GUYOT environnement - Team Europe: Great effort remains without reward
by Offshore Team Germany 21 Jan 2023 04:22 AEDT
The attack with the course through the Canary Islands did not pay off for GUYOT environnement - Team Europe © Charles Drapeau / GUYOT environnement - Team Europe
GUYOT environnement - Team Europe sought every opportunity in The Ocean Race to catch up with the nearest competitor, Team Biotherm of Paul Meihat (France).
The tactical option was to course through the Canary Islands, while the four other teams sought their way west of the archipelago. But the great effort of the team with Benjamin Dutreux, Robert Stanjek, Annie Lush, Phillip Kasüske and onboard reporter Charles Drapeau was not rewarded.
With the easterly course close to the African coast, the French-German campaign was forced to make many maneuvers. The crew set a total of eleven gybes, but did not find the wind they had hoped for, which sometimes increased in the narrowness between the Canary Islands. On the contrary, further out on the Atlantic, competitors were able to constantly plow through the sea at high speed. Thus, on Friday evening, GUYOT environnement - Team Europe again crossed the wake of Biotherm with a clear gap.
"We managed quite well to sail around the lee of the Canary Islands. Unfortunately, the wind did not play into our cards otherwise. Under the African coast, we didn't find the predicted pressure. We then stopped a bit, which didn't happen to the other boats on the Atlantic. They were permanently moving fast. So the attack on Biotherm didn't work out. First they were 30 nautical miles ahead of us, now it's 50. It is what it is. Now we will finish the leg with our heads up.. The three boats ahead are insane. But The Ocean Race is not over yet," reported co-skipper Robert Stanjek.
In the meantime, there were again some minor repairs to be done on the outrigger on the black yacht, during which the yacht could not be fully sailed and lost some more miles. "At the moment we are back at 100 percent and sailing nicely in the Atlantic," Robert Stanjek reassured himself for the remaining 500 nautical miles until the arrival in Cape Verde.