L'Occitane en Provence: Clarisse & Alan looking at the horizon
by L'Occitane Sailing Team 28 Oct 2023 23:04 AEDT
29 October 2023
L'Occitane en Provence Sailing Team - Transat Jacques Vabre 2023 © Anne Beaugé | L'Occitane Sailing Team
With less than two days to go before the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the most prestigious race of the season, the weather scenario for the first few days is being carefully monitored.
Whilst the L'Occitane en Provence Sailing Team fine-tunes the final details, Clarisse and her co-skipper, British sailor Alan Roberts, are focused on the Sunday start sequence and the conditions they will face.
Even if there are complaints about the scattered showers in Le Havre this week, the current Normandy weather is nothing compared to what awaits the skippers when they start on Sunday. For Alan Roberts, however, this comes as no surprise. "The weather scenario we're facing is a classic winter configuration" he explains. The Brit, who has been preparing with Clarisse for this race, gives an overview of the current weather situation. "With the Azores High well in place, there are multiple low-pressure systems crossing the Atlantic Ocean. These large lows, known as "primaries", bring strong winds and rough seas. These lows in turn form others, known as secondary lows."
It's all about finding the right balance
Over the past few days, the weather forecasts for the start of the race have changed a lot and the models have not always agreed. A strong low-pressure system is moving up the Bay of Biscay on Saturday, before entering the English Channel and continuing further North. Although conditions are likely to remain brisk, they will be more manageable. "There could be between 20 and 30 knots at the start, although it all depends on how the systems overtake us" said Alan. These conditions call for caution, especially in the midst of such a massive fleet. "It's going to be a difficult balancing act, so as not to break the boat and get on the right trajectory" adds Clarisse's co-skipper.
The pair from L'Occitane en Provence have already had to contend with fierce conditions, notably during the opening hours of this summer's Rolex Fastnet Race, which saw them finish in 6th place. The offshore experience that Clarisse and Alan have accumulated over the years will be invaluable in finding the right cursor. They'll need to find their rhythm from the outset, as many challenges await them throughout the 5,400 nautical miles course to Martinique.