11:10 PM Fri 23 Oct 2009 GMT
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'Solidaire du Chocolat'
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La Solidaire du Chocolat is a Transatlantic double-handed race, the first exclusively for the Class 40 yachts. The race commenced on October 18th from Nantes-St Nazarie and will finish in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico. 24 teams started the race, representing entrants from ten countries. The race will take these sailors 5,000 miles across the North Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea, then onto the finish line in Progreso.
18 yachts currently remain in the fleet.
The three leading boats, Chemin?es Poujoulat of Bruno Jourdren and Bernard Stamm (first place), Thierry Bouchard and Oliver Krauss onboard Pole Sante Elior-Mistral Loisirs and Tanguy de Lamotte and Adrien Hardy's Initiatives-Novedia tacked onto port and were separated by just under 18 miles, as at 1600GMT Thursday.
Giovanni Soldini and Pietro d'Ali' (Telecom Italia), Tim Wright and Nicholas Brennan (Sail4Cancer) and Stephen Card and Shaun Murphy (ORBIS) tacked a few hours after the leaders and by midnight, the majority of La Solidaire du Chocolat fleet were heading west.
The top five places did not change overnight. Chemin?es Poujoulat, Pole Sante Elior-Mistral Loisirs and Initiatives-Novedia were the furthest south. At the 0800 GMT position poll just under seven miles separated Jourdren and Bouchard. Following the two lead boats in the northern group, Soldini and d'Ali on Telecom Italia were fourth and trailed the leader by 70 miles. Tim Wright and Nicholas Brennan on Sail4Cancer were in sixth place, 47 miles behind the Italian duo. Chasing Initiatives-Novedia in the southern group, Paralympic gold medallist Damien Seguin and co-skipper Armel Tripon on Cargill-MTTM were fifth and Jouni Romppanen and Sam ?hman, the Finnish duo, were seventh.
Bernard Stamm, co-skipper of Chemin?es Poujoulat, is preparing for the next weather system. Reporting 15-18 knots and averaging just under eight knots of boat speed, he reported, 'Last night was far better than the night before and the sea is generally calm, but chaotic. The next front will come through later today and the winds will build.
Weather models indicate that the new breeze may find the northern group first, but both packs are currently averaging matching, sub-eight knot speeds.
For Tim Wright and Nicholas Brennan in 6th place, the benign conditions have been a huge bonus. 'Finally some calm seas and a bit of sunshine today,' reports the skipper of Sail4Cancer. 'Just enough to dry some clothes and try to catch up on sleeping and eating and tidying the boat. Food has been good at least - had a yummy chicken dhansak for dinner.' However, the Anglo-Australian duo realise the holiday will be short. 'We're now getting prepared for the next low and front,' confirms Wright. 'And the one after...and the one after that...this is not what was promised in the brochure!'
Holding 9th place, Peter Harding and Miranda Merron on 40 Degrees have also been enjoying the calm weather. 'Normally we would complain about the lack of wind, but the respite from getting constantly soaked on deck was most welcome!' said Merron this morning. 'We took the opportunity to dry out, deal with some known leaks and make minor repairs,' she continues. 'Oh, and dine on chicken chasseur and beef and ale stew on the terrace in the sun...' In common with the entire fleet, the British duo is braced for the next upwind onslaught: 'Naturally, we are yet again gently slamming into waves, upwind to the next low. The Musto drysuit remains in use for the foreseeable future. It's time to read the tea leaves, and make offerings to the gods regarding the lack of Trade Winds to the south.'
For the group heading south, led by the Franco-Italian team of David Consorte and Aubry Arnaud in 13th place on Adriatech, the prospect of continuing light headwinds seems unavoidable, but the boats are now committed. In 16th place and currently averaging just 2.7 knots 85 miles WNW from Cape St. Vincent on the south-western tip of Portugal, Erik Nigon and Marc Jouany on Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides are happy with their decision. 'Let the professionals go north while we take the southern route,' says Nigon, although he is aware of the risks. 'It isn't going to be easy as there are light winds ahead,' he admits. However, the conditions are agreeable: 'The wind is calm now and for the first time we can look up at the wind vane and see the Milky Way,' continues the French skipper. 'At times like this, my thoughts are with the sailors who have had to pull out of the race and can't continue this wonderful voyage.'
Further north in 14th place, 70 miles due west of Lisbon and averaging just under six knots, Mike West and Paul Worswick on Keysource are aware that the southern route will be tricky. 'Heading south now - the weather is looking more and more confusing, but we're hoping south works for us - only time will tell,' explains Worswick this morning. The British team's southern heading has already delivered benefits: 'Spent time yesterday catching up on maintenance, sorting the boat out and giving her a good clean,' he reports. 'Finally got out of our drysuits which was pure heaven. Looking forward to some sun and when we can put our shorts on!'
While Gonzalo Botin and Javier de la Plaza on Tales have announced they will head for Lisbon to make autopilot repairs, Yves Eclaret and Lionel Regnier on Vale Inco Nouvelle Cal?donie and Patrice Carpentier and Victor Maldonado onboard Cr?dit Maritime are back at sea having made pit stops and are working their way south along the coast of Portugal.
by Sail-World.com and La Solidaire du Chocolat
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Cape Moreton, QLD
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