Le Defi Azimut: 22 Teams Depart Lorient In Brisk Conditions

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Lessons Learned From Defi Azimut




Test match at the Azimut Challenge

After a year of fine tuning and her first win this summer in the Rolex Fastnet Race, Jérémie Beyou’s IMOCA, Charal with the sailor from Marseilles Christopher Pratt aboard, shone at the 2019 Azimut Challenge this weekend in Lorient. With just over a month to go to the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the event was a test for many of the boats, whether they were old or new, foilers or not. There was a lot to see at every level and the weather conditions were ideal. Out of the twenty boats ranked at the finish, there were 12 foilers and 8 non-foilers, three of which made it to the top ten. We take a look at what happened, the lessons that were learnt and hear from some of the 42 IMOCA skippers who took part in this contest.




all mages © Yvan Zedda/Defi Azimut


Charal stood out above the crowd

Everyone was eagerly looking forward to the battle between the boats from the latest generation of IMOCAs with foils and the foilers (and indeed non foilers) from 2016 and the older boats, some of which have now been fitted with foils. In what was a real test of performance and flying, everyone was watching to see how the VPLP designed Charal would do against the two new boats, Thomas Ruyant’s Verdier designed Advens for Cybersecurity and Sébastien Simon’s Kouyoumdjian designed Arkea Paprec. Neither of the two latter boats would however end up in the top 10 in the 48-hour race, as the two monohulls so recently launched this summer have not yet had time to try out all the set ups to be able to compete with the leader. The Top 10 was therefore dominated by Charal, which was clearly in control, winning all three races in the event: the speed runs, the 48-hour race and the race around Groix. Clearly pleased with the performance of his boat, Jérémie Beyou believed it was down to her all-round ability: “These are very good results, which required a wide range of qualities varying between the speed runs, the 48-hour race and the race around Groix, so it was good to show that we perform well in a wide range of conditions.” As for Christopher Pratt, he stressed the very positive results since the win in the Fastnet: “This rewards all the hard work we have done with the team since last winter in trying to get to grips with the IMOCA, Charal.”




©Francois van Mallegham/[Defi Azimut]



3 non-foilers in the Top 10

Further back, among the other nine IMOCAs in the top 10, we should stress the fantastic second place obtained by Kevin Escoffier/Nicolas Lunven aboard their 10-year old PRB (designed by Verdier-VPLP in 2009) which has also been fitted with foils. Kevin Escoffier was pleased with the result and being going through a wide range of points of sail, but kept a critical eye on performance: “When reaching, we were not as fast, so we still have work to do, in particular on the sails and the adjustments to the appendages. Upwind, we saw we could perform well and downwind we also managed to catch up. That proves that PRB is a good all-round boat.”
Behind Kevin Escoffier’s PRB, his former team mate with Dongfeng in the Volvo Ocean Race, Pascal Bidégorry, took third place with the American, Charlie Enright on 11th Hour, Alex Thomson’s former Hugo Boss, which once again showed how fast she could be...
There was a good fourth place for Maitre Coq IV skippered by Yannick Bestaven and Roland Jourdain who finished less than an hour ahead of Groupe Apicil sailed by Seguin/Richomme, who pulled off something of a surprise finishing in fifth place in the rankings for the 48-Hour Race. They were also the first monohull with straight daggerboards to finish just ahead of another non-foiler, Banque Populaire skippered by Clarisse Crémer and Armel Le Cléac’h. The duo Sorel/Le Brec on V&B Mayenne, was the third non-foiler to make it to the top 10, just ahead of Bureau Vallée 2 sailed by the duo, Burton/Beaudart (10th).











Women on the attack

It was after a closely fought final stretch against Clarisse Crémer and Armel le Cleach on Banque Populaire X and Damien Seguin and Yoann Richomme on Apicil that Sam Davies and Paul Meilhat took a very good seventh place in the 48-hour race. “A high-speed race with lots of positive lessons for the Transat Jacques Vabre,” declared Sam Davies.
We should note too the fine eighth place obtained by Isabelle Joschke for whom this was the first race since the relaunch of her MACSF. Ranked fifth in the runs, then eighth in the 48-hour race, Isabelle and her co-skipper Morgan Lagravière showed the full potential of the monohull, which is now fitted with foils. Isabelle Joschke: “I really enjoyed myself during these two days of racing. This first competition also enabled me to find my feet aboard with Morgan. We quickly found a way to organise things and a way of communicating. It all fell naturally into place.”











When the Azimut Challenge steps up a notch

Antoine Mermod, President of the IMOCA was pleased with this ninth edition of the Azimut Challenge and the extent to which the event has grown over the years: “This edition which took place in ideal conditions was a real success and we are proud of that. The change in the format in particular with the big 48-hour race was a good idea, as it was a very interesting race to follow. With each edition, the event is growing in importance and the class is pleased with the extension to our partnership, which continues until 2022, concerning the organisation and the development of our digital tools.”

Rankings for the 48-hour race

1-Charal (Béyou-Pratt): 1d 18h 43 mins 46s (foils)
2-PRB (Escoffier-Lunven): 1d 20h 08 mins 52s (foils)
3-11th Hour (Enright-Bidégorry): 1d 20h 45 mins 47s (foils)
4-Maître CoQ IV (Bestaven-Jourdain): 1d 21h 19 mins 08s (foils)
5-Groupe Apicil (Seguin-Richomme): 1d 22h 11 mins 26s (daggerboards)
6-Banque Populaire X (Crémer-Le Cléac’h): 1d 22h 16 mins 51s (daggerboards)
7-Initiatives Cœur (Davies-Meilhat): 1d 22h 18 mins 31s (foils)
8-MACSF (Joschke-Lagravière): 1d 23h 42 mins 27s (foils)
9-V&B Mayenne (Sorel-Le Brec): 2d 00h 14 mins 48s (daggerboards)
10-Bureau Vallée 2 (Burton-Beaudart): 2d 00h 20 miins 54s (foils)
11-Arkéa-Paprec (Simon-Riou): 2d 01h 28 mins 22s (foils)
12-Corum (Troussel-Le Cam): 2d 2h 02 mins 25 (daggerboards)
13-Prysmian Group (Pedote-Marchand): 2d 2h 16 mins 57s (foils)
14-Newrest-Art et Fenêtres (Amadeo-Péron): 2d 2h 20 mins 31s (foils)
15-La Fabrique (Roura-Audigane): 2d 2h 40 mins 33s (foils)
16-aDvens for Cybersecurity (Ruyant-Koch): 2d 2h 41 mins 11s (foils)
17-La Mie Câline (Boissières-Macaire): 2d 2h 57 mins 34s (daggerboards)
18-Groupe Setin (Cousin-Morvan): 2d 4h 28 mins 39s (daggerboards)
19-Pure (Attanasio-Marsset): 2d 4h 43 mins 02d (daggerboards)
20-Time for Oceans (Le Diraison-Guiffant): 2d 05h 33 mins 00s (daggerboards).

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Charal Takes Le Defi Azimut With PRB 2nd and 11th Hour In 3rd


Jérémie Beyou &Christopher Pratt aboard Charal take the 2019 Le Defi Azimut finishing in 1D 18h 43min 46s
with Kévin Escoffier & Nicolas Lunven on PBR in second with 1D 20h 08min 52s elapsed and in 3rd the Franco American team
of Charlie Enright & Pascal Bidegorry Taking 3rd on 11th Hour Sailing with a time of 1d 20h 45min 47s.

The following is some excerpts from the social media blurbs and pic are all from the boats respective on board media types









Charal, first of the 48 h azimut ❗️

Jérémie Beyou and Christopher Pratt crossed this Saturday morning at 7 am the finish line of the 48 hours Azimut. They have completed the 665 miles of the course they will have taken from start to finish, at the average of 15,58 knots on the line (17,27 knots). Their running time is 42 hours 43 minutes, 46 seconds

Taking orders as soon as the passage of the island of Groix, Charal has printed its rhythm at these 48 hours Azimut. Very Sharp on the start of the race and credit of more than 6 MILES AHEAD AFTER 3 hours of racing, the tandem-Pratt tandem never failed during the 43 hours of racing. However, the black foiler experienced a fall in diet in the afternoon of Thursday and saw the return in its table 11th hour and prb before the first mark, hard to score throughout the 450 miles of wearing that were to compose The first two edges.

It is finally by option frankly at the beginning of the last edge to anticipate the rotation of the wind in the south and finish with the right angle, that the black foiler has been able to distance its pursuers So this is the second win without sharing this season for the foiler after its success in August in the Rolex Fastnet race.









The 48 hours are not the runs. After the chronos that allowed to establish a first ranking of platforms on Wednesday, the sea test now dedicates the most tested and tested machines.
First "flying" Imoca in history in 2018, Charal has been the subject of a rigorous development for a year now. 11th hour (2th) and PRB (3th) have been rodés for a long time. Their crews are certainly landing in imoca but also went through the Volvo Ocean Race or the great multihulls, a background that allowed them to immediately draw the quintessence of boats that can still win. Master Rooster Iv dates back to 2015 but the very good tandem Bestaven-Jourdain knows him on his fingertips. Heart Initiatives (6th), one of the imoca "Refeatés" that has most sail this year resists well, when Macsf (8th) and Advens for Cybersecurity (10th) all freshly put to the water , follow back... not to mention Arkea Paprec who points beyond the 15th place and maybe we'll find out when he arrived why he couldn't invite himself to the game...

Nothing but very logical so! Especially after 24 hours of rodeo at the reaching under gennaker then at the carrying under grand spi at more than 21 knots of average. The images of the media men and women show that even under the sun, driving at these speeds with 3 tons of lead hanging under the hull is nothing harmless.








After the wearing, back to the near...

And in these muscular conditions, it is to recognize that if Charal leads the ball from Groix, he did not make a fool of previous generations. The performance of Apicil, always fifth tonight, also allows to perspective. Wonderfully LED by the Seguin-Richomme Tandem, this finot-Conq plan dating back to 2007 has found a second youth.

At 160 miles from the arrival, the battle is in full swing, especially as the return road is strewn with obstacles. The wind that has to blow from the south on the end of the course has invited all competitors to make a counter-board of about fifty miles in this direction before heading back to the house. A tactical placement that does not take into account the mapping and which upset the positions in the afternoon when the first ones hit the road of the late ones still approaching the second mark. But the ranking didn't really move aside from the nice return of popular bank in the top 10 tonight. Charal always controls and seems to take advantage of its southern option, the most marked of the fleet.

In the game of the differences, the gaps can still increase or fill. The small minimum depression that goes up from the coast channels channel the road in a narrow corridor and low flexibility could generate quite variable conditions tonight.

If everything goes like on the weather files, the competitors will still shell out tonight, leaders should prepare the island of Groix (which they have to leave on the bow) around 6 PM. End of these 665 miles led drum beating at sunrise.

🚨 last minute: towards a world without aids gives up. No damage or technical problem for Erik Niigon who has announced his decision to return directly to Lorient for his association obligations.




Finish Order

[Built to List]

Charlie done gone short handed?

[Buzz Light Beer]

Go Charlie and Pascal!

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22 IMOCA's departed the Lorient earlier today in brisk winds and flat seas. The race is a warm up for the Transat Jacques Vabre
features a 48 hour loop off the coast of Brittany with two crewmen and a media person to provide onboard coverage as the race progresses.
The race is overwhelmingly a french affair with many of the top shorthanded franco's testing new boats and fine tuning their program along with up
and coming teams learning the ropes and which ones to tug on and when. This years entry list has 3 non-french sailors, Great Britain's Samantha Davies
sailing with Paul Meilhat aboard Initiatives Coeur, the Japanese entry of Kojiro Shiraishi with Gilles Campan on DMG Mori and The United States entry of
Charlie Enright and Pascal Bidegorry on 11th Hour Racing (nee former Hugo Boss)

Currently Team USA are in 2nd, Team UK 3rd with Jeremie Beyou and Christopher Pratt on Charal in the lead








TRACKER

The Défi Azimut is an atypical event in the offshore race world. It’s the meeting between the IMOCA class which gathers together the skippers of the Vendée Globe and the Lorient-based company Azimut. It also aims to combine performance, innovation and strategy. It combines the best level of sailing competition with a lot of friendliness. It’s the hallmarks of this event whose success does not stop.

For its ninth edition, the Défi Azimut brings together new boats and already experienced Imocas to compete in racing mode and amaze us for five days in Lorient. Every year, this festive event gathers ocean sailing players around highly contested boat races, just a few weeks before the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre.

New thing this year, the Défi Azimut will present some of the major players in the offshore racing world who have decided to take up another great challenge: the fight for the oceans preservation.








Conditions were brisk from the east for the start but are expected to lighten and turn southerly in the next 24 hours before switching to a more westerly
direction Sunday, meaning crews might just be able to fly a kite around the entire track.

Official Report:


High stolen

Great start at 13 pm today of the 48 hours azimut off lorient. Jérémie Beyou still in the lead tonight after 90 miles of race at more than 22 knots of average. Already Large differences in a fleet that is quite spread out.


In still summer conditions, the atmosphere was relaxed this morning on the pontoons of lorient la base. Very little DIY due to yesterday's runs, the 21 tandems accompanied by their media man or woman left serene for the 48 hours azimut. Everyone could focus on their goal because as Fabrice Amedeo explained before boarding: " we know since yesterday that there are really three families of imoca. The New Foilers Stick US EASILY 3 knots and in theory boats like newrest art and windows that dates from 2015 goes about 3 knots faster than the drift models ". on its side, Yoann Richomme (Apicil) seemed more worried about arriving too late in lorient on Saturday to follow the first match of the xv tricolor than on the end of the final ranking at the scratch! " with Damien we're going to play our band first trying to go tantalize some more recent boats. But on this course, the last foilers will give us a nice beating! ".

Foilers, the kings of the gulf

It must be said that on the 665-mile triangle that makes up the course, almost two-third will be played wind of the way or at the carrying in strong wind. The Queen look of the foilers is well there, between 90 and 130° of the real wind. No wonder to see that the most successful of the last generation, charal, already had 6 TO 8 miles in advance after 60 miles of race on his best Dolphins Kevin Escoffier-Prb and 11th Hour Racing And more than ten on the peloton. On the first four hours, the vplp plan of jérémie beyou and Christopher Pratt has therefore sail 3 knots faster than the bulk of the troops, sorry for the little.

But don't go to believe that the dice are thrown away! " there will be opportunities on the averti course this morning, Sebastien Simon, skipper of arkéa paprec who points tonight in fourth position. Especially small areas of soft under the influence of a stormy depression that grows on Spain. You'll have to be precise and make the right sailing changes at the right time "

A very spreading fleet

And in this area, the superb departure and the bypass of the island of groix showed how much places can be won or easily lost at the speeds where the imoca evolve. With an "English" Departure (at the door) where you had to manage the timing of the line - what Voile Banque Populaire x and office vallée ii did perfectly -, the choice of the right sail of wearing Was essential. Those who had chosen the grand gennaker were forced to change for smaller after the gybe at the pointe de pen men, a costly maneuver, even in double. At this game, charal managed perfectly its positioning, loffant over the whole fleet under small gennaker, without losing a second after the gybe. Big Mastery also on 11th hour of Charlie Enright and Pascal Bidégorry who points second by seriously going back to the leader.

But the fleet is already spread over 10 miles in the side, and the ranking is playing yoyo. Everyone is looking for the best veins to heal their angle of descent to the way point 1, while knowing that the wind must gradually turn South East.

High-speed steering, opponent monitoring and incessant settings: Here's the evening menu for the 21 tandems engaged. First verdict and ranking at the passage of the virtual brand, scheduled a little before the sunrise.



Ranking at 19 pm:
1) Charal
2) 11th Hour
3) Prb








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