahead of the 2185 mile Solitaire du Figaro – Eric Bompard Cachemire. At 330 miles, the race is shorter than any one of the Solitaire's four race legs sailed back to back over the course of one month. However, although short, the Solo Concarneau course is anything but sweet. Taking the fleet from Concarneau through the rocky Glénans Archipelago, the notoriously tidal Raz de Sain to Ushant and around Belle Île and Île d'Yeu, an island described by Jack as 'carnage', the skippers have been saved the best until last as Sam explained: "This route can be a bit of a nightmare because there are so many fishing boats around. They often fish 24 hours a day and in pairs so you kind of sail into fleets of fishing boats! The coastline is also pretty rocky and there's lots of tide – a lot of the time you're trying to get out of the tide so you're playing around the rocks, trying not to hit them. In this race, navigation is really key."
For the Rookies Andrew, Robin and Rob, the race is a great last rehearsal ahead of the Solitaire du Figaro starting May 31st. Two races down and with just one to go, the knowledge they will compete in the Solitaire has instilled a new confidence in the Rookies ahead of the Solo Concarneau. No longer trying to earn their place on the start line, they are now keen to prove they deserve it: "Knowing I'm competing in the Solitaire du Figaro actually takes a bit of the pressure off," Andrew revealed. "It makes you look at the other Rookies differently, and keeps you focused on them as your main competitors. It makes you want to show them that you're one to watch."
In an attempt to inspire the squad ahead of their penultimate race, Academy Event Coach Marcus Hutchinson took the sailors to see the brand new state of the art SMA IMOCA 60, sailed by top Figarist Paul Meilhat: "Visiting the SMA boat was really inspiring," Sam enthused. "For many the Figaro is a training ground and a way to work towards the Vendée Globe, that is my ultimate goal. To see what has been done to make the boat fast and all the added touches to make a solo sailor's life easier was really interesting. I hope one day I can show Academy sailors around my own IMOCA 60. That is the dream."
The 34 Solo Concarneau – Trophée Guy Cotten competitors are set to finish the race on Saturday 9th May, weather depending. You can track the race here: yb.tl/solo2015
Skipper quotes:
"My previous races from this season have all been pretty progressive, but I have had some issues with starting slow and then having to work my way through the fleet. This time I'm hoping to get a good start and first 12 hours, start from the middle and sail well from there." – Sam Matson, Chatham Marine
"In the last race I really struggled with sleep. I got quite lazy, ended up sleeping too much and wasn't as effective as I could've been. This time I'm going to drink lots of coffee, listen to loud music and possibly splash a glass of water on my face to keep me awake!" – Nick Cherry, Redshift
"It's generally a pretty tough course for sleeping because it's hard for the autopilot to sail the boat quickly in certain places, so picking sleeping times really important. I think I'm just going to whack on the right playlist and battle through it – eating a lot helps." – Alan Roberts, Magma Structures
"I've been working with a specialist putting together a menu for this race. Past experience has really shown me the importance of eating well whilst sailing, and I think this has really influenced my approach to this race." – Jack Bouttell, GAC Concise
"I've learnt that I'm not great at making good decisions. I need to stay with the fleet and let my pace do the work without getting frustrated. I need to sail well at key times when speed differences across the fleet are biggest – for example, tight kite reaching in big breeze. It's actually a strong point of mine, so I hope we get lots of it!" – Henry Bomby, Rockfish
"I'll probably get very little sleep over the first day and a half because changes in the wind will require me to be out on deck. I think those first 60 miles are going to be hard. The tides are really fast and we have to sail through quite a narrow gap, so it'll be pretty difficult." – Rob Bunce, Artemis 37 (Rookie)
"Victoria the penguin is doing pretty well! She's been a bit bored recently but she's looking forward to the race, sitting on top of the nav desk!" – Robin Elsey, Artemis 43 (Rookie)
"I'm going to trust my gut instincts a lot more in this race. In my last race, I was making a lot of the right decisions before deciding not to go through with them because I thought I was being too conservative. That really backfired! This time, I'm a lot more confident in myself which can only be a good thing!" – Andrew Baker, Artemis 23 (Rookie)
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