La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro - It's Complicated
by La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro 8 Sep 2018 19:03 BST
8 September 2018
The third stage of La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro, from the picturesque Ria Muros- Noia in northen Galicia, 410 nautical miles back across the Bay of Biscay to Saint-Gilles-Croie-de-Vie in France's Vendée region started this Saturday afternoon in just the kind of light, complicated breezes that are set to prevail through most of this penultimate stage of the French annual offshore race.
When the race was due to set off, at 1230hrs local time today, the start line off the Real Club Nautical de Portosin the start line was mirror smooth, without a trace of wind. A delay of one hour then saw a general recall before the fleet finally started upwind in a light 6-8kts breeze. Britain's Hugh Brayshaw (KAMAT) was staying well within the top group of five boats through the departure from the estuary, Ireland's Joan Mulloy (Taste the Atlantic-A Seafood Journey) recovered from her disappointing start in Saint Brieuc as she lead away as top rookie. Alan Roberts (Seacat Services) opted for the wrong side of the first beat but was working through the fleet late this afternoon.
As they left the Galician estuary, moving into the open sea, Alex Loison (Custo Pol) and race leader Sébastien Simon (Bretagne CMB Performance) were holding west, offshore in search of a more westerly breeze they believe will come in. Anthony Marchand (Groupe Royer-Secours Populaire), Stage 1 winner who is third overall, had the smallest of leads at 1730hrs local time/CEST (UTC+2hrs).
A high pressure ridge, elongated off the Azores high pressure, is set to block the Bay of Biscay, sliding south slowly and providing only light upwind conditions as well as strategic and tacticial choices which may see big splits in the fleet on a passage which is forecast to take anywhere between 72 and 85 hours according to the weather models.
The first headache for the 36 solo skippers was set to be the passage up to Cape Finisterre, the launching point on to the Bay of Biscay for this return leg back to France. A low pressure system centred over the north of Portugal was disturbing the wind fields between the start area and Finisterre, and only variable light winds are expected. As such it may be Sunday late afternoon or evening before the leaders clear the northern corner of Spain, so light are the breezes expected to be.
Gildas Mahé (Breizh Cola) explained, "There is a lot of uncertainty about the start and just after. Some routing suggests we will only get to the Estaca de Barès (on the north of the Bay of Corunna) by Sunday night. But once we do get there the wind should settle in from the NE and it should be a bit better. Then we have to watch the evolution of the high pressure ridge coming in from the west as it will swallow us slowly."
But the first group to escape the light winds zone might get an early, temporary jump on the fleet by breaking into a NE'ly breeze first. But the further they climb north the leaders will also be first to encounter the slack, inconsistent airs of the high pressure ridge.
While most of the top skippers left the Ria Muros Noia dock this morning pledging to stay with the main pack and not take big risks - in part influenced by a wrong choice made at Ushant by one training group which suffered 10-20 miles losses due to the same weather strategy briefing - it might not be so simple. The evolution of the high pressure ridge may be key and the skippers' barometer - accurately monitoring the atmospheric pressure changes along the route - will be as essential a tool as the AIS is in monitoring what rivals are doing.
Wind or no wind, sleep and personal energy management becomes an accumulating issue. The longer the duration of this leg, the shorter there is recovery time between the finish and Thursday's 1300hrs CEST (UTC+2hrs) start to the final 150 nautical miles 24 hours finale.
Britain's Nick Cherry concluded, "You want to be careful who you go with (in terms or risk and staying with a breakway move. Now there are quite a lot of people on the results who want to wing it and I am not sure I'd want to take a big flyer with them. I think I'd want to be with the group, sailing fast and doing a good leg, taking the little opportunities, rather than disappearing on Day 1, getting out of AIS range and finding out on the next sked that I am 25 miles behind. I will try and keep it fairly conservative. I like the last 24 hours leg and with the short stop in Saint Gilles you feel like you are still racing. From the minute you get off the boat you want to be sleeping and leave the boat to your preparateur. And on this leg especially I am a bit inspired by the Redshift Reloaded team who have just won the RORC Cherbourg Race Class 3 two handed."
They said...
Xavier Macaire (SNEF Group) second overall: " I am expecting a complicated leg, the weather picture suggests there will be lots of twists and turns. And I am on the hunt, the hunter, but also the hunted. From the start it will be complicated, you need to be a bit inspired on the tacks to go fast all the time. It is probably true that I have a reputation for being better, faster downwind in the breeze as on the second stage but I have done some good work in the light stuff pre season and and the first leg reassured me. I don't have any worries in that direction."
Joan Mulloy, IRL (Taste the Atlantic A Seafood Journey): "The course is more straightforward than Stage 2, we go out of here, we go round the Isle d'Yeu and we go to the finish. That is quire straighforward. The forecast does depend on what will happen with the systems whether we have any wind at all, so we could spend a long tim floating around in the Bay of Biscay. I am looking forwards to it, I like the tactical upwind sailing, the looking for little gusts. Again the aim is just to stay with the fleet, especially just after the start. I think there will be some massive splits in the fleet on the Bay of Biscay, so be conservative between the rhumb line and the fleet all the time. The forecast shows very little wind on the Bay of Biscay."
Nick Cherry GBR (Redshift): "It will be light and tactical so its a great opportunity to get a bit of distance on the fleet and maybe get a good result on this leg. It would be good to get a good individual leg result. I dont feel any pressure, I am just going to enjoy it, I am reasonably quick in this and go and do my best. It is so fluid in terms of where and how the high pressure evolves that It needs a final look. There is a ridge north of the course and you dont want to get too north and out of the breeze and you dont want to get too close to the Spanish coast. It will really be about being somewhere on the rhumb line and taking the shift, making the most of what we get. I do think what we get will be different to what we have in the forecast now. You have to understand the weather forecast as they come in from the Race Director and from the MetFax, that will be key."
Hugh Brayshaw, GBR (KAMAT) "I am feeling happier and more relaxed this time. This time it is light and upwind. That is a condition I quite like because there will be opportunities to make some clever moves. And also I do think everyone will stick together more. I still have lot to lose and so a 19th place I would be hppy with so I am trying to hold on to that or grab a few places. I am not looking to risk to try and take five or seven places, say, but if there is an oportunity I'll take it. Otherwise I will stick with the pack and sail as fast as I can. I have put Stage 2 behind me. There was one big decision which I got wrong. That happens. You have to move on and take what you can from the leg, I was pretty fast and was up there in the top ten for a while, so I think that is what I take from that leg. I am looking to stay properly fuelled up and not get at all dehydrated. I have been good at the eating and drinking, I don't seem to have a problem with eating a lot! But the sleeping on the last leg was a bit of a problem. The last leg you were worrying about broaching or chinese gybing, on the first leg it was about keeping the boat going, but hopefully on this leg, I am hoping that there will be enough wind to keep the boat going a bit by itself, because there could be a tight gap between Legs 3 and 4."