Friday, July 21, 2017
Class 40 - Les Sables-Horta - Leg 2 - Final results, Phil Sharp GBR/Adrien Hardy FRA overall winners
The second and last leg of tghe Les-Sables-Horta-Les-Sables regatta was concluded yesterday morning. Aymeric Chapellier/Arthur Le Vaillant FRA finished first 15 minutes ahead of Phil Sharp GBR/Adrien Hardy FRA. The Anglo-French team, already second in leg 1, are the clear winners of the Class 44 offshore race.
The report.
The report.
After rounding Cape Horn and a solo round-the-world journey, Yvan Bourgnon SUI started five days ago with his 6 meter beach catamaran to a new adventure: the North-West Passage of the American continent during the short ice-free period. The weather was extremely bad up-to-now and after three rainy days without sun, the solar-panel feeded batteries are empty and the auto-pilot is not operational for the moment. Comes in addition, that - inspite of foul-weather gear - he is all wet and freezing. 
The fresh Westwind around 20 kn is pushing the fleet at high speeds direction Les Sables this morning. Aymeric Chappellier/Arthur Le Vaillant FRA are still leading with 56 nm left to the finish this morning. Phil Sharp GBR/Adrien Hardy FRA follow 5 nm behind on rank 2. Pablo Santurde/Gonzalo Botin ESP are now on 3rd with a 10 nm backlog.
Sébastien Destremau FRA finished the Vendée Globe with the oldest boat on the 18th and last position. He has summarized his adventure in a book, and ARTE invited him to a longer 
The Class 40 fleet is now sailing back to Les Sables d'Olonne in a good 18 kn breeze at speeds above 10 kn. But now, a lull zone will slow down the boats and the gaps between the boats will again be substantially reduced. 
The new Beach-Catamaran 24 hours' record, established over the past weekend by Simon Koster/Yo Wiebel SUI, is at 361 nm. A 
The 32-meter Trimaran 'Gitana', the first foiling offshore multihull, has been launched in Vannes FRA yesterday. No doubt, she will be able to improve a number of ocean records in the coming years. Her first start in a race has been planned for this fall, i.e. the Transat Jacques Vabre. Sébastien Josse FRA will be the skipper. 
After two days on a northern course searching for more wind, the fleet veered finally direction East heading for the arrival in Les Sables. Pablo Santurde/Gonazlo Botin ESP, winners of leg 1, have taken the lead 2,5 nm ahead of 'Oman Sail' with Sydney Gavignet FRA/Fahad al Hasni OMN. 
After Francis Joyon FRA, who improved his Solo Transatlantic Record last week, it was Thomas Coville FRA with his 'Sodebo' beating the record again with 4 days, 11 hours and 10 minutes from New York to Cape Lizard at the most Southwest point of England, at an average speed of 28,35kn ! The next attempt will follow soon, as François Gabart FRA will attack the record as well on his journey back from the USA to Europe.
Light winds prevailed so far during leg 2 of the Class 40 Regatta Les Sables-Horta-Les Sables. The fleet is mostly heading North expecting fresher winds. Franz Bouvet/Thomas Guichard FRA, the most Eastern Boat, have been on the first position this morning, but considering the different courses, the rankings are rather relative. 
Yesterday evening, the 17 two-person teams still in the race started on the Acores POR to leg 2 of their offshore race back to France. This morning, the fleet was still closely together and the distance between the leaders Marc Dubos/Jean-Luc Schoch FRA and the backmarkers 'Oman Sail' of Sydney Gavignet FRA/Fahad al Hasni OMN was only 8 nm.
Two weeks ago, Francis Joyon FRA participated with his 100-foot trimaran in the race against the Ocean Liner 'Queen Mary II'. A week ago, he seized the good weather conditions to start a solo North Atlantic record attempt from New York back to Europe. Yesterday, he crossed the traditional finish line off Cape Lizard after 5 days, 2 hours and 7 minutes, improving his own record by 49 minutes.
The 49th Transpac Race will be remembered as the year of the records as both the outright multihull and monohull times for the 2225 nm course from Los Angles to Honolulu have been officially eclipsed.
After three restarts due to equipment failures, the 24-hours' record attempt for foiling F-20 Beach Catamarans finally got underway, and Simon Koster/Yo Wiebel succeeded to improve the existing record of Yan Bourgnon SUI with 361 nm and top speeds above 20 kn. However, the record cannot be homologated as they did not announce the attempt to the Speed Record Council lacking the money for the fees. 
All but 3 boats had finished leg 1 of the Class 40 'Les Sables-Horta' race on the Acores POR by this morning. We reported already on the victory of Pablo Santurde/Gonzalo Botin ESP. The 
In the late afternoon yesterday, Simon Koster/Yo Wiebel SUI with their Foiler-Catamaran concluded their 24 hours' record attempt South of Karlskrona SWE, turning immediately South to head for the Polish coast near Gdansk POL, where they arrived during this night. Apparently, they have not yet found an Internet connection to reveal, whether they have been successful to improve 246 nm record of Yvan Bourgnon SUI. The information will certainly be posted on the 
Yesterday by noon, the first two Class 40 crossed the finish line in Horta/Acores POR. Having led for quite some time, Pablo Santurde/Gonzalo Botin ESP terminated the first leg from Les Sables to the Portuguese island in 5 days, 23 hrs and 05 min. Paul Sharp GBR/Corentin Douguet FRA followed as 2nd with a backlog of 45 min. Alexander Krause GER/Antoine Carpentier FRA on rank 3 arrived 5 hours later. 8 of the 19 teams arrived until this morning. More are expected during this Sunday. 
After their unplanned repair stop in Denmark, Simon Koster/Yo Wiebel SUI restarted yesterday to their 24-hours' record attempt for Foiling Beach Catamarans. This morning, the duo was underway at a good 15 kn average speed, but without comparison to the existing record of Yvan Bourgnon SUI.
