Tour de France à la Voile Day 3

Tour de France a la Voile day 3 © Jean-Marie Liot / ASO

Tour de France a la Voile day 3 © Jean-Marie Liot / ASO

Belgian, Swiss and Oman successes

Ville de Genève Carrefour Prévention did well yesterday in the coastal race. Jérôme Clerc’s Swiss men did it again today, winning the first technical race of the day in front of TPM Coych. Another foreign team, Région de Bruxelles–Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest won the second leg; the Oman team won the third and last race in the Dunkerque bay.

Light airs and grey sky

Dunkerque has been rather windy since the start of this Tour de France à la Voile 2012. Today was different – the 15 boats left the tide gate in 8 knots of South-South-West. Nothing better to test the teams’ navigation skills. The current was equally important – a parameter for the tacticians to take into account in their strategic decisions.

The start sequence is key in such light airs and many individual calls were made on the start line. Position, protection, control: starts are one of the things the crew are the most focused on. The first meters you give away in light wind are the toughest ones to gain back.

Ville de Genève Carrefour Prévention does well again

Elodie Jane Mettraux and Jérome Clerc’s Swiss team lead the first technical race of the day. They rounded each mark at the front and have a confortable lead. A great victory and they are now closer to Côtes d’Armor Bretagne in the amateur ranking. They want their pink spinnaker…

Martinique Médiabat’s crew are keeping their promises with a 5th place. Mathieu Mourès’s team is helped by Rodrigue Cabaz, a Laser specialist now at the helm of their M34.

Bertrand Pacé gives a first victory to the Belgians

The second technical race was a tough one; several leader changes – from Pacé’s Belgian crew to Bred / La Normandie and Pouligny’s Oman guys. Région de Bruxelles–Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest take the lead in the last upwind bit and cross the line first. First victory in 20 years for the guys from Brussels! The presence of Pacé onboard surely boosts the team managed by Mady Fobert.

And the last one is for Oman

The third race saw another foreign success. The Oman guys of BAE Systems were 3rd in the two first races. They were in control in the last one. They led all the way and finish 16 seconds ahead of Courrier Dunkerque 3, who had a tough first two races. A brilliant day for Oman and their tactician Aymeric Chappellier.

Coloured spinnakers

TPM Coych take the overall lead blue spinnaker – Courrier Dunkerque 3 is now tied for the second place with BAE Systems. 4 points between the new leader and their rivals.

BAE Systems takes the technical ranking red spinnaker back. Ville de Genève Carrefour Prévention get the pink one for their new lead in the amateur ranking.

Tomorrow, the 15 boats will start the first offshore leg of this Tour de France à la Voile 2012 for Dieppe, Haute-Normandie. 95 miles, coefficient 2 for the overall ranking – a tough offshore fight to come.

Dock talk

Cédric Pouligny – BAE Systems
“We are cool! In such light airs with a strong current, the start is key. That’s what we did! Then tactics were great and we are back in the match. A day like this one is good for the moral, yet, let’s not forget the tour is won by the most constant ones. We got to keep doing well.”

Mathieu Mourès – Martinique Mediabat
“We were euphoric this morning, a bit less this afternoon! We’re really happy and it reassures us on our ability to do things well. Now, let’s work our constancy. Rodrigue Cabaz is very helpful to us – he knows the game and his presence alone is a positive factor: he calms the team down.”

Mady Fobert – Manageuse de Région De Bruxelles – Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest
“I’m happy! It shows that everything is possible. I always said we had a potential, we just needed a leadership! It’s a beautiful reward for this 20th anniversary.”

Bertrand Pacé - Région De Bruxelles – Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest
“We started off well, the wind was shifty. We picked the good side and were rather luck in terms of strategy. Truth is, I put a bit of pressure on them onboard and they’re improving step by step. I think they start to understand what the high level could be. You don’t get that in a day, it’s not only a matter of skills. I’m trying to teach them strictness and concentration.”

Provisional Ranking: (after 7 races)

1 - TOULON PROVENCE MEDITERRANEE –COYCH (FRA 07) - Fabien Henry / Tugdual Becquemie / 158 pts
2 - COURRIER DUNKERQUE 3 (FRA 08) - Daniel Souben / 154 points
3 - BAE SYSTEMS (OMA 4) - Cédric Pouligny / 154 pts
4 - BRETAGNE - CREDIT MUTUEL ELITE (FRA 18) - Nicolas Troussel / 151 pts
5 - NANTES SAINT NAZAIRE - E.LECLERC (FRA 6) - Corentin Douguet / 139 pts
6 - VILLE DE GENEVE – CARREFOUR PREVENTION (SUI 19) - Jérôme Clerc / Elodie Mettraux / 134 pts
7 - ILE DE FRANCE (FRA 1) - Vincent Aillaud / 128 pts
8 - BRED / La NORMANDIE (FRA 15), skippé par Arthur Herreman / Baptiste Choquenet / 125 pts
9 - REGION DE BRUXELLES - CAPITALE / BRUSSELS HOOFDSTEDELIJK GEWEST (BEL 2) - Bertrand Pacé / 124 pts
10 - CÔTES D'ARMOR BRETAGNE (FRA 14) - Josselin Le Moine / 123 pts
11 - TU DELFT (NED 1) - Pieter Van Notten / 110 pts
12 - MARTINIQUE - MEDIABAT (FRA 2) - Mathieu Mourès / 103 pts
13 - ISKAREEN (GER 11) - Christiane Dittmers / Sönke Bruhns / 101 pts
14 - FASCINATING SEAS INTERNATIONAL (RUS 023) - Léonid Klepikov / 98 pts
15 - BIENNE VOILE - SRS (SUI 22) - Lorenz Mueller / François Kunz / 70 pts

Provisional Amateur Ranking:

1 - Ville de Genève - Carrefour Prévention, Elodie Jane Mettraux / Jérôme Clerc, 134 pts
2 - BRED / La Normandie, Arthur Herreman / Baptiste Choquenet, 125 pts
3 - REGION DE BRUXELLES - CAPITALE / BRUSSELS HOOFDSTEDELIJK GEWEST, Bertrand Pacé, 124 pts

Provisional Technical Ranking: (after 6 races)

1 - BAE Systems, Cédric Pouligny, 133 pts
2 - Toulon Provence Méditerranée - COYCH, Fabien Henry, 133 pts
3 - Bretagne Crédit Mutuel Elite, Nicolas Troussel, 131 pts

Provional Offshore Ranking: (after 1 race)

1 - Toulon Provence Méditerranée - COYCH, Fabien Henry, 25 pts
2 - Courrier Dunkerque 3, Daniel Souben, 24 pts
3 - Ville de Genève - Carrefour Prévention, Elodie Jane Mettraux / Jérôme Clerc, 23 pts

Schedule (4th July 2012)

08h30 : Skippers' Briefing
09h00 : Leave the pontoon
10h30 : Start of the race to Dieppe

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Team BAE Systems boosted by good start to 2012 Tour de France a la Voile

Team BAE Systems moved up one place from sixth overall to fifth after the grueling and highly tactical 50nm sprint along the French coast off Dunkerque in the 2012 Tour de France a la Voile.

Team BAE Systems moved up one place from sixth overall to fifth after the grueling and highly tactical 50nm sprint along the French coast off Dunkerque in the 2012 Tour de France a la Voile.

Cedric Pouligny's mixed crew of Omani and international sailors finished fifth from a fleet of 15 M34 yachts in the coastal race following a demanding opening day of the 2012 event yesterday when they raced three inshore legs off Dunkerque in strong winds of up to 25 knots, which led to a high number of breakages.

Today, in a shifting breeze ranging from 10 to 17 knots, they finished fifth after an exhausting round of sail changes and other manoeuvres to capitalise on the constant changes of direction in wind and current.

At times, they were placed third but fell back to fifth by the end, a result that fulfilled their hopes and expectations for the day.

Skipper Cedric Polugny said: "It's good that our performance was in line with the target we set ourselves, especially as the course was tough. Of course, we're a little disappointed to have lost a couple of places but this is the game of racing."

Omani crewmember Ahmed Al Marmari added: "It was hard today, but we achieved a good result. During the race, we were in 3rd place and 4th place but knowing how strong the other teams are, we think fifth is a great place for us. Now we that we are able to be in the top group."

After a rest tonight, the crew return to the race track for three more inshore legs tomorrow followed by the 190 nms leg from Dunkerque to Dieppe on Wednesday.

Quotes:

Andy Carr, Managing Director, BAE Systems Oman, said: “BAE Systems has supported Oman Sail for a number of years, encouraging successful Omani training and youth development programmes. Oman Sail’s philosophy towards skills and leadership development fits perfectly with our own ethos, where we actively support the education and skills development of our workforce and in schools and colleges across our global footprint.
“We are pleased to continue our support to the Omani team in this prestigious and tough race around the coast of France; we look forward to following their progress and wish them every success.”

Cedric Pouligny - Skipper (FRA): "It's good that our performance was in line with the target we set ourselves, especially as the course was tough. Of course, we're a little disappointed to have lost a couple of places but this is the game of racing."

Ahmed Al Ma'amari (OMAN): "It was hard today, but we achieved a good result. During the race, we were in 3rd place and 4th place but knowing how strong the other teams are, we think fifth is a great place for us. Now we that we are able to be in the top group."

Alex Pallu de la Barriere (FRA): "There were a lot of tactics and strategy involved in this race. It is not easy because the wind varied greatly in strength and direction. But everyone has given everything and we have done well. We're really in the game."