Transat Jacques Vabre - Class 40 weather stop confirmed

by Transat Jacques Vabre on 8 Nov 2013 In the Transat Jacques Vabre, on the strength of the latest weather files this morning, Race Direction decided that the Class 40 crews will stop in the port of Bloscon at Roscoff to avoid the impact of a big gale in the Bay of Biscay.

Racing at slightly slower speeds than the other three classes in the 5400 miles race from Le Havre to Itajaí, Brazil – the MOD70 and Multi 50 multihulls and the bigger IMOCA Open 60’s – the Class 40’s would have hit the worst of the gale force winds which are expected for the Bay of Biscay. The other three classes should have made it further down the course by the time the worst of the weather hits.

The weather conditions for today’s start are promising and will be favourable for the exit out of the Channel today, getting out of the Seine Bay, passing through the Raz de Blanc NW of the Cotentin peninsula and the Channel Islands. But the conditions will increase significantly as they pass through the weather trough and feel the effects of a new, big depression coming in from the Atlantic.

Both of the MOD70’s should pass ahead of this weather system without too many potential problems, while the IMOCA Open 60’s and Multi 50’s will have stronger winds, gusts to 40kts and over, before Cape Finisterre. The 40’s would have had winds of 50-60kts on Saturday morning.

While the other classes head to the Spanish point to catch the anticyclone that is forming there which will strengthen to produce good downwind conditions down the Portuguese coast over the weekend, Class 40 will be held in Roscoff until the weather clears sufficiently. The detour from the rhumb line course for the Class 40’s is around six miles. The boats will then depart in order of arrival across a line there, set off by the race committee at the time deltas corresponding to their arrival.

Crews are not allowed to take on supplies, to have any outside technical assistance. Boats may stop before Roscoff taking the same time duration plus two hours. The stop in Roscoff for the 26 Class 40’s should last around 24 Transat Jacques Vabre