Figaro fleet continue in tough conditions

by Event media on 16 Aug 2007
Strong winds and rough seas have battered the fleet of 45 competing Figaro sailors on the final stages of the third leg of La Solitaire. The wind gradually built in force to reach 45 knots, even 50 for some, at the height of the depression last night. Conditions stabilised slightly but continued tough throughout today.

Corentin Douguet (E.Leclerc / Bouygues Telecom) jumps into lead on the latest position report and is 46 miles from the finish. Nicolas Troussel (Financo) sails above and is currently in 2nd position, 3.9 miles behind with Eric Drouglazet (Luisina) making huge gains and climbing up to third 6.3 miles behind the leader.

Sailing north and out west has paid off for Corentin who stuck to a course heading south before Gildas Mahé (Le Comptoir Immobilier), Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Christopher Pratt (Espoir Crédit Agricole) in 7th and 10 miles behind the leader.

Nicolas Berenger (Koné Ascenseurs) 16.7 miles behind and in 15th place and Thierry Chabagny (Brossard), now 19.8 miles behind in 16th place) have lost quite a bit of ground on the leaders.

The Medical Support Boat, one of the security boats following the fleet, reported experiencing 40 steady knots of breeze and a rough and crossed sea with breaking waves. 'I think that the competitors must be feeling the same and experiencing the same conditions, from what I have gathered over the VHF from some, is that they are very tired and quite shattered. This depression has been very long, deep and violent', explained Jean-Yves Chauve, the race doctor reporting over the VHF this afternoon.

Patrick Eliès, winner of all four stages in the 1979 edition of the race is skippering the Medical Boat, situated towards the head of the fleet. The final leg of that race in '1979 from Kinsale in Ireland to Concarneau in Brittany, was sailed in similar conditions' explains Eliès, 'we has a violent wind storm, we had 50 knots then, I was a bit younger so it was different. The conditions are not particularly easy for the fleet. We have had quite violent wind gusts we also have a very confused sea with breaking waves which means you can’t make up much ground. We get 34 knots so think the wind is going to ease and suddenly it is back up to 45 knots. Having seen Fred Duthil sailing yesterday, I was really surprised at just how seaworthy the boats are how safe the competitors sail. The skippers are good and the boats are wonderful.'

Looking at how the fleet is positioned on the water, we can see that those furthest north now making headway south for the northern tip of Spain. 'I think that the west option will end up paying off and think they will get through, because those close to shore will find it hard to get round when the wind veers to the west. For now with the wind conditions we have, it not straightforward for anyone!' concludes Eliès.