TJV: Good Going for the IMOCA Open 60s

Brit Air. Image copyright B. Stichelbaut.

by Régis Lerat

A relatively straightforward night for both IMOCA Open 60 fleet and the Multi50 fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre from Le Havre to Costa Rica, the only question this morning being over the progress of BritAir of Armel Le Cléac'h and Nicolas Troussel. Le Cléac'h hinted to this morning's early radio call that they may have a technical problem but they are waiting for daylight to assess their options. But meantime they have been heading in a more SE'ly direction and have been making just over seven knots.

The gains do seem to have been for those in the more north of the main IMOCA Open 60 pack. They hung on to better wind pressure at a better angle through the latter part of yesterday and into the morning. So Seb Josse and Jeff Curzon top the IMOCA Open 60 table with a lead of just over 10 miles from Roland Jourdain and Jean Luc Nelias on Veolia Environnement.


Veolia. Image copyright B. Stichelbaut.

Meantime Foncia, yesterday's leader, have taken up the more southerly position but are computed to be just 17 miles off BT's lead, whilst Alex Thomson and Ross Daniel on Hugo Boss are still a good 70 miles further to the north of the next most northerly Open 60.

Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson have been quietly consistent, both in boat speed terms and strategy. Aviva has held good in fourth with Mike Golding and Javier Sanso on the Owen Clarke sister-ship Mike Golding Yacht Racing gaining nicely to fifth.
According to Roland ‘Bilou' Jourdain on Veolia Environnement conditions this morning were decidedly chilly with 15-12 knots of breeze.

It's likely to be late afternoon or this evening when the breeze really starts to build as the first depression arrives for the fleet bringing winds of over 30 knots and building seas.

In the Multi 50 Class Franck Yves Escoffier and Erwan Leroux on Crepes Whaou have a lead of just over 70 miles.


Aviva. Image copyright Marcel Mochet/AFP.

Roland Jourdain (FRA), second this morning in the IMOCA Open 60 Class:
“It's a bit chilly but it is all good generally. The night was OK. We had the passage of a little front which clouded the skies and brought a little rain at the beginning of the night, then it cleared and we had some stars. But you can't be complacent and not think of what is to come. We still have some time but at the moment we have just been recovering from what we did not get in the way of rest since the start. And you can always remind yourself that after every rain it will clear again, think of the positives, but it is not always that easy to do!.”
“The game is already quite open and it is interesting. Winds are a little variable at the moment, we are on starboard with 15 to 20 knots of wind and we are forever pushing for more sail; quite a pretty sky this morning. But also we are in an area where there are many ships and so you have to be alert. But we saw a pretty pod of dolphins yesterday.”

Rankings at 1700 CET 10/11/09

IMOCA 60

1 BT 4095.5
2 GROUPE BEL 4097.4
3 SAFRAN 4101.7
4 VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT 4107.8
5 AVIVA 4110.2
6 MIKE GOLDING YACHT RACING 4112.3
7 ARTEMIS 4125.5
8 AKENA VERANDAS 4132.8
9 W HOTELS 4133.1
10 DCNS 4173.6
11 HUGO BOSS 4185.1
12 FONCIA 4192.4
13 BRIT AIR 4408.5

MULTI50
1 CRÊPES WHAOU ! 4477.9
2 REGION AQUITAINE-PORT MEDOC 4504.0
3 GUYADER POUR URGENCE CLIMATIQUE 4529.9
4 PRINCE DE BRETAGNE 4641.9
5 FENETREA-CARDINAL 4868.5
ABD ACTUAL

Transat Jacques Vabre