50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro Leg 1 - Day 3 Morning Update
by La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro 5 Jun 2019 09:39 BST
5 June 2019
Loick Peyron, skipper of Action Enfance, during the 50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro Leg 1 © Alexis Courcoux
As the 47 strong fleet on stage 1 of La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro cross the approach to the English Channel, the main pack is now split into three clear groups which became more defined during last night because of the passage of the Traffic Separation Scheme off the north west tip of France.
Initial gains during the night were made by the most easterly group. Renowned French sailor Alain Gautier (Merci pour ces 30 ans) was credited with the lead in the muscular conditions more than 20knots of west then north-westerly wind and lumpy seas and Gautier, who was overall winner of La Solitaire 30 years ago, is still the most northerly and easterly positioned racer.
But after dawn it has been the leader of the middle of the road group, Pierre Leboucher (Guyot Environnement) who is setting the pace, along with the 2016 overall winner Yoanne Richomme (Hellowork/Le Telegramme). Briton Alan Roberts (Seacat Services) has re-established contact with this group and was 13th this morning having been as high as fifth when the east was strong. But he will be content to be back fighting with a pack having been left behind at Belle Ile in very light winds.
The lateral separation, south west to north east, was more than 65 miles this morning and growing as the groups forge different paths upwind towards the Fastnet lighthouse in brisk 18-22knots winds which are due to drop from the west today. The passage of the famous rock lighthouse is expected to be in light airs, calms even, and so the rollercoaster the big gains and losses which have marked this leg with top seeded sailors making or dropping 20 or so places over 24 hours is likely to continue.
New Zealand's Conrad Colman and Swiss skipper Justin Mettraux are 15th and 16th, Ireland's Joan Mulloy is well to the east and is 27th, Will Harris of England 34th and Tom Dolan who was top 10 yesterday in 39th but working within the pack investing in the west.
Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) said: "It is pretty bumpy and very wet. The sea is quite big but the boat is not too bad. We are very much in the middle of the course and so far from the coast and we still have a long way to the Fastnet. I have my waypoint set and that is 190mn so that is far enough! We are in the shift and we should tack north from here soon and make a fairly close tack to the Fastnet.
"Our wind files taken before we started are not up to date now compared with the conditions we are seeing. We use the weather we are given on the VHF and usually it should improve and calm down a little from noon. When we left Nantes we did not really see gusts at 25 knots on this stage and it is not easy to live like this aboard a Figaro 3. We get a little shaken up. I find it difficult to stay still in one position in these conditions because the boat is jumping waves and slamming hard. Keeping the balance, at night when you are tired is not always easy.
The fleet is quite spread out. I do not see many around me on this option off in the west, but given the rankings we had at 4am, I think boats in the East are doing well but the truth will only be known at the end," Macaire concluded.
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Standings Wednesday 5 June at 0700 BST:
1 Pierre Leboucher Guyout Environnement - 211.2 nm miles from Kinsale
2 Yoann Richomme Hellowork Groupe Telegramme 1.0nm from leader
3 Armel Le Cleac'h Banque Populaire 1.1nm from leader
4 Tom Laperche (Bizuth) Bretagne CMB Espoir - 1.6nm from leader
5 - Matthieu Damercal (Bizuth) Klaxoon M 2.1nm from leader
6 - Eric Person French Touch 2.3nm from leader
7 Corentn Douguet NF Habitiat 2.8nm from leader
8 Martin Le Pape Skipper Macif 2017 3.5nm from leader
9 Damien Cloarec Damien Cloarec Skipper 3.6nm from leader
10 Loick Peyron Action Enfance 3.9nm from leader