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The start of this 3rd leg of the Solitaire Urgo le Figaro was given on Sunday 16th June 2019 at 2pm in a south-westerly wind of around fifteen knots. The solo sailors were so ready to fight it out that it was necessary to order a general recall. This 2nd start, given at 1411 hours, allowed the fleet to leave starboard tack, mainsail up and genoa forward, for a 10 mile coastal course.
Pierre Leboucher, leading the way on the coastal course
Pierre Leboucher (Guyot Environnement), second in the overall ranking, passed first at the show buoy, anchored at the foot of Pointe Sainte-Barbe, then at the Radio France buoy, the last brand on this coast, ahead of Fabien Delahaye (Loubsol) and Loïs Berrehar (Bretagne CMB Performance).
A speed race
A 90 mile fast downwind leg with the current in the right direction towards the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel is now waiting for the sailors in the fleet. It will be punctuated by strategic passages to the Sept-IIes and the Héaux de Bréhat. These first few hours will therefore mainly consist of a speed race, whereas on Saturday evening, the files provided more strategy due to the arrival of a large soft zone.
"Yesterday, we were talking a lot about current, the puzzle is going to be much softer, because there is more wind than expected: as the ridge is positioned differently, the fleet should go up along the Cotentin coast without too many knots in the brain. On the other hand, over the period of speed, the less comfortable will not lose too much time, as reversals of the current could create very large gaps within the fleet" explains Francis Le Goff, race director.
Cassandre Blandin (Klaxoon-C) was forced to return to Bloscon harbour shortly after departure due to an autopilot failure. She left half an hour later, but should endure the power outages
Finding the best route
The Videcoq buoy off Granville will probably be crossed by the first ones from midnight, they are then expected in Alderney in the early morning on Monday before attacking the first Channel crossing to the English coast.
Subsequently, the ridge of high pressure will settle on the English Channel, forcing the skippers to find the best possible route to reach Hands Deep, a mark of passage ahead of Plymouth which acts as a Banque Populaire Grand Ouest buoy. " There will be strategic opportunities at the level of the DST of the Casquets because some routings move from one side or the other, continues Francis Le Goff. Ç it will open the game for those who dare."
Non-penalty penalties
Following the arrival of the first two riders of this 2nd stage of the Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro, the National Jury deliberated on Friday 14 June 2019 on the penalties to be awarded to Adrien Hardy (Natureless, no future) and Yoann Richomme.
The former had slightly encroached on the prohibited area defined by the Traffic Separation System (TSD) of the Casquets off the Channel Islands during the descent between Needles Fairway and Grande Basse de Portsall buoys. He explained this deviation by the presence of a tug pulling a warship, himself dragging a hawser behind him... The Jury therefore decided not to retain a penalty against the skipper of the Figaro 3 Sans Nature, no future.
The 2nd skipper of HelloWork Telegram Group - had to justify the embarkation of a sail after the time limit imposed on Kinsale. It was his préparateur who had made the mistake of bringing the bag and the leader in the general classification thought for a moment that his sail had been stolen... After recovering it, the solo sailor was able to finish second at Roscoff, but conceded six extra minutes, or one minute for every 100 miles of the course.
Start of the 3rd stage of the Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro ©COURCOUX Alexis
Eight other competitors received these 6 minutes of penalties: Éric Péron (French Touch), Jérémie Béyou (Charal), Will Harris (Hive Energy) add them to their race time in the 2nd stage, which has no impact on the overall ranking. Their foil inspection hatch has been bolted down, while the gauge rules require that they be glued and screwed down.
Alexis Loison (Normandy Region), Justine Mettraux (TeamWork), Tom Dolan (Smurfit Kappa), Damien Cloarec (@damiencloarecskipper) and Arthur Le Vaillant (Leyton) add 6 minutes to their overall race time because they have removed a downhill panel stop, which was prohibited by the Figaro Bénéteau Class measurement rules.
As for the three claims of Martin Le Pape (Skipper Macif 2017), Cécile Laguette (Eclisse) and Thomas Ruyant (Advens-Fondation de la mer) concerning their abandonment following a water leak through the inspection hatches of the foil wells, in order to be reclassified on this second stage, they were rejected.
Benjamin Schwartz (Action contre la faim) will be reintegrated into the ranking of this second stage which he was unable to run as Alain Gautier (Thank you for these 30 years!) boarded his Figaro Bénéteau 3 on port tack.
