Time to examine outcome for Vendée Globe after exciting transat race

by OB / Mer and Media on 20 May 2016 Finishing in fourth place on Monday evening in New York, Paul Meilhat was the final IMOCA competitor to complete The Transat, which was won by Armel Le Cléac’h, who came in ahead of Vincent Riou and Jean-Pierre Dick. There were two more qualifications for the Vendée Globe, two boats forced to retire and lots to learn about the foils and the condition of the sailors. After a highly instructive and exciting transatlantic race, it’s time to examine the outcome.

Armel Le Cléac’h, Vincent Riou, Jean-Pierre Dick. Everyone following news about the Vendée Globe knows these three big names, who made up the IMOCA podium for the 14th edition of The Transat Bakerly. Armel Le Cléac’h won the race last Saturday in New York after 12 days, two hours, 28 minutes and 39 seconds (average speed: 12.91 knots on the water). The skipper of the foiling Banque Populaire VIII improved on the reference time for a monohull, held since 2008 by Loïck Peyron (12 days, eight hours, 45 minutes). At that point, The Transat set sail from Plymouth, but headed for Boston, which meant a shorter distance than to New York.

Armel building up his confidence
For Armel Le Cléac’h, it’s over finishing as runner-up. Close to victory in the last two Vendée Globe races and in the 2010 Route du Rhum and the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre, he has just achieved his first major win in an IMOCA race and qualified for the Vendée Globe.

“This win is a job well done,” he was pleased to announce at the finish. “It’s a very tricky transatlantic race with all sorts of wind and sea conditions, with a tough North Atlantic. We didn’t see much sunshine, but it is because it is so hard that it is so appealing. I had to keep hard at it and didn’t get a moment’s rest. I got out in front early on and fought it out with Vincent Riou right up to the end. I managed to keep him at bay by finding the perfect trajectory.”

Armel and his team were therefore able to confirm the wisdom of their technological choices on Banque Populaire VIII, in particular with the second version of the foils. Armel Le Cléac’h: “I managed to push the boat hard and feel confident and got the most out of the foils. We can now feel more certain of the reliability of the system and can make full use of them. They enabled us to extend our lead and keep ahead. It’s important to have that confidence with a boat like PRB, which is so well prepared. We have moved forward.” Another lesson was that Armel is clearly in good shape, physically and made some wise tactical choices. “This is a very demanding race physically. My work over the winter enabled me to be in shape to deal with the boat, plan manoeuvres particularly in these tricky conditions. I didn’t put off doing manoeuvres, while spending a lot of time studying the weather,” confirmed Le Cléac’h.

Vincent Riou: the human aspect comes first
To have a great winner, you need a strong rival and that was certainly the case with Vincent Riou. The skipper of PRB held on in there, in spite of losing two major sails off Cape Finisterre, as we learnt at the finish. “I lost my genoa and my Code 0. Really stupid…” explained Vincent. “I didn’t have any flat sails other than my J2 (jib used when the wind is above fifteen knots – editor’s note). I struggled in all the transition zones in the ridge of high pressure, where we had to sail upwind. I had to get through the ridge downwind. Then, after that, there was a lot of lighter stuff. That’s part of the game…”

Never one to be pleased about finishing in second place, Riou was nevertheless positive about his second attempt at The Transat, as he was able to learn a lot in a short space of time. “This race is like a film that has been speeded up. It’s very demanding and tough and you have to keep asking yourself questions. The weather changes so quickly with fronts going over, ridges of high pressure and new lows. It’s excellent practice,” he stressed, reminding us of the key role of the sailor. “For a solo round the world race, you need a trio with an efficient skipper, and a reliable and fast boat. That’s more important than the one percent to three percent extra speed from the foils in certain configurations. PRB is admittedly slower in some points of sail than others, but copes better in others. In the end, you need to be a good all-rounder. We only did 3000 miles, but the Vendée Globe involves 25,000 miles. We didn’t really see any major difference in speed between the boats in this race. The real lesson is that we’re looking at solo sailing. Given that, it is the men that make all the difference. It’s the sailor, who manages to deal with all the transitions, who avoids making mistakes, who triumphs in the end.” That makes it very clear.

Jean-Pierre Dick reassured
“I’ve just come out of a period, during which I haven’t done much solo sailing. Returning to a race like this with some of the favourites from the Vendée Globe, managing to keep up with them is really useful.” Forced to retire early on in the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre, Jean-Pierre Dick has bounced back spectacularly, getting his StMichel-Virbac back in the water early in the season to make up for lost time. All his hard work has been rewarded now with this third place in The Transat. “I had a few minor technical problems, such as my autopilot problems in the first few days of the race, which prevented me from going on the attack,” explained Jean-Pierre. “I gave myself a few scares in the gales, when StMichel-Virbac went over on her side. It felt like the boat was slamming into me. But in general, the outcome is positive, as I now know my boat better – her strengths and limits. I now know what I can do to improve her. I can’t wait to get back racing in the New York/Vendée (start on 29th May, editor’s note). I still love the sea and enjoy sailing.”

Paul Meilhat gets his qualification
Paul Meilhat needed to complete this solo transatlantic race in order to qualify for the Vendée Globe. Crossing the finishing line in New York on Monday evening, the skipper of SMA achieved this goal. He can now put behind him the incident in the Transat St Barth/Port-La-Forêt last December, when Paul was injured and had to be airlifted off his boat off the Azores. After months of physiotherapy he was able to get back out there sailing. In this context, completing The Transat is a victory for Paul Meilhat and his team, who can now prepare more calmly for the Vendée Globe. “What I feel above all is the joy and relief. Knowing that I have qualified for the Vendée Globe is a step forward. This was my first major solo IMOCA race and the dream is coming true. I really feel like I’m getting somewhere,” said a pleased Paul.

Huge scare for Richard Tolkien
Richard Tolkien was also attempting to qualify for the Vendée Globe, aboard a boat first launched back in 1998, which completed the last four Vendée Globe races. On Friday night, with the British skipper sailing 880 miles west of Horta (Azores), the staysail attachment gave up the ghost. In around thirty knots of wind, Tolkien attempted to carry out a repair on the bow of his 60-foot boat.

“I was hit on the head twice by the genoa furler. The second time, there was a lot of blood on the deck and running into the cabin, so I knew then that I required some assistance,” he explained. “I almost lost my life. It was a nasty knock from the side. If it had hit me harder, the outcome could have been much worse. I managed to get aboard a cargo vessel. I’m tired and suffering from shock, but it’s fine. I had to leave my boat behind, but can see where she is with the beacon. I hope to be able to recover her.” At the moment, there is still some uncertainty about the fate of 44, Richard Tolkien’s IMOCA. Whatever happens, Tolkien is not yet qualified for the Vendée Globe. His final chance of getting the precious ticket will be to complete the New York/Vendée.

Sébastien Josse will be competing in the New York/Vendée
Forced to retire on the third day of the race after a crash gybe, which damaged the mainsail on his Edmond de Rothschild monohull, Sébastien Josse and his team have been working hard to be able to take part in the New York/Vendée, which starts on 29th May. The repairs were relatively quick to do (two days). Battens have been replaced and the areas where the mainsail was torn have been repaired at the sailmaker’s. The boat is currently on her way to New York.

The situation concerning qualifications
During The Transat, two skippers obtained their qualification for the Vendée Globe, Armel Le Cléac’h and Paul Meilhat. Recently, Arnaud Boissières also got his entrance ticket by sailing 1500 miles alone. So far, 20 skippers are registered and qualified for the Vendée Globe. Yann Eliès and Eric Bellion will be taking advantage of the New York/Vendée to do their 1500 mile solo sail. Jean Le Cam and Nandor Fa, who are not taking part in this event, will shortly be setting sail to do their 1500 miles. Stéphane Le Diraison will have to complete the New York/Vendée, like Richard Tolkien. We should add that three skippers have completed their administrative paperwork, but have to complete their sailing formalities to join the waiting list. They are Didac Costa, Jean-François Pellet and Conrad Colman.

Rankings in the IMOCA class in The Transat bakerly
1 - Armel Le Cléac’h / Banque Populaire VIII
2 - Vincent Riou / PRB
3 - Jean-Pierre Dick / StMichel-Virbac
4 - Paul Meilhat / SMA
• ABD Richard Tolkien
• ABD Sébastien Josse / Edmond de Rothschild