Irish offshore participation doubles in Tour De Bretagne a La Voile 2021

by RL Sailing 2 Jul 2021 19:11 PDT 2 July 2021

Tour De Bretagne a La Voile 2021 © Pierrick Contin

The 13th edition of Tour De Bretagne a La Voile kicked off yesterday (2nd July) with the Prologue race, which saw the 32 teams in a challenging battle with light winds around the Bay of Saint-Malo.

For the first time in the races' history three Irish Skippers were on the start line with RL Sailing Team becoming the first fully Irish team to compete in the famous race. The Irish newcomers, sponsored for the race by Hanley Energy, also finished in a commendable 7th overall after a close race in technical conditions.

Today, the scenic views of the Historical Corsair City of Saint-Malo, located on the Emerald Coast today, certainly set the tone for the rest of what promising to be a race filled with tough competition and the breath-taking scenery of the Brittany coast and its ancient ports.

Tour De Bretagne a La Voile 2021 - photo © Pierrick Contin

The race course

Today, a change of atmosphere, as the 64 competitors enter the arena or, more precisely, the Bay of St Brieuc, with a first leg of 33 miles to Saint-Quay Portrieux. Everyone is looking forward to the race, but it would be difficult to predict the outcome of the Tour.

The 13th Tour de Bretagne continues with the same ambition that has made it so successful: to welcome and bring together fans of the circuit, outstanding racers, as well as youngsters who come to learn their trade before launching themselves into shorthanded offshore sailing.

The short but sporty stages offer a lot of suspense thanks to the numerous difficulties of the extremely precarious coastal navigation. The double-handed race is filled with technical and tactical courses vary from 24 miles to 350 miles along the French Coast. Many of the skippers will have raced and experienced these waters before as part of the Figaro circuit, but for newcomers such as Irish 'Bizuth' Pamela Lee of RL Sailing Team, this will be a new, complex and tactical navigational challenge to take on.

"The landscapes are sumptuous and the playground exciting from a navigation point of view: currents, tides, rocks, sandbanks, mythical lighthouses, varied and sometimes changing weather... there is really something to enjoy and / or tear your hair out." - explains Jean Coadou, Race Director

Tour De Bretagne a La Voile 2021 - photo © Pierrick Contin

The competition

The rankings are based on points, the races have a different coefficient according to their length. To win, a team needs to be consistent. It is not even necessary to win one of the stages, as previous editions have proven, it's a race that demands vigilant and concentrated skippers at all times.

It's generally agreed that what's needed to win this race is a close and experienced team, a good navigator for the coastal courses and to manage the passages in the rocks of the north coast by playing with the currents, good in strategy for the big race between Saint Quay Portrieux and Douarnenez which includes a round trip to the English coast is essential while excellence in inshore racing and close-quarter tactics will also pay off in the shorter day races.

"The other particularity of the Tour de Bretagne is that it is run on a point, which also changes the deal in terms of performance: consistency counts more than stage victory," continues Jean Coadou, Race Director

Tour De Bretagne a La Voile 2021 - photo © Pierrick Contin

The competitors

The now traditional Tour de Bretagne A La Voile is a key event in the Figaro circuit, and is a part of the French elite ocean racing championship. The race has an amateur and a pro ranking, and like the rest of the Figaro circuit sees highly experienced ocean racing champions on the same race course as ambitious new-comers, as well as every level in between.

Ireland has had three skippers partake in the race to date, Damian Foxall in 1997 and 1999, Joan Mulloy became Ireland's first female entrant in 2017 and Tom Dolan raced in 2019. This year sees this number almost doubled with three Irish skippers making it to the start line. Tom Dolan, an experienced Figaro sailor is this year teamed up with French Coach Tanguy Leglatin Tanguy.

For the first time a fully Irish team will be competing, RL Sailing, sponsored by Irish company Hanley Energy, consists of Skippers Kenneth Rumball and Pamela Lee. Rumball made his debut on the Figaro with his first Solitaire last year, whereas this is Lee's first season on the Figaro race course, and she becomes the second Irish female ever to do so.

"We are looking forward to tracking the race from afar and receiving updates from Pamela, Kenneth and their team that we can follow across the business. The ability to track the race online, in real-time is a great way for us to feel part of the journey with the RL Sailing team - the ups, downs and everything in between," adds Kim Madden of Hanley Energy.