The Artemis Transat - Day 3

Open 60:

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It was a tough night for the IMOCA fleet, caught under spinnaker by gusts up to 30 knots. High speeds but also high risks - aboard Safran, Marc Guillemot crash gybed and might be suffering from a broken rib. Despite the pain, the Breton skipper stays in the race and says " I really want to go to Boston, but..." Meanwhile, up in front, the battle continues with Yann Elies (Generali) as new leader, and the first four boats within 17 miles.

Stricken but not down. If the whole fleet was hit yesterday night by tough conditions, Marc Guillemot took the most serious blow, as he explained over the phone when we were able to reach him this morning: "I was under spinnaker and the wind picked up, so I decided to reduce sails before it became too rough. I did, and tried to get some rest inside, but suddenly the boat went faster and faster, and eventually crashed gybed. I was holding on to the grinder pedestal, I had the mast in the water, and it took me 25 minutes to clear everything up. When I cooled down a bit I realised that I felt a strong pain... My rib might be broken, I don't know yet but anyway even if it is there's nothing to do about it. I'm heading south, but I'm not considering pulling out for the moment. I really want to go to Boston..."

One has to try and imagine the pressure put on by the close-combat racing conditions experienced by the skippers since the start - when strong breeze and severe gusts come into the pictures, the strain is massive for the nerves as well as for the gear, and the risk of a wipeout increases significantly. Then it's matter of knowing when to reduce sails... Too early, your rivals will increase their lead. Too late, you might end up on the side, mentally listing all the gear you'll have to replace once safely docked - that's if you haven't hurt yourself in the process. When the going gets really tough, the balance between the accelerator and the brakes becomes vital - and at that little game, Yann Elies (Generali) proved very good last night, moving into second place, making the most of his powerful Finot/Conq-designed Generali to eventually take the lead this afternoon. Happy with his performance, he nevertheless voiced some concerns regarding gear efforts...

For Sam Davies (Roxy), making the right move at the right moment was quite obvious, as she explained this morning: "Roxy did wipeout, but it was minor, as if to tell me it was time to take the kite down." Hearing the warning, the young British skipper complied: "I've put the gennaker on. It's actually quite nice now, but still 22 knots of speed this morning, I'm being really careful, I make sure i'm clipped on when I manoeuvre. These boats are dangerous, everything happens so quickly. And I really hope Marco [Guillemot] is alright now. I've had a broken rib a few years ago, it's very painful"

Tactically speaking, Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia has been coming back towards the pack since mid-morning after having escaped to the North, and crossed behind Yann Elies's Generali early this afternoon - is the Professor resting, whilst maintaining a favourable hunter-type position in Generali's wake? As Roland Jourdain pointed out in his column for The Artemis Transat official website, there is a very important "Mich' Desj' psychological effect"... So yes, Yann might be worrying and wondering what Foncia's next move might be, but no doubt he's also enjoying his hard-earned first place while it lasts. The game is more than ever a very tight one, Sébastien Josse (BT) and Vincent Riou (PRB) having just moved into second and third places, while Loick Peyron (Gitana Eighty) is about to engage in a match-race with Michel Desjoyeaux.

Jean-Luc Nélias's tactical analysis

"The skippers have many moves to make, right up to the ice gate. The first was without doubt the passage of the ridge yesterday, the second will be crossing by the north the low pressure system today, the third without doubt a new high pressure ridge with very light winds, and the fourth... We won't do all the work for them in case the skippers check this page... The detailed analysis of this complex weather situation that the skippers are facing requires intellectual concentration that they can only maintain if they get enough sleep. There is no point in sailing pedal to the metal, if you are going the wrong way. Looking at the positions this morning, the first couple of moves have certainly created some losers in the middle of the IMOCA fleet. The second move is coming to an end, and the positioning for the third move is happening now." Read the whole article here

Roland Jourdain's view...

"Downwind when it remains manageable, you put the big kite up and you're a happy sailor, until the serious wind kicks in. Then it becomes very nice to see from land or on the pictures, but it's another story when you're onboard, hanging on to the tiller, mentally reviewing the various checklists. And in that type of situation, the possibility of a wipeout is always somewhere at the back of your head, haunting you."

Open 60 Leaderboard: 14:00 GMT update

1- Generali Distance to finish 2337 nm
2- BT Distance to leader 11 nm
3- PRB DTL 12 nm
4- Foncia DTL 17 nm
5- Gitana Eighty DTL 18 nm
6- Brit Air DTL 41 nm
7- Roxy DTL 85 nm
8- Akena Verandas DTL 94 nm
9- Safran DTL 126 nm
10- Cervin EnR DTL 165 nm
11- Spirit of Weymouth DTL 168 nm
12- Aviva DTL 190 nm
13- Pakea Bizkaia 2009 DTL 215 nm

Class 40:

Having slipped south of the Scilly Isles in thick fog during the early morning of Day 2, the Class40 fleet has picked-up speed and is fanning out north-south now they are clear of land. Race leader, Giovanni Soldini opted to take Telecom Italia north on a starboard gybe overnight in 15 knots of NE breeze, gybed south back towards the main body of the fleet at around 0900GMT this morning, dived down towards second place Appart' City before gybing north again and the Italian now holds a 12 mile lead over the yellow yacht's French skipper, Yvan Noblet.

In the south, Boris Herrmann's Beluga Racer and Miranda Merron's 40 Degrees become increasingly isolated from the fleet overnight. Merron's deep southerly option was a response to sail problems: "Long slow night on 40 Degrees following a spinnaker 'issue', now resolved. Will catch up the miles," she reported earlier via email and soon slipped back onto starboard gybe this morning. As Merron headed north, Boris Herrmann kept south, remaining in 10th position, one place behind 40 Degrees. Having lead the race during the first night and featured heavily in the front pack during the early stages, Herrmann's sudden drop in the rankings was a concern and a flu bug contracted shortly before the start has been taking its toll physically and emotionally: "I've been sleeping a lot to get over it," he assured the race office this morning, "but I haven't felt confident enough to use the spinnaker or gennaker when I'm not on deck." Reduced sail, illness and a period during the night of just 2 knots of breeze have not helped morale on board: "I feel very alone," admitted the 26 year-old, "and I've never felt that before." In the afternoon, Merron gybed back south to rejoin Hermann and maintains a 3 mile lead over the German Class40.

When Soldini gybed south this morning, Christophe Coatnoan with Groupe Partouche and Alex Bennett's Fujifilm stayed north, almost locked together, matching their gybes with the French skipper reporting a visual sighting of Bennett's green Class40 shortly after sunrise. The British skipper was in an optimistic mood this morning, despite a difficult start to the race: "We have just crossed the continental shelf and are now powering our way out into the Atlantic at speed under Code 5 and full mainsail," he reports, averaging a healthy 9.9 knots over the past 24 hours. "Conditions on board are good and comfortable. I've been playing catch up with the fleet after I sailed into a light wind zone off the Lizard on the first night. However, it's a long race and I feel we are nicely placed to start making our charge from here on." For now, Bennett in 6th is less than a mile north Coatnoan, leading the French yacht by under a mile with the pair matching their average speed at 10 knots.

Further close-contact racing was evident as the fleet split and opted for port or starboard gybe late yesterday with Yvan Noblet on Appart' City sailing close to 40 Degrees just as Merron headed south. Noblet also had visual contact with Halvard Mabire on Custo Pol as Appart' City overtook, climbing the leader board to second place, 12 miles behind Telecom Italia. At the time, Mabire was dealing with an uninvited, feathered guest: "I've had a swift on board who has no clue about the weather and clearly didn't study the met forecast before leaving," the French skipper said this morning, doubting the bird's intelligence in setting off for Africa in an easterly breeze. "It hung around the inside of the boat and did a 'shit' on my computer keyboard before leaving. It was really very impolite and the bird should enrol in a course on manners." Currently in 4th position, 4 miles behind Thierry Bouchard and Mistral Loisirs - Pole Santé ELIOR, Mabire is sailing cautiously: "I don't know the boat well and I'm taking care with all the systems," he told the race office earlier, before asking for news of The Artemis Transat IMOCA Open 60 fleet: "As you ask me to write messages, it would be kind if you could give me news of the 60s in return," requested 52 year-old Mabire who misses the constant radio chat and interviews of his previous OSTAR, Figaro and Route du Rhum races. "The race is a bit like a video game on the computer screens of those onshore," he wrote in an email last night. "I'm beginning to miss the proximity of human contact."

The north-south spread of the Class40 fleet is approximately 120 miles and while Fujifilm and Groupe Partouche at the northern extremity and 40 Degrees and Beluga Racer to the south seem content to race within a few miles of each other, the middle block of yachts are keeping a healthy distance between each other. Simon Clarke took a long gybe north today before gybing south and has held onto 8th place since dropping behind Group Partouche early this morning and Prevoir Vie remains the backmarker, 79 miles behind Soldini in 11th place. This morning, the French yacht's skipper, Benoit Parnaudeau, recalled the first full day of racing: "In the fog yesterday, it was a sunless day and I kept my eyes locked on the AIS radar to monitor the commercial shipping," he explained, praising the equipment that is now mandatory in Class40. "You can see the ship's name on the screen, its speed, heading and the unit sends and receives a radar echo. I can tell if a vessel is a cargo ship or a fishing boat, so the system is a good friend in all situations." Parnaudeau has suffered sail damage and has finally made repairs to the overheating engine on board Prevoir Vie, but the 36 year-old is pragmatic about his position: "It's time to look at the weather and as I'm behind the fleet, I really need to see what's going to happen." Currently, Parnaudeau is 27 miles behind Boris Herrmann and Beluga Racer in 10th.