2015 Tour de France à la Voile – A day of exhibition sailing

by A.S.O./Tour de France à la voile on 5 Jul 2015 2015 Tour de France à la Voile – The Diam 24s were all sailing today in Dunkirk although the results won’t count towards the overall ranking. With guests on board, these exhibition regattas were a way to get into the swing of tomorrow’s first Stadium races.

There were crowds of people today on the beach of Malo-les-Bains. Despite the variable weather and the threat of thunderstorm, the air was warm and the first weekend of the summer holidays has already gathered thousands of visitors on the Race Village, to experience the new version of the Tour de France à la Voile.

Good practice
On the water, the fleet was divided in two groups to sail three stadium races, with a first start at 11 am. No stake in the rankings, but a perfect opportunity to practice before the Tour’s first official stadium racing day on Sunday. Some teams have competed in the pre-season events and they’ve had time to perfect their teamwork, but others have only received their boat a couple of weeks or even days ago. « Today was a learning day because it was the first day of the stadium racing so everything was a bit frantic for us to start with, but we just took our time and in the last race we sort of got most of it together. We’re definitely getting faster. We’re learning all these little tricks and watching the other boats seeing how they’ve set up different things so it’s all good. We’re getting better », explained Rod Waterhouse, skipper of Team OZ.

« Everyone has a chance to win a race »
Coming back on the paddock after racing, the only non-french team in the fleet is excited about the new race format… and realistic about where they stand and what they have to work on: «we are very fortunate today didn’t count towards the ranking because it was an opportunity to train. It’s an extra day to catch up. I think the racing format it great because there is always another race to get better and that’s what I love about the stadium racing. You’re never out of it. The beauty of it is that almost everyone has a chance to win ».

Multi skilled
But what will it take to lead the ranking overall and win the event? « Teamwork, set-up and good starts », says the Australian skipper. Looking at yesterday’s results on the coastal race, it appears that multihull experience can also make a big difference. According to Fabien Henry, previous winner of the Tour, now tactician onboard Beijaflore Sailing: « The winners onboard Grandeur Nature Verandas are Formula 18 specialists and they are doing well. They could be an outsider. And those who have sailed a lot on Diam 24 too. Match-racing specialists have an advantage on the stadium races. And of course knowing the race course can help too ».

It might be the reason why the Tour 2015 has attracted sailors from all horizons:
Olympic sailing, multihull sailing, match racing, offshore racing… All of them bringing a different experience to their team and offering them a chance to win. But in the end, what will pay off will be consistency. « You have to avoid making mistakes and being stuck at the back of the fleet because it costs a lot. If you can finish races in the top five, you will be fine at the end of the day », admits Fabien Henry.

And while Act 1 of the Tour de France à la Voile is in full swing in Dunkirk, the cycling Tour kicked off today in Utrecht, Netherlands.