MOD 70 European Tour Leg 4 - All psyched up onboard Spindrift Racing

by Spindrift Racing on 20 Sep 2012 MOD 70 European Tour fourth leg got underway today, Thursday 20th September, at noon. A decisive battle will be underway, as the five big tris will have to struggle in unstable weather conditions all along the 1071 miles course to Marseille.

Gibraltar upwind in gusty conditions seems the least of the crew’s concern as half a dozen of micro stormy systems plagued the road to Southern France. The good news is the open race with no marks imposed till the gun.

Yann Guichard and crew, his brother Jacques, Jean-Baptiste Levaillant, Figaro winners Yann Eliès and Pascal Bidégorry and multihull specialist Kévin Escoffier are all accustomed to the tricks of the Med. 'Anything can happen and one can expect huge gaps between boats in the end.' With so many windless spots to cross, a slow race lies ahead and Guichard does not expect to see Marseille until late Monday night. 'We’ve all taken advantage of yesterday’ day off to get as much sleep as possible' says Yann. 'The boat has been thoroughly checked, especially the sails and rigs. We are all psyched up and impatient to go.'

Spindrift racing crew for leg 4, Cascais-Marseille: Yann Guichard, Jacques Guichard, Pascal Bidégorry, Yann Eliès, Jean-Baptiste Levaillant, Kévin Escoffier


MOD70 European Tour Provisionnal ranking
(Kiel City Race + first leg with bonus + Dùn Laoghaire City Races + second leg with bonus + Cascais City Races + third leg with bonus)
1- FONCIA (Michel Desjoyeaux) 12+53+10+46+8+50 = 179 points
2- Spindrift racing (Yann Guichard) 11+47+12+52+11+42 = 175 points
3-Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse) 10+44+11+41+10+34 = 150 points
4- Race for Water (Stève Ravussin) 8+38+9+35+9+46 = 145 points
5- Musandam-Oman Sail (Sidney Gavignet) 9+34+8+42+12+38 = 143 Spindrift Racing website