March 28, 2024

Veolia Environement (Photo by AFP)
Veolia Environement (Photo by AFP)

In what has amounted to a very intense, tactical ninth edition of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale, with very many transitions and changes to negotiate Roland Jourdain sailed an impeccable race, consistently choosing a routing for best wind pressure rather than taking unnecessary risks to cut miles. When he had the opportunity he consolidated to manage the fleet, keeping them directly behind him.

In some respects it was a leaders’ race and Jourdain was never out of the top three, at the front for ten of 13 days.

As they worked west after Ushant he chose to tack north later than Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air). 

The key move was on the afternoon of Tuesday 2nd when he tacked north in better wind pressure, and by the following afternoon, while both Armel Le Cléac’h erred a little too far south and snared himself in light winds as did Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac 3) Jourdain was ahead, turning a deficit of 3 miles to a lead of 6 miles over that late afternoon.

 After that Bilou was never overtaken. He was first to break through the front during Friday 5th and was able to emerge into the fast NE’ly conditions, his reward being a jump out to a 40 miles lead.

 Le Cléac’h was first to gybe south on Saturday 6th, Jourdain held on and gained again as lined up to deal with Tomas, the tropical low.

Le Cléach’s early move took him south into less wind.

 

From here Jourdain has a lead of 55 miles on Thursday 11th when he has some 300 miles to Guadeloupe, and again his routing is spot-on. Le Cléach’s easterly position leaves him in lighter winds.

The leader’s benefit comes when he is into the light SW’ly headwinds, all the time with the fleet now in V formation behind him. And as Veolia Environnement  reached the top of Guadeloupe he still had some 74 miles of margin over Brit Air.

Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) quotes: “ The decision to go in the North was not really easy to make. And then there were many transition zones to manage. At that times you needed to be absolutely full on. Bilou did very well in those situations, I believe I did it as well but just after him. He really sailed a perfect race.”

“ I’m happy with this second place. We had a really good season with Brit’Air She was not the newest boat but I knew her very well and I had spent a lot of time with her. We really did great things with this boat. We had a few second places (Vendée Globe, The Transat and now the Route du Rhum but they have all been good. In IMOCA, we will see the level rise again in the next years. Our Transat Jacques Vabre was a bit difficult, that was necessary to bounce back.”

 

“We had difficult decisions to make at the very beginning of the race. Youneeded to choose that option knowing that it would have consequences forthe 15 next days. When you see Michel and Arnaud both heading South at the time, that certainly gives you a few doubts. “

“ I’m really tired because of the numerous manœuvres required and also the speed to maintain, you need to hold on in those conditions you are on your knees to stack you sails. It’s a bit of a war.

“ I’m happy to have finished. In the first night I discovered I had water on the boat and I had lost one alternator. I had to save energy : shut down the computer, switch off the boat lights at night. I ran short of gazoil since yesterday. It meant I had no way to charge the batteries, I could not cant the keel either. So I am really happy to be here.

” If I have an entry on the Vendée Globe in 2012, I will use this boat but we will have worked on her to make some improvements. We have a few ideas now on how to save some weight, to modify the aft deck layout. Options you can take to increase the performance. To participate in the Vendée Globe that is important

” My best memory is at the start. I was a bit nervous, that’s usually the case when you  start this kind of  race and, as I was sailing by the Pointe du Groin, I realized how many people were standing there and watching us sail away. It was quite emotional and I felt very small.

Guillemot swoops for third place on the IMOCA Podium Marc Guillemot staged a podium raid within the last 60 miles of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale transatlantic race stealing third place on the west coast of Guadeloupe when he sailed round the unfortunate long term tenant Jean-Pierre Dick whose Virbac-Paprec 3 was moving at less than half the pace that the IMOCA world champion was making, Arriving out of the north on Safran, having passed close to the east of Montserrat. Guillemot admitted his surprise at seeing the blue branded sails of Virbac-Paprec appear to his left, and when they were just over a mile apart he gybed away because Dick was clearly in a different wind, closer in to the island shore. Safran scarcely missed a beat and went on to passed the Basse Terre mark two and a half hours ahead of Dick

Guillemot, winner of last autumn’s Transat Jacques Vabre race to Costa Rica, paid tribute to both Roland Jourdain and Armel Le Cléac’h who respectively take the top two steps on the podium. But only two days ago Guillemot was back in fifth, behind Vincent Riou (PRB). Indeed on the 0800hrs ranking Sunday he was 28 miles behind deck, and as they converged at the Tête à l’Anglais at the top of the NW corner of the island, Guillemot was still some 20 miles behind.

 

The Safran solo skipper once more underlined how close the IMOCA Class is, not only highlighting that the races sailed by Jourdain and Le Cléac’h, but how little mistakes or breakdowns escalate to become significant deficits. In the early part of the race Guillemot was compromised by a problem with the halyard hook on his Solent, and also lost a spinnaker overboard.

 

Racing in his fourth Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale, Guillemot finished second overall in 2002 on Biscuits La Trinitaine,  when only three multihulls finished.

 

Breaking the finish line off Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe at 01hrs 30mins 02secs today (Monday, CET/Paris) (Monday 00 hrs 30mins 02secs GMT/ Monday 20hrs  30mins 02secs local time (CET -4hrs)) Marc Guillemot on the IMOCA 60 Safran took third place in the IMOCA Class in the 9th Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale  solo Transatlantic race which started from Saint-Malo, France at 1302hrs (CET) Sunday 31st October.

The elapsed time for Safran is 14 days 12hours 28minutes 02seconds

His average speed is 11.55kts for the distance he sailed of 3955 miles.

Over the theoretical course distance of 3539 miles Marc Guillemot’s average speed is 10.16knots

Guillemot finished 19hrs 17mins 06 secs after IMOCA Open 60 winner Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement

Jean-Pierre Dick finished this morning at 04h 13m 13s 9 (CET) taking fourth place, disappointed to have lost out to Marc Guillemot for third, but the Barcelona Race winner suffered with electrical problems the whole way, his battery system failing. His dockside de-brief suggests he feels he should have taken more time to re-assess and not be too head down in the problems, easy to say at this stage no doubt, but clearly he has some work to do on Virbac-Paprec 3, with only limited lead time to the Barcelona start and the boat on delivery by ship. Here is a short summary of what he had to say:

” We need to work on the boat so that don’t I spend my time head down trying to solve problems. The race was really physical and full on for me and I could not even take time to do other things besides what I was having to deal with, far less or think about me, to try to manage myself. 

I’ve always been full on, so trying to manage my race and the problems that were happening all the time was not good for me . But overall I believe that I sailed the majority of the race in the top rankings which I am reasonably satisfied with. I have a few problems to sort out to control the boat when reaching. I need to work it out. I won’t even mention the batteries! Even only today they cut our four or five times.

 

But the basics of it are good. We have some time to tune the boat for the Barcelona World Race and then hopefully the boat and I for the Vendee Globe, that will be the important one for this boat.

Around the island Marco’s choices were impressive. For me I did not press the pedal at the right moment. I was expecting a different wind system. And that is frustrating, disappointing. But every setback allows you to make progress.

My knowledge of the island has improved a lot for the next Route du Rhum!

Vincent Riou (FRA) (PRB) takes fifth place in the IMOCA Open 60 Class in the 9th Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale Breaking the finish line off Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe at 07hrs 05mins 52 mins today (Monday, CET/Paris) (Monday 06 hrs 05mins 52 mins GMT/ Local 03hrs 05mins 52mins (CET -4hrs)) Vincent Riou on the IMOCA 60 PRB took fifth place in the IMOCA Class in the 9th Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale solo Transatlantic race which started from Saint-Malo, France at 1302hrs (CET) Sunday 31st October. The elapsed time for PRB is 14 days 18 heures 03 minutes 52 seconds His average speed is 11.37kts for the distance he sailed of 4026 miles. Over the theoretical course distance of 3539 miles Vincent Riou’s average speed is 10.00knots Riou finished 01 day 00 hours 52mins 56secs after IMOCA Open 60 winner Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement

Crossing the finish line at 06h31m04s (CET/Paris(05h31m04s GMT) Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) took sixth place in the IMOCA Open 60 class, some 2d 00h 18m 08s after class winner Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement). The southern routing, one which also cost him dearly a year ago in the Transat Jacques Vabre, worked for the Ultimate class but this time it clearly did not work for the double Vendée Globe winner with his new VPLP/Verdier design. Desjoyeaux has had time to analyse his result and the way forwards, making ready for the Barcelona World Race which starts 31st December. “It would have been good if they had left us some wind for the finish because in the end it was bit too long at the end. Everyone says it’s a good trick to head off to the sun, but I went too early. We had looked at it and there were good chances of passing over the top, but it was on the Monday morning I took the decision. That was the best routing on the morning, I was on a good shift on the left with Kito and I wanted a trip to the south, I had wanted to go there for a while. I did what I wanted. From time to time you try things when you don’t know if they will be good or not so good. I expected to have 50 miles of deficit in the south of the Azores amticyclone and it was 150. There the mass was said.

I had the toolbox open once for a small allen key to tighten a small screw on the rudder, but I have a list of things to be improved. Speed-wise when you are on your own you are a world champion. The boat is good it was just important to learn how to put it in the right place. I wanted to go to the sun, I went to the sun.”
 

Jourdain’s win?

“He is a great winner. He is a double winner, and what more can you say? He positioned himself, always attacked, he sailed super good. He did not hesitate to push when he needed to and cover the fleet when he needed to. He did the whole race without any technical hitches and that allowed him to focus on his route and to make a beautiful race, more especially because there was a race. I have had time to digest this, now we move on. Life goes on. This is a beautiful boat, and I sufficiently happy with what I saw. We will turn the page.”

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