Tour de France a la voile Not enough wind, now too much

by Isabelle Musy on 19 Jul 2001 The offshore race to Bayonne is postponed until Thursday afternoon

During the skippers briefing that was held today at 1700, the race committee
announced that the 160- mile offshore race to Bayonne would probably start
on Thursday evening. The strong south westerly wind that is blowing at the
moment in Oléron is due to shift to the north northwest. It should still be
strong tomorrow morning but should then decrease in the afternoon.


The skippers briefing was held today at 1700. René Boulaire, the race
committee director explained the situation: 'According to the weather
forecast, the wind will still be very strong tomorrow morning with gusts up
to 35 knots. Then it should start to decrease in the afternoon. As the tide
is an issue, we had two choices: either try to leave the marina at 6 o'clock
in the morning and have a start soon after that. But the wind will still be
too strong to take the risk. The other possibility is to start in the
evening as the boats will have until 1900 to leave the marina. The wind
should then have shifted to the north west and decreased to 20-25 knots. It
should remain like this over the night and then abruptly die. We might then
have to shorten the leg. That's what is forecast for the moment.
We've decided to hold another skippers briefing tomorrow at noon. The swell
will still be an issue that is why we might add marks in order to prevent
the fleet to sail too close to the shore. But as soon as the wind will
decrease the swell should reduce quickly'.
Reactions varied among the skippers. Simon Shaw, skipper of British
University sailing team is eager to sail: 'We really want to sail in the
wind. So the sooner they will start the race the more wind there will be and
the happier we'll be. Regarding security and not sailing to close to the
shore, I think the wind is gonna die near the shore anyway, so we'll be
looking to sail offshore first and then back in later. It will depend on the
conditions tomorrow and how quickly the weather system will go through.'
The Kiwis have been working all day on the boat. 'It was a day of learning
for some of the crew. Learning about motors. Especially for our 'mechanic
navigator'. We need an extra day to get prepared to it looks like we'll have
it', said Hamish Pepper, skipper of Sun Microsytems Team New Zealand Racing
Crew.
Helmsman Cameron Appleton added: 'We're not sure about the weather forecast
but we need to win the race so we're ready to go. We're in a stage of
planning our strategy and tactics though we're not too sure what to expect.
We know the sea state will be very confused as the main swell will still
come from the south west after the wind will have shifted. It will be pretty
unpleasant trip to Bayonne.'
They were also various reactions among the French sailors regarding the race
committee's decision so far. 'The weather forecast René Boulaire announced
is the same I've seen on the American charts and forecasts. The wind will be
strong until tomorrow afternoon and then rapidly decrease. I agree with the
race committee's decision. Regarding security, it is good to put a buoy off
Chassiron's head to prevent the fleet to play too close to the shore. But we
should sail fast to start with. Then we might slow down and even have to
shorten the race but it is worth to start it. The last offshore race was
cancelled, it would be a shame not to try to race this one', commented
famous offshore sailor Isabelle Autissier, navigator aboard Jimmy Pahun's
Région Ile de France.
Trimaran skipper Franck Cammas said: 'The wind shouldn't be a problem though
it might die in the middle of the race. The swell will still be pretty big
especially near Bayonne. If the wind is light, it might be dangerous. We'll
have to sail offshore and avoid to stay too close to the shore'.
The Kiwis are also concerned about this : 'For the pro teams it might be all
right but for the students and the amateurs it could be dangerous and
therefore it might be not wise to send us.

The swell will still be an issue.
There could be freak waves and if someone got caught out in the middle of
the night with a big wave, a boat could capsized. We're aware of that', said
Kiwi skipper Hamish Pepper.

The race committee will take a final decision regarding race 18 tomorrow at
the briefing that will be held at 1200.
Isabelle Musy