Fonica and Safran first home in TJV Imoca class

by Event media on 21 Nov 2007
Michel Desjoyaux and Manu Le Borgne on Foncia crossed the finish line today (Tuesday) at 16h 37’05 French time – 12h 37’05 local time - under an impeccable blue sky. The run for the first place in the Imoca was as hot as the Brazilian temperature as Marc Guillemot & Charles Caudrelier pushed Safran and therefore Foncia to their limits till the finish.

Safran took second place at 13h 31’55' local time (17h 31’55' French time).

Michel Desjoyeaux - Foncia

'The victory was locked up in the doldrums when Ecover 3 lost her lead. Before that she just blew everyone away. Michel Desjoyaux compared Mike Golding to a fighter pilot.

When you are two sailors on board you do not hesitate to gybe and gybe again to follow the wind shifts that’s how we went back on Cheminées Poujoulat. When you are solo it is definitely a different matter. No major problems onboard but a broken batten and the engine that refused to start after the finish line ! '

When they crossed the line Manu Le Borgne turned to Michel Desjoyaux and asked: 'Is that finished, Have we won?' and Michel answered, 'Yes we did.'

Cheminées Poujoulat arrived 45 minutes and 30 seconds behind Safran. VM Matériaux is expected in Bahia end of the afternoon and Ecover around 10pm (French time). The 28 Class 40 are all dealing with the doldrums whims.

Crèpes Whaou ! crossed the line at 11h 29’39' French time after 15d 22h 27’ at sea.

Mike Golding and Bruno Dubois on Ecover are due to finish the 4,340 miles Transat Jacques Vabre Tuesday evening in Salvador de Bahia, Brasil, completing the first test for the new Ecover 3 in just less than 18 days, the longest and slowest race of recent years.

On current standings they should finish in fifth place at between 2200hrs local time (0200hrs GMT) and 0200hrs local (0600hrs GMT), but with Salvador's Bay of All Saints holding a notorious reputation for fickle overnight breezes, there are no guarantees.

Asked if he would be happy with fifth, given the teething problems short lead time before the race start, Golding admitted:

'Probably not. But there you go. I knew we were coming into this race as a bit of an outsider because of the newness but having been up there and it slipping away, that makes it pretty hard to take. You don't go out there not looking to win and we were up there, and it was our call whether to go east and cover Mich Desj on Foncia and we were wrong. We were good up until then and after that not so good.'