A delayed start
Gone are the days of bar-room discussions and sterile exchanges about the need to postpone the start. The IMOCA fleet is about to leave the port of Le Havre and head for Martinique. The start, originally scheduled for October 29, had to be postponed to avoid the depressions Ciaran and Domingos, which caused major damage in Brittany and Normandy.
Race management had taken the difficult decision to split the fleet of competitors. The ULTIMs, which had the capacity to avoid the forecast low-pressure system, escaped to the south, while the Class 40s and Ocean Fifties made a stopover in Lorient. Alas, apart from Le Havre, there was no port capable of safely accommodating a fleet of 40 IMOCAs. So we had to be patient and wait for the right conditions in the Normandy port.
A shortened route
Initially, the IMOCA boats would have sailed down the South Atlantic and around the Brazilian archipelago of Sao Paolo & Sao Pedro, a course of almost 6,000 miles. After consultation with the teams, it was decided to shorten the course. The pairings will set course for Fort de France, leaving the Azores archipelago to starboard, in order to avoid a low-pressure system that is still very active in the North Atlantic.
Invigorating conditions in the early days of the race
The first few days of the Transat Jacques Vabre are not always easy. This adage will be confirmed for the IMOCA boats, as race meteorologist Christian Dumard explains:
" The wind will be from the southwest at 15 to 20 knots, with easy seas at the start and as they round the Cotentin peninsula. Then, on the morning of Wednesday November 8, as the last boats complete the rounding of the tip of Brittany, a front awaits them with 30 knots of steady wind, gusting to 35-40 knots. They'll be sailing in the same range of winds encountered during the Fastnet. The seas behind the front will not exceed 4 meters, with a longer wave period. "
Return to Base postponed until November 30
To prepare for the transatlantic race Back to base "The start of the Vendée Globe qualifier has been postponed to November 30. This extra rest time will not be a luxury for skippers and boats, who will be racing two transatlantic races in just a few weeks.
