Clean start for Kevin Escoffier's first Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe
by Team Holcim - PRB 9 Nov 2022 15:03 PST
9 November 2022
Kevin Escoffier's Holcim-PRB at Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe © Eloi Stichelbaut / polaRYSE / Holcim-PRB
From 09:00 hours this morning, Kevin had his eyes riveted on the grib files as he completed his final stretching exercises on land.
Within the family cocoon in the Cité d!Alet area of Saint Malo, in a particularly calm atmosphere with the sun beating down through the windows, the skipper of Holcim-PRB was displaying the focus synonymous with race days.
Quickly joined by Pascal Bidégorry, the sailor from Saint Malo joined in a lengthy discussion with meteorologist Marcel Van Triest. For more than an hour, the trio dissected the latest grib files and examined all the routing in depth. Solely the coffees swallowed down at a frenetic pace gave any hint of the tension just hours before the start of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe. Right till the last, Kevin recorded every scrap of information as if to carry with him the expert eye of Pascal and Marcel. Once the starting gun fires, it'll be solely down to him to analyse the forecasts and make decisions as no further outside assistance will be permitted. He alone will carry the project he's built as a team.
It is his first foray into this race, which has always been a source of inspiration to him. Genuinely happy to take the start, he has every intention of giving it his best shot and getting the most out of his boat, which will be making her transatlantic debut.
However, the course choices for the first 48 hours aren't forecast to be easy... It will be important to keep a cool head to find the favourable options through the weather systems that will enable him to position himself nicely in relation to the Azores High. One of the major challenges will involve striking the right balance to ensure he can sail Holcim-PRB at a good old lick whilst avoiding going into areas where the seas remain heavy, especially at the north-west tip of Brittany. It won't be easy then, but it's so exciting when you consider the big skippers who have inscribed their names on the list of race winners!
"As far as the north-west tip of Brittany, things are fairly clear. We're going to set sail on a beat and we'll have to contend with the current. With the grib files for this evening and tomorrow morning, we'll be able to refine the trajectory to line ourselves up nicely for the Azores High. We've worked hard to make sure that happens! There will be no regrets. Now it's all about sailing a clean race!" he commented before leaving the house.
Shortly afterwards, the whole of Holcim-PRB's shore team were waiting for him in the port of Les Bas Sablons. The smiles were much in evidence, together with a few discreet words of encouragement... before Kevin thanked one and all. Indeed, this singlehanded race is first and foremost a team venture! Kevin is all too aware that this solo adventure is also an adventure for the group; a new project poised to add some wonderful lines to the history of offshore racing.
At 14:15 hours local time, Kevin crossed the start line with good speed. At the heart of a massive fleet of 138 boats, Kevin Escoffier hauled on the sheets to get his monohull powered up in the fifteen or so knots of W'ly breeze, sunshine and chop... Perfect conditions for a majestic act one of this Route du Rhum- Destination Guadeloupe! After 2hrs of racing, Kevin is in the top 5 of the IMOCA fleet: a complete start for the skipper on this beginning of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe.
Follow Kevin and the IMOCA Holcim-PRB throughout the race: team-holcimprb.com/race-tracker