Tour de France à la Voile – Champions double top in Jullouville

by A.S.O./Tour de France à la voile on 14 Jul 2017 As the 2016 champions, Quentin Delapierre and Matthieu Salomon’s Lorina Limonade-Golfe de Morbihan bolstered their title defence with a hallmark double win off the beaches of Jullouville on the Baie de Mont Saint Michel, taking victory in Thursday’s 40 miles coastal raid and reinforcing that perfectly with 50pts for today’s win in an adrenalin pumping Nautical Stadium Super Final.

After winning Thursday’s long race Delapierre seemed to acknowledge that their chance of retaining the Tour title was over after their nightmare start in Dunkirk when they were holed on the start line during qualifying. But two wins, maximum 100 points, at this beautiful, chic NW Normandy beachfront holiday destination, sees the 2016 champions up to seventh overall.

Co-skipper Salomon highlighted Figaro racer Corentin Horeau’s tactics as a key contributing factor to Lorina Limonade’s win today, 'It was a physically challenging day. We sailed well. Corentin's tactics were masterful. We had a great day. We pressed hard all the time, all the way through the final. From the start of the Tour it is obvious the whole level has shot up. We are happy to emerge well from this Act in Jullouville, it does us good after our poor start at the beginning of Tour. We have always been comfortable in the stronger wind. We do enjoy and profit from these conditions. We like it’s fast. Really we do not look too much at the general rankings because we know we are behind. We want to continue doing what we have done since Fécamp and we want to keep pressing and keep having fun and let’s see!”

Mistakes?
At the same time, just one third into the nine Act tour, there were telling mistakes evident today which may just be coincidental, but may also be the first signs of road warrior weariness. The first small weakness appeared in the Tour Voile leaders armoury. Sofian Bouvet’s debuting crew of Olympians and Tour aces had not finished worse than third in either discipline until they botched their start in the Final today and had to fight back to a fifth, their worst score yet. But their overall margin at the top of the leaderboard is 18pts after three Acts ahead of Fondation FDJ-Des Pieds et Des Mains with Tresors Tahiti on third, one point behind.

Team Beijaflore, Stadium Super Final winners in Act 2, Fécamp, failed to qualify for the eight boat final. Valentin Bellet’s team misfired with a ninth and tenth during their five group qualifiers today, missing out on the final by one single point to the CEM’s Sophie de Turckheim and Alexia Barrier skippered Pays de l’Or-Pink Lady Hérault who made their first final of this Tour.

And after a very consistent qualifying series when they seemed, at times, to have electric pace and consistent Damien Seguin and Damien Iehl’s Fondation FDJ-Des Pieds et Des Mains had a gennaker furling failure at the last downwind gate which did not really cost them, but again was a visible sign of pressure and unforced mistakes.
In contrast it was the best day yet for co-skippers Thierry Douillard and Stevie Morrison’s Team Oman Sail which finished runners up to Lorina Limonade-Golfe de Morbihan. Even so Douillard admitted that they had gone afloat with a technical problem which could have been avoided, again perhaps an error attributable to tiredness. But Team Oman Sail delivered brilliantly when they needed to. After two back to back seventh places in qualifying they nailed two excellent wins, crucially denying Cheminées Poujoulat a finals place. Then with second in the final the Oman crew move up to fourth overall, effectively climbing two places in Jullouville. They are only four points off the podium.

“We are travelling a lot, even if it is only the third act, already people are starting to get tired and that can mean small mistakes, like even in your preparation.” Douillard volunteered today, “To be honest when we went on the water we had a stupid issue with the gennaker, a mistake in the preparation and that put us in trouble for half the day. Finally it has been a good day, but that is the kind of thing that happens.”

“ I have done 12 Tours and won it four times. The end is Nice. In 2015 (when he won with Spindrift) we won on tie break on the last race. I know you must never give up. And you need to always do your maximum to avoid all the mistakes.”
Douillard added, “We had a hard beginning to the day, we did not have a very good feeling with the boat. We had some issues we sorted. We had to win those two races to make the final. Before we were taking time to sort our technical issues and we were too far from the line. But we said ‘right, now we need to put the hammer down’ Stevie got two good starts and we won both. For sure the level is so high now. Every small mistake is expensive.”

Jullouville’s was the closest and most exciting Super Final of the 40th Tour de France à la Voile so far in front of a sizeable crowd on the sands and in the race village, but it was the 2016 champions which prevailed.

The breeze had eased slightly from the early afternoon peak of 20kts. Starting best were Limonade Blue and Fondation FDJ – Des Pieds et Des Mains the two raced neck and neck until Lorina Limonade – Golfe de Morbihan broke away. Under pressure at the penultimate leeward turn Fondation FDJ had a problems with their gennaker which would not furl completely.

Team Oman Sail started well, slightly to leeward of Fondation FDJ and Lorina Limonade, but were up to third at the end of the first downwind. They pulled away from Tresors Tahiti to earn a useful buffer. On the final beat Team Oman Sail went offshore, tacking out after the last mark and were able to cross Fondation FDJ half way up the leg, going on to cross second not far behind the Lorina Limonade-Golfe de Morbihan.

The 40th Tour de France à la Voile moves overnight to Arzon Port du Crouesty for a Coastal Race tomorrow Saturday and Nautical Stadium Sunday.