Tour de Bretagne a la Voile - Leg 2
by Offshore Challenges 20 May 2003 11:50 BST
TOUR DE BRETAGNE A LA VOILE - 18-24 MAY 2003
LEG 2 : ST QUAY TO PERROS GUIREC
DISTANCE : 48 MILES
CONDITIONS : 15 knots W increasing to 39 knots W / sea state rough / strong tidal gates
IN BRIEF:
* Major sail problems on board SKANDIA in 30+ knots of breeze... Davies and Westmacott go from middle of the fleet down the pack: "It was frustrating but perhaps not a bad thing to have a bad time early on to stop you getting blasé..." said Davies - cold, wet and tired after nearly 7 hours of racing. "We think some of the other boats had a similar problem and there was at least one retirement."
* TOMORROW THE LONGEST LEG OF THE TOUR...LEG 3 AN OVERNIGHT 90-MILE leg starting at 2100 hrs from Perros Guirec to Brest... This leg takes the fleet around the north west tip of France, and the massive tides and seaway off of Ushant which can swallow a Figaro up...
IN DETAIL:
Two general recalls at the start of the second day of racing in the Tour de Bretagne a la Voile before the 26-boat fleet finally got away in 15 knots of westerly breeze on the 48 mile leg from Saint-Quay Portrieux to Perros Guirec.
Gilas Morvan and co-skipper Bertrand Pace (Cercle Vert) crossed the line first and held on to that position right through to finish. Yesterday's leg winner Erwan Tabarly (Thales) was right behind them but lost some pace during the long race finishing in 8th place.
The problems for Davies and Westmacott on SKANDIA started after the first mark: "We got a bit buried at the start which was a shame because we were right up there for the first two starts - one time we were right next to Bertrand Pace," said Davies. "We were on a fast reach and knew we had to change down to a smaller jib (Solent) - we did an 'in-line' change, it was perfect, as the rest of the fleet dropped their jibs and then re-hoisted losing them speed so we were in a good position mid-fleet." The breeze had increased steadily gusting up to 28 knots when the Solent jib ripped out of the forestay. SKANDIA had to bear away downwind as Davies fought on the bow to retrieve the sail but at the same time losing valuable miles. "We couldn't believe it," said Davies. "But we got it sorted having lost quite a few places, rehoisted the Solent in the 2nd forestay groove only for it happen for a second time...we couldn't use the sail anymore and had to go down to a storm jib."
Ultimately, as the wind increased to 30-35 knots occasionally gusting up to 38 knots the storm jib was the right sail but the race was all but over for Davies and Westmacott. "At the end we had to do a triangle Olympic course - we went for our biggest spinnaker and starting to catch the others who didn't fly theirs but it was too late."
Now Davies and Westmacott face a mountain to prepare the boat for tomorrow's leg: "We have got to try and work out the problems with the forestay grooves for the jib - not sure why it is happening - and repair the ripped jib and mainsail which was also ripped as it flogged around in the gusts. "It was survival mode out there but we survived and its good to have a bashing early on - from now it can only get better!"