LATEST NEWS

Straight line

It might not be downwind sailing quite yet, but reaching is becoming more or less possible. This is good news. Five depressions in a row take their toll. Five in two weeks since the start in Saint Nazaire. Almost the whole Solidaire du Chocolat fleet has an average speed of 8 knots or more in a south or south-easterly breeze. … Moderate wind on a sea which was becoming increasingly chaotic and a gradual wind shift east for the end of the weekend. We should see some spinnakers flying – at last ! For those in the north at least. The southerners can boats having had their spinnakers up for a day or two already. Sailing freely along the trade winds picking up to 20-25 knots, the three southern boats are reeling in the miles at average speeds of not far off 12 knots. Slowly but surely they are gaining on the leaders who are never the less 700 miles ahead…

Favourable rotation

The northern part of the fleet had preferred to put some south in their heading after the Azores to avoid ending up in the middle of the storm announced. But the low from Florida finally ended up heading off north, leaving the way open for the North Atlantic High to move down. On its southern edge the High is generating an easterly flow which will push the fleet directly over to the Caribbean. All that remains is to handle the pace of gybing to get as far south-west as possible. Giovanni Soldini and Pietro d’Ali (Telecom Italia) maintain their position as leaders but just 120 miles south, Tanguy de Lamotte and Adrien Hardy (Initiatives-Novedia) are doing well. Slightly faster, they can open their sails 10° more and improve boat speed by one knot. Just 20 miles behind the Italian in relation to Saint Bart’s, they may well end up taking the lead for Sunday lunch.

Their two closest rivals are in sight. Incredible as it may seem in the middle of the Atlantic,  Damien Seguin and Armel Tripon (Cargill-MTTM) and Bruno Jourdren and Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) are just sixty miles from the leaders. Patrice Carpentier and Victor Maldonado (Crédit Maritime) are following a course under the Azores and should latch onto an easterly blow before the weekend is finished. Thereafter, they will be set for a direct course to the Caribbean and may even come across the three southern boats when they approach the islands. In spite of the fact that the fleet is spread out, anything might happen. For the time being, the weekend is looking much more pleasant than had been expected. A well deserved break after days on end against the wind.