The Normandy Channel Race turbo-style!
by Denis van den Brink 15 May 2017 18:16 BST
14 May 2017
24 hours after leaving the shores of the Calvados yesterday afternoon, the leading protagonists of the Normandy Channel Race have already traversed Lyme Bay, leaving a series of iconic marks in their wake, from Saint Marcouf to the Isle of Wight and its Solent, or over 250 miles of racetrack, coloured by some extremely varied points of sail.
After a speedy Channel hop last night in downwind conditions, the duos are powering their way westwards along the South coast of England with eased sheets in a building S'ly breeze. Slipping along under the cover of darkness on smooth seas last night, the sailors are getting a real pasting after linking straight onto a wild sprint against the short waves produced by the wind over tide. Severely shaken about and seriously wet, the sailors are gritting their teeth, determined to outdo their rivals, who are in immediate proximity. The suffering is set to continue to the western tip of England and the Isles of Scilly, the rounding of which will bring an end to their battle against the wind and the swell, leaving the way clear for a fine session of downwind sailing as far as Tuskar to the South-East of Ireland, before switching onto a beat to Fastnet.
We're just 24 hours along the racetrack in this 8th edition of the Normandy Channel Race and already a number of lessons have been learned with a series of key points to underline. The race favourites are sailing true to form, moving up to the front of the pack off Hermanville. Appearing keen to make the top spot their own and set the pace in this illustrious fleet, Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde (Imerys) met their match in the English Channel. Indeed, at Barfleur, the British-Spanish pairing had to watch the French crews of Serenis Consulting (Galfione - Troussel) and V and B (Sorel-Carpentier) pull back into contention in the downwind conditions. They even slipped down into 5th place for a moment as they approached the Solent against the determination of the Norman sailors Olivier Cardin and Cédric Chateau (Région Normandie), who enjoyed an outstanding start to the race, along with the event's other 'locals', Claire Pruvot and Louis Duc (Calvados) along with Brieuc Maisonneuve and Eric Varin on Evernex-Delicecook. Taking sustenance from croissant time, Maxime Sorel and Antoine Carpentier really stamped their authority this morning, taking control of the fleet and gallantly hanging on in there ever since. "We got caught around a fishing pot again and had to bring the boat to a standstill. We pulled out all the stops and we're happy with how we've managed to pick off the fleet," explains Maxime. "Life has become more complicated and wetter aboard since we exited the Solent. Fortunately, we were able to get some rest during our Channel hop, as we don't know when we'll benefit from milder conditions again."
As anticipated in the weather analysis, the wind has continued to flesh out since this morning, brushing the fleet with a steady S to SSW'ly wind. The strong currents synonymous with the Solent gave the Class40s a good push towards the Needles and it wasn't until they were offshore of Weymouth that the crews had to contend with the hellish discomfort of the waves smacking into them head on, resulting in a rather spartan life for the sailors. "We're shut in down below," explained Louis Duc, happy and grateful to keep watch through his windows towards the front of the fleet. "We're slamming violently," says Halvard Mabire, "and the racket inside the boat is pretty appalling."
Already some four crews have had to retire from the race for various reasons. Groupe Setin (Cousin – Kerduel) broke her bobstay and is back in Caen. The crew on Obportus IV (Olivier Roussey – Philippe Burger) is attempting to repair her rig in Portsmouth. Simple VE (Philippe Magliulo – Bertrand Lemée) laments an issue with her solent stay. As for Britons, Peter Harding and Pip Hare on Phorty, the former has injured his back and is not in a position to continue on the attack in the acrobatic conditions that still await the competitors between here and the race finish which, at the current speed of the leaders, could well be done and dusted by Friday morning.
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