| BT leads Artemis Transat fleet |
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Light winds requiring constant attention on deck, thick fog and heavy traffic making for a stressful ride on top of the nervous tension generated by the tricky tactical situation... Welcome to the sleep-deprived world of The Artemis Transat! As the front of the fleet has now crossed the longitude of the Fastnet rock, the skippers - led by Sébastien Josse's BT - are facing a new challenge, expecting a shift, and as Jean-Luc Nélias (strategy consultant for the race) puts it, 'The race looks complex with many possible changes of leader.' If Armel Le Cléac'h's Brit Air made a very good move last night, taking over the leadership from a tactically inspired Loick Peyron aboard Gitana Eighty (first at Eddystone and at the Lizard), the fleet was this morning spread across 30 miles on a North - South axis, and the breeze slowly turned in favour of the southernmost boats. Vincent Riou's PRB moved into the lead, but only to be overtaken shortly afterwards by Sébastien Josse's BT displaying slightly better speed. 'There is more wind on the left', Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) told us this morning, 'that's why the northern pack is much slower than us'. Hence the little gybe Michel decided to perform right after speaking with us, in order to slide below BT and become the southernmost competitor, taking second place and threatening the leader. Speeds rose throughout the fleet this afternoon, and at 14:00 GMT Yann Elies aboard Generali (4th) was the fastest boat on the water, and had moved 2 places up the leaderboard since this morning.
Sam Davies explained during today's videoconference, 'I've had some Figaro-style sleep (i.e. a few minutes now and then), it's full on' - and the reference to the famous grueling one-design solo circuit is very appropriate, since the forerunners of this Artemis Transat have all shone in that class. Moreover, the first 24 hours at sea have been harshly fought, just like a Figaro leg. Which implies that, in close-combat mode, frequent leaderboard changes are the order of the day, especially when the weather situation evolves noticeably. The breeze is bound to kick in in a few hours, and Armel Le Cléac'h estimated his morning that 20 knots would be on tonight's menu. This afternoon, 51 miles in terms of distance to finish separates the leader BT from Aviva in 10th position, while Spirit of Weymouth - northernmost competitor - lies 108 miles behind Sébastien Josse. With the first 5 boats within 15 miles of each other and the promise of more breeze to come, the second night at sea certainly won't bring a lot of rest. Expert eye - Jean-Luc Nélias's tactical analysis The North-South separation of 30 or so miles between the leading boats is not insignificant, and the wind strengths will no longer be the same for everyone. Longer term the skippers must look ahead as far as 6 days already, and to what will be happening around the ice gate south of Newfoundland, to prepare the trajectory from here to there - even at a week away. Looking at the available weather information, the race looks complex with many possible changes of race leader. Read the complete article here Eighty's skipper, first at Eddystone, held his rank and was the fastest skipper between the first race landmark and the G.H. Mumm Lizard point gate. No doubt his Gitana teammates will appreciate the news... provided Loick is willing to share his prize! Dee Caffari, 'Fog is spooky' 'At one stage last night I could not see the top of my mast. Fog is spooky and I watched my radar well as there was still a lot of shipping close by. This morning it is now about a boat length's visibility and already I have had my first test. Once again I have had trouble with my power onboard, my fingers are crossed that this does not plague me all the way across, especially as now is not the time to be without a radar!' Sam Davies, 'rocketing along' 'Last night we sailed through a thick fog bank for most of the night. That is where I discovered a problem with my radar, which is very disconcerting, given the route for this race. I have narrowed the problem down to a short-circuit which is going to be tricky to fix (if it is fix-able). In the meantime, I have my active-echo and AIS, which both work well for shipping. I will just have to be extremely careful as we head north in case we encounter any un-planned ice. Otherwise, all is very well, with Roxy rocketing along under spinnaker, full main and staysail. I am trying to get some rest, however I have a little passenger on board who keeps waking me up by tweeting in my ear!' OC Events - http://www.theartemistransat.com/ A very happy Seb Josse spoke to his shore team this morning just as he was taking the lead of The Artemis Transat. Seb reports a very satisfying summary of the first 24 hours onboard: 'The light conditions at the start have allowed for a soft introduction. I haven't even been seasick despite being slightly sensitive to it at race starts. It accelerated quickly and we were in the heart of things before we knew it! But my first sensations on the boat are great!' explained Seb. The Artemis Transat is not only Seb's first solo race onboard his brand new BT Open 60, it's also his first solo sail onboard the racing machine! Three time round the world sailor, Seb shares his satisfaction to be onboard a fully competitive boat: 'BT is a great boat with a great touch, a good balance and a good speed. It's the first time that we sail against the competition and I'm very happy with the result! We can keep up! I've now got the boat in hand and that first contact was very positive, especially in a race environment! The boat and the conditions are so nice that I treat myself with a bit of time at the helm as soon as I can.' Currently sailing within sight of Michel Desjoyeaux onboard Foncia, Seb is very happy with where he is and leading the fleet is a motivation as much as extra pressure! 'Last night, we manoeuvred a lot as the conditions were very unsettled. But this morning, I am where I want to be. I think it will become more complex over the next 36 hours for the ones further north when we'll hit the first front. Weather changes quickly though and there are lots of uncertainties. All weather forecasts disagree! As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy with where I am and I see 'la vie en rose' ('life in pink') for the next 36 to 48 hours!'
BT Team Ellen - http://www.btteamellen.com/ Leaderboard - 14:00 GMT update 1- BT Distance to finish 2669 nm 2- Foncia Distance to leader 3,7 nm 3- PRB DTL 7,2 nm 4- Generali DTL 9,9 nm 5- Brit Air Eighty DTL 14,2 nm 6- Gitana Eighty DTL 14,7 nm 7- Safran DTL 22,1 nm 8- Roxy DTL 43 nm 9- Akena Verandas DTL 46,4 nm 10- Cervin EnR DTL 55,6 nm 11- Aviva DTL 57,1 nm 12- Pakea Bizkaia 2009 DTL 66 nm 13- Spirit of Weymouth DTL 108 nm
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