2015 Panerai Transat Classique - Day 13 - First boat arrives tomorrow

by Panerai Transat Classique on 20 Jan 2015 2015 Panerai Transat Classique - The coming hours are going to be long, very long. The trade wind has weakened as predicted. All the competitors in the Panerai Transat Classique 2015 are affected and their speeds have dipped below the seven knot mark. Also as predicted Altair, race leader since 11 January, has been hurt the most and her ETA has been put back to some time during the day on 20 January.

It’s a delicate situation for Stephane Benfield and his crew, under the watchful of owner Joe Pytka, because each minute spent in the calm zone is a minute gained for those pursuing their powerful schooner. And it’s an opportunity that Amazon is determined to seize. Olivier Pécoux’s crew, upon the advice of navigator Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, gybed twice last night in order to get back on track... and to hook a 1.75 metre swordfish weighing 15 kg! An option also taken up by Corto, under the command of Hacène Abbar and Bruno Jourdren, and she’s now sailing in the wake of Argyll, subtly managed by Emmanuel Fontaine, and Faïaoahé, the pretty Esprit de Tradition which Rémy Gérin and his family have been guiding along the northern route for several days now.

The other Fife schooner, Adventuress, hasn’t had her last word either and her band of sea-going cowboys under the command of Seth Salzmann are without doubt plotting a hold-up. To the south, The Blue Peter, worked by the crew of Bel-Ami under the direction of Mathew Barker, and Desiderata, the powerful Alden design commanded by Stuart Armstrong, are attempting to sail around the edge of the windless zone. It’s a bold move to outwit their competitors... if the wind doesn’t fail them too. On the middle route Oren Nataf and Gildas Mahé still believe in a podium placing for Gweneven, an ambition shared by Robbie Fabre’s young crew aboard Vagabundo II. Yes, the coming hours are going to be long...

Let the show begin

For the final leg of the race, before crossing the finishing line in Fort-de-France Bay, the yachts competing in the Panerai Transat Classique 2015 are required to approach the island from the south and sail between the coast and Diamond Rock. It will be a magnificent opportunity for the population of Martinique to see these ambassadors of elegant yachting in an idyllic natural setting, and a mouth-watering foretaste of the Grand Parade scheduled for Sunday 25th in the waters in front of the capital. A fantastic show in the making, and not to be missed!

Words from the water

Simon Picard, Argyll

'Hello boys and girls. After a ten days of lively weather, tacking and gybing, and DIY repairs of all kinds... Argyll is for the time being in third place, jogging along in light winds, but our trajectory is a good one and allowing us to log decent hourly runs. We’ve had the kite up for the last twenty-four hours, on a beam reach... averaging about 8 knots... Fifty or so dolphins came out to meet us this afternoon and swam alongside us for quite a while... (Happy birthday Jonathan, you lucky boy, seeing killer whales for your 25th). We spent the day in rest and recuperation mode. We did a bit of sewing too... But we’ve got a specialist on board called Paola... I thoroughly recommend you give her website a look at p50cuir.com.

As for me, I repaired the spinnaker pole which broke at the mast end... when a brace (ED: windward spinnaker sheet) parted. We were lucky there wasn’t greater damage done when it popped... We’ve christened our pole ‘Achilles’ because we’d like to see it hold out until the end of the race... As you might have guessed, it could be the heel that causes our downfall... Since that fateful technical failing we’ve been doubling up on everything, belt and braces sailing, and haven’t had any more mishaps. As things stand today, Argyll has the weapons to give the others a run for their money... Our northerly position could be a help... I admire the work Manu’s been doing at the chart table, especially the tactics... We’re always at the right place where the boat can perform to the best of her ability... Without doubt it’s thanks to our great age and accumulated experience (nearly forty transatlantic crossings with Argyll...).

We’re preparing for the final days of this edition of the Panerai Transat Classique, we’re on top form and have an overwhelming desire to do well. All the crew, Sabine, Laurence, Paola, Rémi, Alex, Manu and Simon, wish our competitors well and congratulate them for their exceptional exploits on the ocean.

Simon, sailor and sculptor of bespoke furniture, N° 1 aboard Argyll. For those who don’t know me yet, take a look at my professional page.

Fair winds to all.'

Nicolas Kenedi, The Blue Peter

'A real Initiation summarises in one word this crossing that has yet to deliver us its last surprises…

According to our Precious captain, Mathew Barker, after three days we could have been sailing in steady wind in our surf shorts but, here we are ten days later, still in our combat gear being endlessly surprised by the elements encountered…

Violence is what above all surprised us in this universe which for Henry, Jacques, Cory, Jerome and I (five out of six of our crew) is completely unknown /the violence of the elements that crashed into our boat, to which we had not anticipated its latitude /the violence of getting used to the sea which we believed would happen quicker than it has / the violence of its unfamiliar noises and creaking makes sleeping difficult and non-restorative /the violence of the pace imposed by shifts that always come back round too quickly / the violence of a continuous space that constantly collides with our clumsy bodies …

The day before our departure, a crew member of Gweneven happened to mention that during a crossing there is a casualty per day… We are at more than three. But this has only strengthened the solidarity of our little group which every day becomes more tightly knit and attentive.

Shift duties sometimes prolonged in order to allow for the tired crew members to better recover… An elegant Kindness has naturally been implemented on board.

The Commandment : 'The Cup of Tea Test': take 30 minutes of peace and quiet to reflect before any important decision. It seems to us that in our current world, where the second has become the grotesque measure, it’s a procedure to be put in place urgently…

Astonishment is the feeling shared by all after 2000 miles traveled. The red-moon of our first nights; the porpoises that on two occasions came to encourage us; the tanker that from far and by night looked like a second moon; sunrises which clear the weather, the pleasure of finally feeling in osmosis with the old lady aged 85 years old that is The Blue Peter; the touch of the bars under spinnaker which with winds of 15N, have finally become as soft as a caress. Astonishment of having exceeded our personal and collective limits in a good ambiance.

This big transoceanic race is not really a journey for the unexperienced… thinking about it now!

We have a better understanding of the high level of the crews who surrounded us at Lanzarote but, if we had to restart the adventure of the challenge 'Bel Ami', we wouldn’t change anything as this life experience holds all its promises.

One last feeling that is shared amongst us at the moment: the pleasure of our upcoming arrival in Martinique to finally release the continuous and necessary concentration linked to this type of challenge and the melancholy of soon leaving this world of purity, simplicity and serenity that the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, as well as this marvellous challenge, offers us. Nicolas Kenedi for Bel Ami'

Gweneven

'Everything’s calmed down. Rough seas have given way to a gentle swell and a moderate breeze. The light spinnaker is occupying our watches and there’s no question of using the autopilot. We’re jealous of every tenth of a knot and Gildas the Genius passed a rope under the boat to scrape off all the seaweed we picked up in the Sargasso Sea. Below decks it’s a veritable heatwave. Most of the fresh victuals are gone and Christian is doing wonders with tinned food. Showers on deck, it feels like a holiday, and a lovely peaceful moment after the tough first ten days of the race. All’s well aboard, except for some internet problems. All the best.'