Panerai Transat Classique 2015 - Day 6- Faster! Higher! Harder!

by Panerai Transat Classique 2015 on 13 Jan 2015 Panerai Transat Classique 2015 - Despite the physically demanding first few days of race the crews of the Panerai Transat Classique 2015 are continuing to push their 'old ladies' as hard as they can. With such a marked contrast in the strategies chosen by the competitors, we can expect changes in the trade winds occurring in the next few days to upset the established order.

A record! Clocking up 273 nautical miles in twenty-four hours (an average of 11.4 knots), Altair has broken her previous best of 260 miles in one day. Not only that, the big schooner has covered 1,000 nautical miles in the first four days of the race (an average of 10.4 knots), thus achieving the goal Captain Stephane Benfield set for his antique vessel in the days leading up to the Panerai Transat Classique 2015. Surely William Fife III, the genius Scottish yacht designer, would be delighted to discover that one of his creations has performed so well eighty-four years after her launch. And positively proud after learning that another of his designs, Adventuress, the doyenne of the fleet dating from 1924, is currently leading the pack with a few minutes’ advantage over Altair. Prior to the race, pundits expected a duel between the 'dragons' (nickname derived from the motifs carved into the bows of every Fife) and they haven’t been disappointed.

'We won’t give an inch'

Faced with such juggernauts, the other yachts in the race will have to redouble their efforts if they want to be in with a chance of a place on the podium... and that’s exactly what they are doing. The symbolic threshold of 200 miles per day has been exceeded by more than half the fleet, averaging eight knots, sometimes nine, day after day. And to those who thought the crews wouldn’t dare push their 'old ladies' to the limit, just take a look at the figures and you’ll be convinced otherwise.

Vagabundo II and Desiderata are hanging in there and their perseverance is paying off with a respectable fifth and seventh place in corrected time respectively, and with only a few hours behind the leaders. Argyll, the Stephens design from 1948, has swiped third place from Gweneven with a lead of twenty small minutes, and the elegant Mylne plan from 1930, The Blue Peter, is consistently logging 200 nautical miles per day.

Messages received from the boats attest to the single-minded determination of every watch to push its sailing thoroughbred harder than the next. For example, here’s what Oren Nataf aboard Gweneven, the smallest vessel in the fleet, had to write earlier in the day: 'We’ve been sailing side by side with Corto since sun up. She’s slightly faster than us but we’re a determined bunch and won’t give an inch. They’ve just put their big kite back in the locker whereas we’re still flying ours in twenty-six knots of wind. Lucas, Gildas and Clément have been at the helm and took advantage of the darkness to gain a few miles. We’re in the heat of the battle and overtook Desiderata yesterday, calling her up on the VHF as we passed. This isn’t a cruise and Gildas [Ed: sailed in several Figaros, winning some legs] has been baring his teeth...

Corto flashed at 16.6 knots!

They’re just as motivated aboard Faïaoahé, even if they ease off the throttle at night: 'We start the night with three reefs in our mainsail and the yankee. Sky’s looking black, wind steady at 25 knots, gusting 30-35 in the squalls. The forecast thinks there might be 40 knots tonight. So we’re being careful. And even with this sail plan we’re clocking up 8 to 10 knots with ease. We’re seeing less of the moon as the days pass. It’s a shame, because the recent moonlit nights were splendid.' Keeping more or less shtum since the start, Corto’s crew has been knuckling down to the job of racing. Bruno Jourdren, Sonar world champion in 2013 and 2014, silver medallist in the Beijing Paralympics and winner of the 1998 Transat Ag2r, is optimistic but remains lucid: 'All’s well out here after three days of very lively conditions, as you might have guessed. We decided to take things easy in light of the forecast and the expected sea state. We’ve had a few setbacks but nothing serious. The boat is once again 100 % operational. We’re currently flying the kite in a wind varying between 20 and 27 knots. Perfect conditions! She’s sliding along at 9 to 12 knots, sometimes faster. Corto’s record was beaten two days ago by Malik with a brief 16.6 knots. Everybody on board has found their feet. We are now in full racing mode! By the sounds of it we’re better off at sea at the moment. All the best, the crew of Corto.'

For Amazon the northern route continues to pay dividends and the big Stephens yawl is determined to catch up with Altair, sailing much further to the south, to claim back the lead in real time. With such hugely different routes, every change in the conditions has the potential to cause an upset on the race board. So far the big girls have been benefitting from the strong winds but the latest forecast suggests the trades might have a change of heart and cast a favourable gaze upon the smaller vessels in the race. So what are the trade winds going to do? If they ease off, expect the lighter yachts to play catch-up with their larger and heavier counterparts. This year’s Panerai Transat Classique is full of surprises and there will be more to come. Count on it!

Words from the sea

Emmanuel Fontaine, Argyll
'Hello everybody. Some news from the front! This morning [Ed: 10 January], the weather was fine. I’m happy with our position and, above all, the crew kept the boat going at full speed last night! Up to now we’ve been reining her in because we had a few minor problems, such as a spinnaker sheet chafing on the lifelines. We had to break one to identify the problem but now all the leads are sweet and we’re sailing better! We’re regularly maintaining 9 knots with spurts of 11 knots: everyone is hoping to beat the 11.1 knots we made a day ago! We’re sailing in 20 knots of wind, on a rolling sea and under a blue sky full of beautiful cumulus clouds! There you have it, all the best to you and the crews.'

Jeremiah Bailey, Adventuress
'[…] There are dings and rings, knocks and bangs, slaps and raps, whacks and thwacks, and all that just to clamber out of a bunk for watch. Clothing hangs from strings and beams. Footwear is up for sale under the writing desk. Wearing a pair of socks on a pair of feet means speed skating across the teak sole. Bum sliding has also been successful during boat-twisted-sideways heeling. The sole angles and moves and accepts gifts of unattended coffee, olive oil conditioning, swirling dust bunnies, rogue apples, and galletas con chocolate crumbs. Gear and harnesses go missing, are found, and are swapped. We give our fair vessel and a sweep and a scrub and an organizational whirlwind. Then back on deck we go for another stint.[…]'

Nicolas Kenedi, The Blue Peter
'Hi there. We’ve just entered the final 2,000 miles of the race! Champagne and cheers! It was really hard work at the start. We had a cross sea, gusts of 40 knots, and the boat rocked and rolled in every direction. Our poor stomachs! Everything calmed down this morning and we managed to have a big breakfast... It did us good. In the index of small miracles and simple joys we can mention a large factory ship appearing like a russet moon and a school of dolphins which stayed with us for about twenty minutes. […] There’s always something wonderful to discover in this marine desert. It’s beautiful. For the moment the adjectives have been inspired by the elements, such as ‘uncomfortable’, ‘brutal’, ‘violent’... But passion and elegance are still our watchwords. At least ten days of isolation and concentration ahead of us: it’s hard!'

Stephane Benfield, Altair
'[…] We are eagerly awaiting the daily update which has the crew excited, to see how everyone is doing against each other, who has been the big climbers, who has slipped back, I am sure today will be a new story again. Seemed to us that The Blue Peter had a very good day yesterday finding a cheeky lane fast and low through the middle, where perhaps others were unable to sail low, well done to them. Sailing deep is something we have struggled with in this sea way. This great Fife Schooner has been alive at times and has put several smiles on the helmsman's faces as we have pushed our way down the waves, she has also given us a few gentle reminders of when to back off.[…]'