Deauville Sailing Week 2009 - Day 3
by Kate Jennings 7 Jun 2009 12:37 BST
4-7 June 2009
D-Day at Deauville International Week
Today was a very special day for Deauville International Week. The weather conditions were incredibly unstable: a 6-knot easterly at 14h, a 25-knot westerly at 19h. We hardly need to add that this meant a lot of work for the various race committees.
As far as the Farr 30s were concerned, it was time for the offshore race, so this made things a bit easier. All that was required was a start, a final buoy and they were on their way for 24 h of sailing.
As for the IRC boats, 2 coastal courses were scheduled. 2 did indeed take place for IRC 1, but only one for IRC 2, as their second race had to be cancelled due to the lack of wind.
Moving on to the sport boats, things were more complicated... As you may well imagine, it is no easy task to set up a course in the axis of the wind, when the wind is all over the place. But they were not to be put off and in fact three races were run.
Offshore for the Farr 30s
And they're off! Early this afternoon in perfect sailing conditions, the Farr 30s set off on their "D-Day" offshore race.
The course, a 116-mile coastal run along the Normandy landing beaches stretching from Trouville-sur-Mer to Barfleur. In the latest positions off Ouistreham, Nouvelle Calédonie was in the lead. Behind, Courrier Dunkerque and Ile de France were certainly not giving up an inch. As for the locals, Manche Basse-Normandie, was ranked tenth and clearly remains determined. A word of caution however. It is going to be a long night and there are bound to be some surprises…
'"Obviously, we're in Normandy. There's plenty of wind and it's raining a lot! It is rather tough on the competitors… The leaders are closely grouped together and each time we look at the positions, there has been a change of leader. Further back, the fleet is gradually spreading out, as the hours go by. We shall know more tomorrow at first light!" said Dominique Bérenger, president of the race committee for the Farr 30s.
The names of the winners are becoming clearer
In the J.80 boats, we find the same familiar faces once again. Vog is still in the lead in the provisional overall rankings, and has had some great races.
The top three today look very much like the top three from yesterday and it is likely to be the same story tomorrow, as unless there is a major upset, the three leading boats are far enough ahead to be certain of grabbing the top spots.
As for the K6.50s, there are no changes to report. Since the very first day, Matra Sport has been the clear leader.
On the other hand, if we look at the Longtze fleet, the suspense is set to last. After a great day of racing, Brokerline has taken pole position in the rankings. But the gap in terms of points is so small that the rankings could look very different tomorrow.