Class40 and Ocean Fifty back on the water

In an unprecedented decision, the race directors of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2023 decided on the morning of October 29 to start only 3 classes: the Ultim trimarans on their initial course, which was fast enough, and already in the South Atlantic 8 days after the start, and the Ocean Fifty trimarans alongside the Class40s, but only for a leg to Lorient, leaving the IMOCA boats alongside, as the logistics did not allow the entire fleet to be safely moored in the Breton port for storm Ciaran.

This Monday, November 6, a weather window opened, allowing the Class40s and Ocean Fifties to set course for Martinique, with a shortened course:

• The multihulls will have to leave the island of Sal in Cape Verde to starboard, forcing them to dive far enough south to avoid the still-active lows.
• The monohulls must round the island of Santa Maria in the Azores, leaving it to starboard.

Course markers can also be used to group finishes.

Commando repairs in Class40

The start in Le Havre and the 1st leg had left their mark on the Class40 fleet, which is unfortunately not complete at the start of the big transatlantic race. Indeed, Movember, victim of a collision at the start, Dékuple, damaged by a collision with a UFO, and Acrobatica, whose skipper Alberto Riva broke his tibia in the rough seas off Barfleur on the first leg, are all missing.

But other competitors were able to repair their damage thanks to unprecedented truck transport in this stage race, for which the race management has revised some of the rules . Crédit Mutuel, for example, is starting off with an old mast following its dismasting, but the most impressive job is that of Seafrigo Sogestran, whose planking had been punctured by Café Joyeux at the start. A new planking was grafted and the structure repaired, enabling her to set off, even to the point of being in the lead at midday.