Alan Roberts takes the lead in La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro Stage 1
by La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro 28 Aug 2018 23:27 PDT
28 August 2018
Alan Roberts takes the lead in La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro Stage 1 © Alexis Courcoux
Alan Roberts, the British solo skipper of Seacat Services, has taken the lead during last night on Stage 1 of La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro. Racing in sight of four rivals he was only just ahead of a tightly grouped pack at 0700hrs (BST) with some 21 nautical miles to race to the next turning mark, Portsall - off the northern tip of the Brest peninsula.
After making a significant recovery from 12th very early yesterday, to round Wolf Rock late afternoon in third, 28 year old Roberts has since eked out a tiny lead on the 91 nautical miles reach which has required constant vigilance trimming the sails in unstable, variable south and southeasterly breezes, changing between genoa, spinnaker and genoa.
He reported to the Race Direction's support boat by VHF this morning that, even after some two days and 16 hours of racing since leaving Le Havre on Sunday afternoon, he could see all four of his nearest rivals.
The intensity and distances apart are still more akin to the daily short course training sessions at Port La Fôret in France where Roberts was selected to train with the elite French skippers, presently four of the five sailors periodicall sees are Pole Finistere training group partners,
"It is a big battle with the others as we are all close." Roberts told the media reporter aboard the support vessel Etoile this morning, " I have Xavier (Macaire) just to leeward, Antho (Anthony Marchand) just behind me and I see Seb (Sébastien Simon) and Cotentin (Douguet) often as we are really close. I am not too tired. I feel good. I have energy. I had a good rest and so I feel good. I'm ready to continue. We remain side by side as we deal with a lot of current and unstable winds." With 190 nautical miles to sail to the Stage 1 finish in Saint Brieuc, just to the west of Saint Malo, as the fleet awaits a forecasted stronger northwesterly breeze, the turn to the north east at Portsall may be decisive. According to fifth placed, four times podium finisher and top seed Charlie Dalin (Skipper Macif 2015) "What is certain is that the fleet will then stretch a lot at the Portsall, because the first ones who will pass will have the favorable current and the others, if you have gybe, - it is not certain - but if we have to do it that will make a big difference."
After a disappointing 2017 La Solitaire race when he finished 22nd, Roberts is pushing to match or better his career best ninth – the best ever overall finish for a British skipper – in 2015. A non French skipper has not won a stage of the multi leg race since Italian Olympian turned solo racer Pietro D'Ali in 2005 and Ireland's Damian Foxall in 1998.
Roberts reported this morning, "For now it is all quiet on board Seacat Services. I'm trimming the sails as the wind changes direction a lot. The pilot is doing most of the driving and I'm the one who trims for speed. For the moment it is going well. I had a good rest and so I feel good. I'm ready to continue. We remain side by side as we deal with a lot of current and unstable winds. We have been expecting the wind from the NW but is not here yet and for the moment it is unstable and we have to work hard with what we have and be ready for the new wind coming in. And also we don't know if the course will take us around Guernsey or if we go direct to Saint-Brieuc, so we are waiting for that new which should come in the next few hours."
English compatriot Hugh Brayshaw (KAMAT) – like Roberts a convert from top level dinghy racing – has also had a good night, breaking into tenth place early this morning. After the fleet compressed at Wolf Rock, and during last night, there is less than one nautical mile separating the top five sailors – Roberts calculated to be 0.2 nautical miles ahead of Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF). In tenth Brayshaw is 3.1 nautical miles behind leader Roberts and was faster than the two sailors in front of him.
The leaders must remain on full alert, monitoring their close around them and further behind, anticipating the first signs of the new northwesterly breeze coming in. Only when does might there be a chance to catch up on rest but until it does there is considerable uncertainty for the next mark rounding.
Of the 36 skippers who started on Sunday seven have abandoned Stage 1 and all are making their way to Saint Brieuc for Stage 2 which starts on Sunday, including England Nick Cherry (Redshift) who left Cowes last night where he replaced the broken rudder which forced him out, and Ireland's Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa) who broke his starboard spreader just 90 minutes into the leg.
Standings at 0630 CET/0430 TU: (top ten)
1. Alan Roberts - SeaCat Services at 190nm to finish
2. Xavier Macaire - Groupe SNEF at 0,2nm behind leader
3. Sébastien Simon - Bretagne CMB Performance + 0,5nm behind leader
4. CorentinDouguet - NF Habitat + 0,7 nm
5. Anthony Marchand - Groupe Royer Secours Populaire + 0,8 nm
6. Pierre QUIEROGA - Skipper Espoir CEM +1,6 nm
7. Charlie Dalin - Skipper MACIF 2015 + 2,7 nm
8. Tanguy Le Turquais - Everial + 2,4 nm
9. Martin Le Pape - Skipper MACIF 2017 + 2,7 nm
10 Hugh Brayshaw – Kamat + 3,1nm
Quotes:
Charlie Dalin, skipper Macif 2015. " On Skipper Macif 2015, everything is fine. We have great conditions for this crossing of the Channel which is not quite done. We have a super flat sea first under genoa at then a little bit of spinnaker and now back under genoa. It's lovely! It's gone pretty well for me because I have managed to catch up a little bit with the front group. Now however the wind is easing and the eastward flowing current will gradually build. I think that if the wind does not come in the passage of Portsall will be really complicated. What is certain is that the fleet will then stretch a lot at the Portsall, because the first ones who will pass will have the favorable current and the others, if you have gybe, - it is not certain - but if we have to do it that will make a big difference. I feel I have come back a bit after my mistake of the previous night when, at one point, I was, I think, ten miles or more, behind the leader so I really thought that my Solitaire was done. But fortunately, they were a little stuck at Wolf Rock and so to be able to round just 4 nautical miles behind and now I am only two miles behind. It's not over."
Alan Roberts (GBR) Seacat Services: "For now it is all quiet on board Seacat Services. I'm trimming the sails as the wind changes direction a lot. The pilot is doing most of the driving and I'm the one who trims for speed. For the moment it is going well. It is a big battle with the others as we are all close. I have Xavier (Macaire) just to leeward, Antho (Anthony Marchand) just behind me and I see Seb (Sébastien Simon) and Cotentin (Douguet) often as we are really close. I am not too tired. I feel good. I have energy. I had a good rest and so I feel good. I'm ready to continue. We remain side by side as we deal with a lot of current and unstable winds. We have been expecting the wind from the NW but is not here yet and for the moment it is unstable and we have to work hard with what we have and be ready for the new wind coming in. And also we don't know if the course will take us around Guernsey or if we go direct to Saint-Brieuc, so we are waiting for that new which should come in the next few hours."
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