Inaugural CIC Med Channel Race Day 4 - Take-off for some, patience for others!
by Sirius Events 30 Apr 20:22 BST
30 April 2025
On this fourth day of racing, the 1st edition of the CIC MED CHANNEL RACE has a totally different look to the previous day.
At the front of the fleet, the two battling scows CREDIT MUTUEL (n°158) and CENTRAKOR (n°183) made an express take-off, putting on the afterburner as they would say in aeronautical parlance, after hitting the twenty or so knots of wind expected midway between Sardinia and the Balearics; all the while tacking downwind, they set off at 18 knots towards the gate situated at the south-eastern tip of the island of Majorca, which they should reach in the evening.
At the other end of the fleet, the 6 Class40s struggling in the Sardinian calms have been trying their best during the day to make their way towards the forecast westerly breeze; at the end of the day, they are barely off the Italian coast, regaining speed and still have most of the way to go to the Balearics. Between the two of them, a pair that is part strategist, part lucky, with the now-famous No. 89 from Marseille, sailed by Mathieu Claveau and Victoire Berger, and the No. 135 from Germany, sailed by Chris Kerl and Patrice Pou-Pupp.
The fleet is now stretched out over more than 200 miles, whereas just 48 hours ago only fifteen miles separated the leading group from those chasing after them. This is the fantastic uncertainty of ocean racing, and the great attraction of Class40, which allows this type of suspense between old boats and recent technological rockets. The two frontrunners will have to contend with the dreaded calms off the west coast of Mallorca; will this cause the fleet to regroup and the cards to be reshuffled? The answer will be given tomorrow, with a Friday finish in Marseilles appearing to be the most likely scenario.
Find out more at www.med-race.com