Finistère Sail Tour: Final preparations before the start

Final preparations for the Finistère Sail Tour © Pascal Alemany

The 106 boats have safely arrived in the Breton port of Roscoff and are ready to set sail on the first leg of the Finistère Sail Tour. Old hands and newcomers alike are delighted at the prospect of a fine week of racing along Finistère's coastline.

Over the past week, the boats competing in the Finistère Sail Tour have been leaving their ports of registry to converge on the port of Roscoff, in the bay of Morlaix, which hosts the start of this famous race. Some have made the delivery trip in one hit, like the crew of Urukai, who have sailed from La Trinité-sur-Mer, south-west Brittany. Others have made the most of the opportunity to sail at a leisurely pace: " We left La Rochelle last Saturday and sailed along the coast as far as Roscoff, explains Frédéric Bourdereau aboard Charrette III, which no longer needs an introduction on the Tour. It was an opportunity to get in some quality cruising with friends!"

Whether they're crews that have formed for the very first time or crews very used to racing together, everyone has gathered in Roscoff amidst the wonderful atmosphere that characterises the Tour. For Jean-Paul Jegouic and his crew aboard the Armagnac Harpojic, this will be their first Tourduf: " I regularly race and I've known about the event for a long time, but I've never been able to participate in it for professional reasons. This year, I've only just retired so I jumped at the opportunity". Sailing with him will be two friends and his 16-year old daughter " who's coming along to see what the competition is all about." A little further along, aboard Compass, good humour is a prerequisite however, when it comes down to discussing results, it's no laughing matter: " We've done the whole racing season together and we're very much hoping to post a good result here!"

Raring to go now, the 106 crews will set sail tomorrow on the first leg bound for L'Aber Wrac'h. The Race Committee will launch the start per category, which equates to a total of five start procedures from 9:45am. In a westerly wind of around ten knots, everyone will attempt to cover the maximum number of miles before they have to begin punching tide from 15:00pm. At that point, the competitors are all too aware that it's going to be an almighty battle to make the first stopover port...

This Sunday evening, festivities are continuing in Roscoff. Maltavern will be in concert tonight in the Vieux Port. Tomorrow evening, the competitors will be able to mull over the action on the water with their fellow crews around the traditional Breton Kig ha farz (cooked dish consisting of various meats simmered in a broth with a buckwheat flour-based pudding), which will colour the crew supper in the port of L'Aber Wrac'h. At 21:00pm, the "P'tits Yeux" are set to hit the stage!

The course

Roscoff / Aber Wrac'h : Monday August 3rd
Aber Wrac'h / Aber Ildut - Lanildut : Tuesday August 4th
Aber Ildut - Lanildut / Douarnenez : Wednesday August 5th
Douarnenez / Concarneau : Thursday August 6th and Friday 7th
Concarneau / Port la Forêt : Saturday August 8th

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