ARTEMIS TRANSAT – Day 3 for Class40 Fleet

ARTEMIS TRANSAT – Day 3 for Class40 Fleet
May 13 – Spreading out into the Atlantic

In Brief
- Different tactical options north and south as the fleet finds open water
- Close quarters racing as paths cross in the night
- Fatigue and illness for Boris Herrmann
- Check the fleet's strategic analysis by Jean-Luc Nelias here http://www.theartemistransat.com/40/article.asp?sid=14815



In Detail: Class40 Fleet
Having slipped south of the Scilly Isles in thick fog during the early morning of Day 2, the Class40 fleet has picked-up speed and is fanning out north-south now they are clear of land. Race leader, Giovanni Soldini opted to take Telecom Italia north on a starboard gybe overnight in 15 knots of NE breeze, gybed south back towards the main body of the fleet at around 0900GMT this morning, dived down towards second place Appart' City before gybing north again and the Italian now holds a 12 mile lead over the yellow yacht's French skipper, Yvan Noblet.

In the south, Boris Herrmann's Beluga Racer and Miranda Merron's 40 Degrees became increasingly isolated from the fleet overnight. Merron's deep southerly option was a response to sail problems: “Long slow night on 40 Degrees following a spinnaker 'issue', now resolved. Will catch up the miles,” she reported earlier via email and soon slipped back onto starboard gybe this morning. As Merron headed north, Boris Herrmann kept south, remaining in 10th position, one place behind 40 Degrees. Having lead the race during the first night and featured heavily in the front pack during the early stages, Herrmann's sudden drop in the rankings was a concern and a flu bug contracted shortly before the start has been taking its toll physically and emotionally: "I've been sleeping a lot to get over it," he assured the race office this morning, "but I haven't felt confident enough to use the spinnaker or gennaker when I'm not on deck." Reduced sail, illness and a period during the night of just 2 knots of breeze have not helped morale on board: "I feel very alone," admitted the 26 year-old, "and I've never felt that before." In the afternoon, Merron gybed back south to rejoin Hermann and maintains a 3 mile lead over the German Class40.



When Soldini gybed south this morning, Christophe Coatnoan with Groupe Partouche and Alex Bennett's Fujifilm stayed north, almost locked together, matching their gybes with the French skipper reporting a visual sighting of Bennett's green Class40 shortly after sunrise. The British skipper was in an optimistic mood this morning, despite a difficult start to the race: "We have just crossed the continental shelf and are now powering our way out into the Atlantic at speed under Code 5 and full mainsail," he reports, averaging a healthy 9.9 knots over the past 24 hours. "Conditions on board are good and comfortable. I've been playing catch up with the fleet after I sailed into a light wind zone off the Lizard on the first night. However, it's a long race and I feel we are nicely placed to start making our charge from here on." For now, Bennett in 6th is less than a mile north Coatnoan, leading the French yacht by under a mile with the pair matching their average speed at 10 knots.




Further close-contact racing was evident as the fleet split and opted for port or starboard gybe late yesterday with Yvan Noblet on Appart' City sailing close to 40 Degrees just as Merron headed south. Noblet also had visual contact with Halvard Mabire on Custo Pol as Appart' City overtook, climbing the leader board to second place, 12 miles behind Telecom Italia. At the time, Mabire was dealing with an uninvited, feathered guest: "I've had a swift on board who has no clue about the weather and clearly didn't study the met forecast before leaving," the French skipper said this morning, doubting the bird's intelligence in setting off for Africa in an easterly breeze. "It hung around the inside of the boat and did (his business) on my computer keyboard before leaving. It was really very impolite and the bird should enroll in a course on manners."

Currently in 4th position, 4 miles behind Thierry Bouchard and Mistral Loisirs - Pole Santé ELIOR, Mabire is sailing cautiously: "I don't know the boat well and I'm taking care with all the systems," he told the race office earlier, before asking for news of The Artemis Transat IMOCA Open 60 fleet: "As you ask me to write messages, it would be kind if you could give me news of the 60s in return," requested 52 year-old Mabire who misses the constant radio chat and interviews of his previous OSTAR, Figaro and Route du Rhum races. "The race is a bit like a video game on the computer screens of those onshore," he wrote in an email last night. "I'm beginning to miss the proximity of human contact."





The north-south spread of the Class40 fleet is approximately 120 miles and while Fujifilm and Groupe Partouche at the northern extremity and 40 Degrees and Beluga Racer to the south seem content to race within a few miles of each other, the middle block of yachts are keeping a healthy distance between each other. Simon Clarke took a long gybe north today before gybing south and has held onto 8th place since dropping behind Group Partouche early this morning and Prevoir Vie remains the backmarker, 79 miles behind Soldini in 11th place. This morning, the French yacht's skipper, Benoit Parnaudeau, recalled the first full day of racing: "In the fog yesterday, it was a sunless day and I kept my eyes locked on the AIS radar to monitor the commercial shipping," he explained, praising the equipment that is now mandatory in Class40. "You can see the ship's name on the screen, its speed, heading and the unit sends and receives a radar echo. I can tell if a vessel is a cargo ship or a fishing boat, so the system is a good friend in all situations." Parnaudeau has suffered sail damage and has finally made repairs to the overheating engine on board Prevoir Vie, but the 36 year-old is pragmatic about his position: "It's time to look at the weather and as I'm behind the fleet, I really need to see what's going to happen." Currently, Parnaudeau is 27 miles behind Boris Herrmann and Beluga Racer in 10th.

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