Final four cross line in Class40 Artemis Transat

by OC Events on 31 May 2008
Shortly after crossing the finish line at 08:19:34 GMT this morning on her Proto Class40, 40 Degrees, Miranda Merron shared her thoughts with the crowd gathered on the race pontoons in Marblehead, USA: 'Fantastic race, really diverse conditions. There were quite a few of us who raced together until I fell into a big hole and parked.' Merron's decision to stay north in a high-pressure, light-wind zone on Day 16 (Monday 26th May) was text book tactics, but the plan failed with boats to the south of 40 Degrees grabbing the new south-westerly breeze first. The result was a rapid drop from fourth to seventh place.

'Best moment of the race was crossing the finish line this morning,' she continued. 'What a fantastic welcome, it's great to see so many friendly faces. Worst moment...going backwards in the Gulf Stream for hours on end!' Asked if she was happy with her position, Merron was pragmatic: 'My aim was to arrive, so seventh is fine, it's a perfectly acceptable result. I would have liked to have done a lot better because I spent a lot of time around fourth and fifth place, but, unfortunately, I lost all my playmates when I fell into a hole, so seventh is fine.'

At 10:21:02GMT, Benoit Parnaudeau and his Proto Class40, Prevoir Vie, crossed the Marblehead finish line in eighth, a fraction over two hours behind 40 Degrees. Summing up the race soon after finishing, Parnaudeau was on excellent form: 'It was a very good race and I'm happy with my performance.' An early setback put Prevoir Vie off the pace: 'During the first night I lost 50 miles because of some broken ropes,' he explained. 'I knew they were worn out, but I didn't have enough money to buy replacements. After that, I raced with Miranda Merron, Halvard Mabire and Fujufilm and it was a very good battle.' Tactical setbacks south of Newfoundland were a key part of Parnaudeau's race: 'After the ice gate, I went to the north but it wasn't a good idea because of the high-pressure. I stayed there while the others in the south got away.' As usual, the race had high points and drastic low points: 'The best moment was sailing upwind because the boat is very well designed for that sail angle. The worst moment.when the top of the mainsail came away from the track. It took seven hours to put it right.'

Just over three hours later, Groupe Partouche, the JPK 40 of Christophe Coatnoan finished racing at 13:28:20GMT after a transatlantic race filled with technical setbacks and finally, just before the prize giving at 21:30GMT, Simon Clarke on his Akilaria 40, Clarke Offshore Racing was the last Class40 across the finish line at 19:15:36GMT taking tenth place.

Shortly before crossing the line, Clarke looked back at the race: 'So, as a summary of the Artemis Transat, have I enjoyed it?' he asked himself. 'Not really, from the start I was on my back foot, my first ever solo race. Hardly any time sailing on the boat, I think we had it for a month before the start!' However, as a novice single-hander, the event has been personally profitable: 'A massive learning experience, hopefully makes me a better person for it! Ask me when I have a beer in my hand and I'm wearing clean, dry clothes!'

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Class40 rankings, arrival times, average speeds and time behind the race winner:

1st Telecom Italia 28/05/08 at 11:11:57GMT after 16d 22h 11min 57s at an average speed of 7.23 knots

2nd Beluga Racer 29/05/08 at 01:09:47GMT after 17d 12h 09min 47s at an average speed of 6.99 knots (13h 57min 50s behind Telecom Italia)

3rd Mistral Loisirs - Pole Sante ELIOR 29/05/08 at 10:42:57GMT after 17d 21h 42min 57s at an average speed of 6.84 knots (23h 31min 00s behind Telecom Italia)

4th Groupe Royer 29/05/08 at 15:51:15 GMT after 18d 02h 51min 15s at an average speed of 6.76 knots (1d 04h 39m behind Telecom Italia)

5th Custo Pol 29/05/08 at 16:05:07GMT after 18d 03h 05min 07s at an average speed of 6.75 knots (1d 04h 53 minutes behind Telecom Italia)

6th Fujifilm 29/05/08 at 18:53:02GMT after 18d 05h 53min 02s at an average speed of 6.71 knots (1d 07h 41m 05s after Telecom Italia)

7th 40 Degrees 30/05/08 at 08:19:34sGMT after 18d 19h 19min 34s at sea averaging 6.51 knots (1d 21h 07min 37s behind Telecom Italia)

8th Prevoir Vie 30/05/08 at 10:21:02GMT after 18d 21h 21min 02s at an average speed of 6.48 knots (1d 23h 09min 05s behind Telecom Italia)

9th Groupe Partouche 30/05/08 at 13:28:20GMT after 19d 00h 28min 20s at an average speed of 6.44 knots (2d 2h 16min 23s after Telecom Italia)

10th Clarke Offshore Racing 30/05/08 at 19:15:36GMT after 19d 06h 15min 36s at sea averaging 6.42 knots (2d 08h 03min 39s behind Telecom Italia)