Moderate wind and glorious sunshine for the Normandy Channel Race start

Slippers set for the Normandy Channel Race start © Jean-Marie Liot / www.jmliot.com

Everything is set to come together tomorrow offshore of the beaches of the Calvados region for a great festival of sport and sailing, with sunshine and a moderate breeze on the cards for the start day itself.

The 24 Class40s will set sail at 14:30 GMT from the mouth of the Orne River, Normandy, France, on a thousand-mile close-contact sprint, often within sight of the Norman, English and Irish coastline and likely a series of lively sections swept by the North Atlantic lows. It is an exercise greatly relished by the skippers who have come along from ten different nations to test their endurance and their seamanship in waters, which are known for their turbulence, their abundance of shipping and their many quirks. Boasting former winners, such as Nicolas Troussel (Serenis Consulting) and Pablo Santurde (Imerys), and a new ambitious generation, including Maxime Sorel (V and B) and Cédric Château (Région Normandie – LMAX), victory in the Normandy Channel Race could also go to experience, with the likes of Halvard Mabire (Campagne de France), Marc Lepesqueux (Sensation Class40) or Brieuc Maisonneuve (Evernex – Delicecook). Verdict from Friday.

The highlights in an action-packed race

The start of the 8th edition of the Normandy Channel Race will set sail tomorrow, Sunday, at 14:30pm GMT off Sword Beach (Hermanville). The low, set to roll across the Calvados tonight, will be slipping away eastwards at this point, leaving behind a zone of transition marked by little pressure. As such, it is the so-called thermal breeze that will take over in the late afternoon to provide the 24 Class 40s with enough NNE'ly breeze to make headway with a favourable current towards the Saint Marcouf islands, which must be left to starboard. Another low moving in from Ireland will then begin to make its presence felt, bringing with it a moderate S then SW'ly wind early in the night, set to build overnight. The rounding of the Isle of Wight promises to be bracing, with an increasing 20-knot SSW'ly. The Class 40s might well have to put in a few tacks, close-hauled, before the wind picks up again in the SW as they approach Land's End and Wolf Rock, a lighthouse that must be left to starboard. The western tip of Cornwall will then get hit by the strongest of the breeze in this first section of the race, since gusts of over 25 knots are forecast, bolstered by a very strong SW'ly swell. For now though, the climb up towards Tuskar lighthouse, to the East of Ireland, is shaping up to be a lot more favourable than last year, as downwind conditions are set to colour the duos' route across the Irish Sea on Tuesday. Another ridge of high pressure could form off Fastnet, reducing the pressure in their sails. In any case, the return towards Guernsey is likely to involve a downwind sprint thanks to the NW'ly wind generated by the anticyclone.

The scenario for this latest edition of the Normandy Channel Race promises to be quick then, and very much in line with its reputation as an action-packed event. It's worth noting too that with regards to its initial course, not a single edition of the event has been raced in its entirety since its creation in 2011, light airs or gales having forced the organisers to reduce the course every year. Right now, it would seem that 2017 may be an exception to the rule, with a potential 48 sailors hoping to complete the whole 1,000-mile course.

Understanding the fleet: vintage and latest generation

24 Class40s will take tomorrow's start of the Normandy Channel Race. In the space of just ten years or so, these boats have undergone a spectacular evolution, and the 2017 line-up for the race is a perfect reflection of this progress towards ever more high performance boats, albeit with a continued control of costs. Of the 24 competing boats, 9 feature the architectural choices in vogue through until 2010. In this way, the Rogers design, Groupe Setin, in the hands of Manuel Cousin and Aloïs Kerduel, was launched in 2007. Together with Montres Herbelin skippered by François Lassort and Christophe Souchaud, and Finnish boat Fuji skippered by Ari Kansakoski and Mikko Mari, these are the most senior craft of the fleet. Fifteen other boats, launched between 2011 and 2016, satisfy the criteria for power required by the latest generation. The intrinsic differences between these two generations of boats will inevitably give rise to several matches within the match so characteristic of the Normandy Channel Race, which offers the perfect setting for fierce, close-contact duelling at every level of the ranking.

Quotes from the boats:

Manuel Cousin (Groupe Setin):
"We're expecting a classic menu from the NCR, with a sunny start without too much wind, with the pace then set to rise in a crescendo with a channel hop under spinnaker and a building wind off the tip of Cornwall... Meaty! It's a very technical race, with a series of tricky sections and strong wind in the fronts. We're hoping to come off well in the light airs, but the new boats won't be favoured when sailing in upwind conditions with slightly eased sheets..."

Cédric Château (Région Normandie – LMAX):
"For me, this is a journey of discovery in terms of both the race and the Class40. It's also my first double-handed race. It's a new race format for me too, with some boisterous conditions to come, so it'll be a real challenge! The boat's very interesting. It's a steep learning curve, with some new points of sail for me. I'm loving discovering new things and sizing up the other boats... I'm here for the competition and to learn how to handle heavy sea conditions, like those we're set to encounter in Cornwall. Olivier (Cardin) is a fantastic sailor, who has a massive amount of experience and is highly competent... Tuskar and Fastnet? I've only seen photos of them..."

Pablo Santurde (Imerys):
"We're going to experience every point of sail; we'll need to be out at the front from the get-go to avoid the tricky sections... In this race, you never know where the weather traps will come from. Last year, the fleet split in two after the Solent. We were lucky to be in the leading pack. Phil (Sharp) is a very physical sailor, who never tires. It's great to be sailing with him.

Nicolas Troussel (Serenis Consulting):
"I always enjoy coming back here to this superb event, with a course that I adore. I've come to have fun on the water on what are some very interesting boats. I'm sailing my old boat with Jean (Galfione). It's a very dense, uniform fleet. It's going to be a great, thrilling race. I'm expecting an intense battle, where we'll hopefully be at the front of the pack. We mustn't fluff the start."

Maxime Sorel (V and B):
"We worked hard on the boat this winter and Antoine Carpentier and I started training two months ago, with a view to racing in the Transat Jacques Vabre together. We're coming to size up the competition with our sights on the podium. Antoine is a very experienced crew. He's familiar with the Class40 and boasts the experience that I'm lacking. I'll be influenced by his wisdom and moderation. It's my third participation in the NCR. It's going to be full of ups and downs and we're expecting a quick, lively edition."

The NCR in figures:

• 1,000-mile race
• 3 countries navigated: France, England, Ireland
• 3 women, Claire Pruvot (FR), Pip Hare (GB), Miranda Merron (GB)
• 9 nationalities: Japan, Finland, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, France
• 24 Class40s
• 2007: year of launch of the fleet's oldest Class40, Groupe Setin
• 7: record number of participations in the event, shared by Halvard Mabire and Jean Galfione
• 15: And to follow the race, the cartography is updated every 15 minutes: www.normandy-race.com/index/followrace

The programme for Sunday 14 May: (local time in Caen)

• 12 noon: departure of the first Class40s from Bassin Saint Pierre
• 12:25pm: last Class40 leaves the Bassin Saint Pierre – start of the parade along the canal
• 13:45pm: arrival at the main lock gates at Ouistreham
• 14:45pm: lock gates open and the Class40s exit
• 16:22pm: beginning of the start procedure
• 16:30pm: Race start