We will not see the island of Yeu
At the time of the choice, Colombre XL and its crew decided to tack earlier than the leading boats. The gaps with our pursuers being sufficiently comfortable, Charles-Louis has chosen to try his luck. Unlike our predecessors, we tack before reaching Yeu Island. Missed for our Canadian in search of tourism, he will not be able to admire the coasts of the charming Vendée island and will have to content himself with seeing in the distance in the night the lighthouse of Les Sables d'Olonne, whose reputation has obviously crossed the Atlantic. Passing through the open sea, we are counting on a rotation of the wind and the good performance of our Pogo 40 S2 upwind to get back at the head of the fleet, or even more?!
The wind will carry it away...
Quickly, the instability of the wind in the direction does not allow us to go up as much as we hoped. The hope of grabbing places in the ranking by a last-minute hold-up is fading. The wind is getting stronger, forcing everyone to concentrate on the bar. Eole has made her decision and as always, the wind will prevail... The temperature continues to decrease. We have instituted with Tom a new rule within our plank. Instead of one hour at the helm, we alternate every 1/2 hour, to stay focused and not get too cold. Tea, lovingly prepared by my watch mate, is always appreciated, although it cools quickly!
La Rochelle rhymes with upwind under the hail!
As night has fallen, the wind continues to refuse. The passage through the Breton pertuis, between Ile de Ré and the mainland is closed to us. At night, when the wind is between 18 and 20 knots, with a temperature below 10°C, the cold is more than biting. Our Canadian, who has been fleeing North American winters for the past 5 years, does not seem to appreciate it any more than the rest of the crew. As in the first stage, it is said that this Atlantic Challenge always ends upwind in strong winds. We are making several tack changes between Ile de Ré and Ile d'Oléron, with their batch of matossing (Editor's note: moving equipment from one side of the boat to the other to keep the weights in the wind) and ballast transfer. A wet and prolonged manoeuvre on the front beach forced Charles-Louis to plunge his hands into hot water to regain the full sensation. It's time to get there! It is done at exactly 08:49 am, not without having enjoyed a hail shower in the last meters...
Colombre XL holds its rank
5 days, 17 hours and 49 minutes. That's how long it took Colombre XL to get us to La Rochelle, at an average speed of 10.2 knots on the bottom. 6th in the ranking, 6 hours behind the winner, with a boat much older than the head of the fleet, it seems to me that Charles-Louis can be satisfied with his performance. He was able to pull on the boat and his crew without breaking them and stay in contact in the harsh conditions at the start of the race, particularly favourable to modern boats. Having arrived on the Class40 circuit only one year ago, I wish him well in finding the sponsor and the means to continue to improve and to renew the Colombre XL wardrobe.
Offshore racing from the inside
Sail in Class40 and see a race stage offshore from the inside. Sharing this with the readers of Bateaux.com as well as possible were my objectives. I hope they are as full for you as they are for me. I was able to push back my personal speed records at the helm and gradually overcome some apprehensions under spinnaker, at night at high speed. I put sounds and sensations on the experience of sailing in ocean racing. If the comfort of the cruise still attracts me, there is no doubt that this navigation makes me want to test other racing yachts with one or more hulls and share these experiences with you!
