2015 Transat Jacques Vabre

[Photoboy]

Bestaven and Brasseur on Le Conservateur win Class 40 into Itajai




Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brasseur sailing their Guillaume Verdier designed Le Conservateur won Class 40 in the 5400NMs two handed Transat Jacques Vabre when they crossed the finish line off Itajaí, Brazil at 2040hrs and 09secs UTC this Wednesday evening to conclude a long, tense duel with Maxime Sorel and Sam Manuard on the 2015 Manuard designed V and B.

When Bestaven and Brasseur clinched their overall triumph, the runners-up Sorel and Manuard are about 12NMs from the finish line. Third placed Carac Advanced Energies is more than 250NMs behind.

Bestaven and Brasseur win Class40 from a fleet of 14 boats which started on Sunday October 25th from Le Havre. Their elapsed time for the rhumb line, most direct course distance of 5400NMs is 24d 08 hrs 10m 09secs at an average of 9.24kts. In reality they sailed 5963NMs at a real average of 10.21kts.
Their elapsed time is some 3d 10hrs 29m 44s more than the reference time for the course set in 2013 by winners Sébastien Rogues and Fabien Delahaye, at 20days 21hrs 41m 25s.

After leading by more than 310 miles into the Doldrums when they saw their substantial cushion ahead of V and B slashed to just 30 miles, Bestaven and Brasseur triumph after a cliffhanger final few days, pushed all the way to the winning gun by Sorel and Manuard.

After taking Class 40 victory by a matter of 10 hours into Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe with Eric Drouglazet in 2011 on Aquarelle.com this is Bestaven’s second Class 40 win on the Transat Jacques Vabre, With co-skipper Brasseur the duo already won the Les Sables-Horta-Les Sables race this summer on Le Conservateur which is a TIZH 40 design launched for last year’s solo Route du Rhum.

On that solo race to Guadeloupe Bestaven finished fourth across the finish line but was dropped to seventh because of a jury decision following a collision on the first night of the race. Brasseur finished sixth on that Route du Rhum on Matouba and finished third in the last edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre, sailing Mare.de with German co-skipper Jorg Riechers, one place ahead of Bestaven who raced the 2013 race with Aurelien Ducroz.


Le Conservateur has always been among the top three boats since leaving the English Channel. They opted for the north-western route towards the first depression but were not as extreme as rivals Team Concise, the early leaders Jackson Bouttell and Gildas Mahé, who had to retire from the race with structural damage. On the morning of the third day at sea Nicolas Troussel and Corentin Horeau on Bretagne Credit Mutuel Elite, one of the other top contenders, also withdrew with keelbolt issues and autopilot failure. At that point Bestaven and Brasseur were already ahead, leading V and B by 12 miles. They sailed smartly through the second depression getting west early racing side by side with Sorel and Manuard for the coming days of big winds and waves. It was when they emerged first out of the Azores High that Le Conservateur started to extend distance on V and B, gaining to be 37NMS ahead as they passed the latitude of the Azores. By the Cape Verde Islands that delta had grown to what was increasingly looking like an unassailable lead, some 267NMs. As Bestaven and Brasseur entered the Doldrums they were 318Nms ahead of rivals V and B.

But they became badly stuck for more than 48 hours, making only a handful of miles while Sorel and Manuard scythed down towards the trapped Le Conservateur. When they emerged their lead had dropped from over 300NMs to 30. An indeed at Fernando de Noronha it was a meagre 14NMs.
From there the duel has continued unchecked, never more than 20NMs between the top two boats. Whilst outwardly Bestaven and Brasseur appeared serene in the Doldrums, the battle down the Brazilian coast has been intense, hour after hour, day after day. Victory in Itajaí is especially sweet this evening for Yannick Bestaven and Pierrer Brasseur.

First quotes will be published on www.transat-jacques-vabre.com

[Rainier]

Well that settles it. Foils will never work.

[Photoboy]

Riou and Col on PRB are first IMOCA



In something of a carbon copy repeat of his success in 2013, gliding across the same finish line, Vincent Riou (FRA), sailing PRB with co-skipper Seb Col (FRA) finished first IMOCA monohull in the 5400Nms Transat Jacques Vabre when they took their winning gun at 12:52.24 (UTC) (+5hrs local time) today.

The duo’s elapsed time for the theoretical course is 17d00h22m24 after leaving Le Havre on Sunday 25th October. Their computed average for the course is 13,22kts. In reality they sailed 6034Nms at an average of 14.78kts

It is the winner of the 2004-5 Vendée Globe, Vincent Riou’s seventh Transat Jacques Vabre and is his second back to back IMOCA class win in this biennial coffee route race.

They best the 2013 reference time by 19mins and 23 seconds. Sailing in 2013 with Jean Le Cam the PRB co-skippers set the inaugural benchmark for this new course, finishing in Itajaí, southern Brazil, at 17d and 41mins. In 2013 PRB actually sailed less distance on the water, 5771 miles.

Riou’s 2010 launched VPLP-Verdier design won the 2013 race even after a short, express pit stop in Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands to make a rudder repair. After winning the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre Riou had to withdraw in the early stages of the 2104 Route du Rhum solo Transatlantic.

His boat is reported to be the lightest and most optimised of the competitive 2011 generation VPLP-Verdier designs. After having to retire from the Vendée Globe in 2102 when he hit a metal buoy off South America and sustained hull and rigging damage, Riou paired up for the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre with Jean Le Cam partly as a footnote to their history together, Riou rescued Le Cam from his upturned IMOCA off Cape Horn. But this year, one year out from the next Vendée Globe start, Riou chose Col a partner to learn from, to help improve the small details of boat speed and tactics. Col sails on many different cutting edge grand prix monohull classes. This is the first IMOCA Transatlantic for Seb Col.




Riou and Col lead out of the English Channel and held a strong position slightly to the south of the group which sailed west towards the arriving depression. PRB was snared momentarily when they erred too close to the centre of the low, allowing Yann Eliès and Charlie Dalin on Queguenir-Leucemie Espoir to escape slightly. But by the latitude of Gibraltar they shared first and second. PRB took the lead again in the light airs of the Azores anticyclone but as soon as the top group of four were into the N’ly trade winds Banque Populaire VIII of Armel Le Cléac’h and Erwan Tabarly was quicker by one or two knots in 18-19kts of breeze and they took the lead.
PRB made another small gain at the Canaries, setting up to the east of Banque Populaire just after fourth placed Paul Meilhat and Michel Desjoyeaux diverted towards Guadeloupe with technical problems.
Entering the Doldrums there was just four miles separating PRB from leaders Banque Populaire VIII but it was Riou and Col who emerged first into the S’ly trades. Their margin grew quickly and by Recife they were 36 miles ahead. That margin stayed similar all the way until last night when they extended on the initial approach in to Itajaí.

Of the 20 IMOCA class starters eleven abandoned racing with technical problems.

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The Pressure Is On



The pressure has increased significantly on the leaders of the IMOCA class and Class 40 in the last 12 hours. For Vincent Riou – winner of the class in 2013 with Jean Le Cam – sailing this time with Seb Col the pressure rises with each mile towards the finish. The last straight into Itajaí is littered with holes in the breeze and windshifts, enough to see their 54 miles margin eroded.





Routing their path to the finish and that of their nearest rivals Banque Populaire VIII will give them faith that come midday tomorrow Wednesday the job should be completed and a second win in a row be PRB’s but the final 24 hours will be max pressure. PRB have lead for seven days, since emerging first from the Doldrums. They have felt the hot breath of Armel Le Cleéac’h and Erwan Tabarly at times. The passage of Cabo Frio seems to have worked in the favour of Riou and Col who gained another 20 miles overnight. The question for them is when to make the hard right turn towards the finish line. Presently it looks like downwind into a fading breeze to the line and so timing and picking the right time and best angles will be important.




Images Top to Bottom:

© Alexis Courcoux / Yann Eliès - Groupe Quéguiner

© Benoit Stichelbaut / Sea&Co

© Thierry Martinez Photographe / Sea&Co

The pressure on Le Conservateur’s Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brasseur is on too. They return to the stress of having two rivals snapping at their heels again. A few days ago they had no real pressure, a lead of over 300 miles and boat in good shape. But 48 hours stuck in the Doldrums saw second placed V and B and Carac Advanced Energies reel them in. Now there has been a proper restart at the exit of the Doldrums and Le Conservateur leads by just 33 miles on V and B, and 47 miles on Carac Advanced Energies, and all three are making the same kind of speeds. After the last few days they have had for Bestaven and Brasseur getting out with their lead intact will feel like a victory, but they have a fight on their hands once again. One other question to be answered is whether the Multi50 leader hobbled with a reefed main, FenetreA Prysmian will beat the first IMOCA home. The multi is 22 miles ahead of the top IMOCA this morning.




Tracker

They said, this morning:

Seb Col, co-skipper PRB (IMOCA): “Cabo Frio was a bit complicated. The thermal depression there and we could not make the course we wanted. There was some discrepancy between what happened in reality and what the models predicted. But we are pretty happy, we are going well. But it is a slalom with the drilling rigs, there are helicopters coming and going, cargo ships. We are in a good position for the gybe and we know the wind will ease coming into Itajaí.”

Yannick Bestaven, co-skipper Le Conservateur (Class 40): “It is tough. We spent three days in the Doldrums. We were 300 miles ahead and now are just 30 or 40. It is a new race once again. But now we have been at more than nine knots for over an hour. We just hit it at the wrong time, the Doldrums came down with us. We just had to fight mile by mile in unstable winds. But we are lucky to be still ahead, we took it as it comes. But the finish is still a long way off. We have many days to do still but we work our watches. The hardest bit has not been tiredness and fatigue but keeping our spirits up.”

[Built to List]

Looks like the non foiler will be victorious!

[Photoboy]

Under 500 NM For PRB




The Doldrums are proving cruel and capricious for longtime Class 40 leaders Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brassuer. Trapped by extreme calms they have seen their leading margin shrink dramatically from a seemingly untenable 316 miles just after the Cape Verde islands to a much more delicate 87 miles this morning. Bestaven and Brasseur are making just 2.6kts while Louis Duc and Christophe Lebas (Carac-Advanced Energies) and Maxime Sorel with Sam Manuard (V and B) are sailing twice as fast, duelling at just one mile difference in latitude but 26 miles apart laterally.

Engaged in a tight battle for second in the Multi50 Class, Lalou Roucayrol and Caesar Dohy (Arkema) have had to reroute to Salvador de Bahia 130 miles ahead of them this morning. They have a structural delamination problem with the main hull of their Tri. “For us this is the start of another race.” Said co-skipper Roucayrol this morning, “We head for Salvador and leave as quickly as possible. We will have our team there waiting. We want to make the finish line of this Transat Jacques Vabre.”

Now less than one day from Cabo Frio, the three leading IMOCAs look to the fine detail of their decisive transition from the trade winds of the St Helena anticyclone to the area of stormy low pressures which prevail there and in the Bay of Rio. This will be the final phase of the race which will decide the finishing order into Itajaí. Rock solid leaders Vincent Riou and Seb Col (PRB) have lost nothing at all to Armel Le Cléac’h and Erwan Tabarly (Banque Populaire VIII) who remain 35.8 miles behind.

The leading IMOCAs will start their right turns late tonight or tomorrow morning, sailing downwind into the a lighter E’ly breeze. Short term there does seem to a wind which is reasonably well established all the way south to Itajaí. It will be down to timing their gybes and managing the squalls and lighter zones. The junction between these two zones is of paramount importance.

They said...

Lalou Roucayrol, Arkema (Multi-50): "The bottom of the middle hull is damaged. There are several leaks in the front compartment. Either we hit an object and did not realise it, or it has delaminated. We'll see when we get the boat out of the water. The boat was not right in the water and in fact we pumped out loads of water. The middle hull was half fully for water. I made a bit of a repair, limiting the ingress with some patched but it really needs repaired and right now we are pumping all the time. We will sail to Salvador and finish the race.”

Vincent Riou, PRB (IMOCA): “ It is OK. This morning we managed to pass through a cloudy front. We are downwind and look ahead to Cabo Frio and then we will turn right tomorrow. After Cabo Frio, it will drop and so we will see how it feels. At the moment we are not really approaching Cabo Frio, and so we will watch what is expected to happen on land or offshore. Tomorrow morning we will look at the files closely. As leaders we open the course and take the risks, but I'd rather be where I am. Banque Populaire is good on the reach. But now we are better positioned than him and now that we have the sails we want, we cannot say they scare us. But there are bunch of maneuvers to do and mistakes that can happen ... We are in the race and in regatta mode. It’s nice.The batteries are well recharged. Now we are on the final sprint: it will not be easy. We attack! "

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Tracker


The two key podiums which remain open in the Transat Jacques Vabre, the IMOCA and Class 40 will see decisive times in the hours through Monday night into Tuesday. With less than 550 miles to go for the IMOCA leaders, the transition of Cabo Frio early tomorrow might well decide which of the top three duos – just 86 miles from first to third. But equally critical will be whether the long time Class40 leaders Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brasseur can finally escape out of the clutches of the Doldrums.

Bestaven and Brasseur have tried to remain patient and focused on Le Conservateur as their 315 miles lead has melted away ‘like snow in the sun’ to just 57 miles. They have been stuck, scotched – as the French call it – for the best part of 48 hours while the duelling, chasing duo behind have swallowed miles at a voracious rate. Even this afternoon skipper Bestaven - fourth in last year’s solo Route du Rhum and winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2011, considered that they would get in to better breeze this evening. But Maxime Sorel and Sam Manuard on V and B were still making over nine knots to Le Conservateur’s average of three. For their first big ocean race together, Brazilian duo Eduardo Penido and Renato Araujo are still sailing an astute race on Zetra, lying fifth.

In August Vicent Riou and Seb Col proved they were the form partnership going into this race when they won the Rolex Fastnet offshore. Now today they have less than one Fastnet – 607 miles – to finish Riou and Col are in the driving seat with a lead of 36 miles, still, over Banque Populaire VIII, Armel Le Cléac’h and Erwan Tabarly. The leading three boats gybed this morning around breakfast time and have been closing to the Brazilian coast all day. Signifiantly perhaps Riou and Col have chosen a layline which will allow them to pass the point NE of Cabo Frio and get closer to the land where the breeze is forecast to be slightly stronger.

Seventeen miles is all that separates Le Souffle du Nord, Thomas Ruyant and Adrien Hardy, from Tanguy de Lamotte and Sam Davies. Davies noted today that they are determined to beat the boatin front of them and are enjoying the duel for fourth and fifth immensely.

Damaged Multi 50 Arkema, Lalou Roucayrol and Cesar Dohy, were 70 miles from Salvador de Bahia this afternoon. The duo have their technical team standing by to make a laminate repair to the cracks in the main hull which were allowing substantial water ingress, requiring them to pump to keep the boat safe.

They said:

Charlie Dalin, co-skipper of Queguiner-Leucemie-Espoir (IMOCA 60): "The sun has just risen it is damp again and late night it was cool. We just had a gust to 21 knots, there is still wind, we are more downwind now, we sail angles which are slower. At Cabo Frio it is a bit like Cape Finisterre. The wind accelerates but so too there are oil platforms. That is another challenge to take account of. There is lots to do and we have to be careful to find the right route. Tonight there will be some platforms. We think we will finish in Itajaí Wednesday afternoon around 2000hrs French time. The end of this race is not simple. There is a depression which will come out to sea. And of course the models do not agree. We will give it all we have. The objective is to finish with no regrets, to make some good moves. We are always pushing. We give it our all until the end. On board it has been exactly as I expected as my role. It is such a great experience I am happy to be here.”

Sam Davies, co-skipper Initiatives Coeur (IMOCA 60): “We look forwards to beating Le Souffle du Nord. I’m having so much fun that I will be a little sad when it is over. We are very happy on board. We lack for nothing. We still have chocolate. Initiatives Coeur is a solid boat, we feel safe. Tanguy is lucky to have this boat and this will give him confidence to go forwards to the Vendée Globe.”


Erwan Leroux, skipper FenêtréA Prysmian (Multi50): "Aboard FenêtréA Prysmian we are under gennaker and have one reef in the mainsail, we are on starboard tack and we are sailing along the Brazilian coast. What has happened to Arkema is a shame, I hope they will repair successfully and bring the boat to Itajaí. The important thing is that Lalou can save the boat. Through that first week of the race, we had our share of all miseries with these four different wind regimes. Even the last 500 miles of the race and we'll see 25 knots with gusts to 35. It's a long race and very very technical.. It was a stormy depression that hollow, one is obliged to go near the coast, we will cross a front. We have a big problem on the mainsail. We have to sail with one reef and in no time we'll take a second reef."

Yannick Bestaven, skipper of The Conservative (Class40): "It's the same as the last three days. There is not much wind, some wind is just puffs. We hope to be out tonight. We accept our troubles patiently. Our lead melted like snow in the sun. We are tired .... We persevere to just try to get south and get out of here. We manoeuvre quite a lot to try ans stay with the changes in the breeze as it goes round. We try to follow the pace imposed on us by the wind. It's tiring. But we have done the hard bit. We'll take a shower as soon as we are out of here. These Doldrums are fierce. We hope to be going by 4 Deg N. And by this evening life should be better. In terms of food we have enough, we are light on sweet stuff, savoury we have enough to go around the world.”

Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, Solidaires en Peloton ARSEP, (Class 40): “It’s OK. We go slowly and gently into the Doldrums. We have a bit of a battle on with weed. Our motivation is good, we don’t let up at all. But we share our good humour. We are always sharing jokes.”

[Built to List]

My money is on Francois setting the new Jules Verne record!

[Photoboy]

Sodebo 2nd In TJV



French co-skippers Thomas Coville and Jean-Nelias finished second Ultime in the Transat Jacques Vabre this Saturday afternoon bringing their trimaran Sodebo Ultim’ across the Itajai, Brazil finish line at 13:17hrs 38secs UTC. (8:17hrs 38secs local)

Coville and Nélias are second Ultime in this 12th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre. Their elapsed time for the course is 13 days 0 hours 47mins 38 secs, sailing at an average speed of 17.26kts on the theoretical course of 5400 miles (10,000 km) from Le Havre to Itajaí. But in reality, the 31 metres maxi trimaran sailed 6451 miles on the water at an average speed of 20.51 kts.

They finish 7hrs 18mins 11secs after Ultime winners François Gabart and Pascal Bidégorry.

The consistent, unchallenged leader in the early miles of racing, Sodebo Ultim' had steadily opened a lead on MACIF during the fast, power reaching on the Bay of Biscay. At the latitude of Gibraltar Coville and Nélias were 65 miles up on MACIF François Gabart and Pascal Bidégorry who won the Ultime class this morning.

Down the Moroccan coast they match each other on opposite gybes. Gybing north of the Cape Verde islands MACIF got back on terms, Sodebo positioned slightly further to the west. MACIF lead out of the Doldrums and extended their lead to nearly 260 miles, but Coville and Nelias clawed back miles reducing their deficit to 88Nms when MACIF secured victory this morning.

Clotilde Bednarek, Director of Marketing at Café Jacques Vabre commented on the finishes.

"This morning, the sun has finally risen on Itajaí to celebrate the arrival of the podium of the Ultim Class of this 12th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre. The co-skippers of Macif and Sodebo Ultim' gave us a breathlessly exciting race for 5400 miles and over morning coffee today two magical things have happened. "

"Congratulations to you, Francois & Pascal .... Thomas & Jean-Luc, for your race, your commitment and your human values! The Transat Jacques Vabre is proud of you! But the race is not over: there are still three podiums to be settled for the 23 boats still on the water. Good luck to them. "

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Macif 1st To Finish 2015 Transat Jacque Vabre




French co-skippers François Gabart and Pascal Bidégorry on the new 30m Ultime Trimaran MACIF crossed the finish line at 05:59Hrs 27secs UTC this morning (00:59hrs 27secs local) in Itajaí, Brazil as first Ultime, to take line honours in the 5400 miles Transat Jacques Vabre double handed Transatlantic race which left Le Havre, France at 1230hrs UTC on Sunday 25th October.

The elapsed time for Gabart, 32, and Bidégorry, 47, is 12 days 17hrs 29min 27sec sailing at an average speed of 17.68 kts for the theoretical course of 5400 Nms (10,000kms). They ensured MACIF win its first ever ocean race. The new VPLP design, which was only launched in August, actually sailed 6340 Nms on the water at a real average speed of 20.75kts

It is the first time that Gabart, who won the solo round the world Vendée Globe race in 2013 at his first attempt at the age of 29, has triumphed in the Transat Jacques Vabre race. He was second in the IMOCA class on his first ever ocean race in 2009. Bidégorry was on the winning multihull in 2005.

In this 12th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre MACIF chased in the wake of early race leaders Thomas Coville and Jean-Luc Nélias (Sodebo Ultim’) until the Doldrums, but were never more than 70Nms behind. Two of the four Ultime trimarans which started had to abandon, including Prince de Bretagne which capsized off the NW coast of Spain.

An exciting duel between the two giant multis took them close to the African coast, trading gybes only a few miles off the shoreline as they sought to avoid the light winds to their west caused by the Azores anticyclone. The pair closed through the Doldrums but Gabart and Bidégorry were able to extract themselves better from a very slow, sticky passage of this light winds zone.

Emerging first into the SE’ly trade winds they extended their lead out to 258 miles between Salvador de Bahia and Rio. But the chasing pair closed again around Cabo Frio in the transition zone caused by a stormy low pressure and Sodebo Ultim were less than 100 Nms behind at the finish line and are due to finish around 1100hrs UTC

[Runs_with_sissors]

Doesn't sound like a solid endorsement

[Photoboy]

Michel Desjoyeaux speaks on the foil vs non-foil IMOCA 60's

[Panama Red]

The docking gets a tad complex, I suspect.

[IOR Geezer]

Just an observation, but with the foiling cats, the foils are inside the beam.

On the foiling monohulls, it's outside.

I can just picture a tight start or mark rounding with those blades interlocking, or worse.

[Prince of Whales]

Dont think so. Somewhat absurd that Knut would step down without somebody ready to take charge.

[Runs_with_sissors]

Speaking of the Volvo, has a successor to Knut been announced yet?