Thursday afternoon on their final approaches to Guadeloupe Francis Joyon (IDEC Sport) is fourth and just under 80 miles ahead of Yves Le Blevec (ACTUAL Ultim 3) as wily veteran Joyon this time prepares to try and contain the boat which he pipped to the 2018 race victory.
So Joyon, aboard his faithful IDEC SPORT built in 2006, is this time well positioned to begin the race around the island ahead of her rival. The boats have been neck and neck averaging 27 knots, but Francis Joyon with his traditional boat has warded off the attacks of the flying trimaran. “With Bernard (Stamm) and Christian (Dumard), we focused on two gybes which allowed me to pass along to leeward of Actual. We have been battling it out with Yves since the start. It would be pleasing to finish ahead of him. I think I have always rounded Guadeloupe by night.”
In the IMOCA Class Charlie Dalin (APIVIA) the long time leader has 24 miles in hand and is putting his faith in heading directly south while the close battle of Figaro intensity behind him is taking second placed Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) and this closest rivals to the west.
Ruyant said this morning, “For the moment, it’s fairly settled, but a lot of clouds pop up later in the day with big squalls. That changes the angle and speed of the wind and at night, we can’t see anything. You need luck to be on your side. There is a global strategy to get around the High, but we need to tackle these squalls and there are a lot of them. It’s hard to find any time to sleep. I have more sail changes coming up, as the wind is set to strengthen. Charlie (Dalin) is very fast. His foils are more powerful than those in the rest of the fleet. However, that difference is less noticeable downwind. It’s all very close with Jérémie (Beyou) close to us, Maxime (Sorel) is now pressing towards us and there is also Paul (Meilhat), Kevin (Escoffier) and Justine (Mettraux). We’re in a small group that is working flat out. We knew from the start that with 38 IMOCAs, it was going to be close.”
Sailing an incredible solo debut IMOCA race Swiss skipper Justine Mettraux (Teamwork.net) is on great form in seventh “I’m trying to find the right pace and the right course. I lost a bit of ground during the night. At the moment, there is some and the seas are fine. At night, we can’t see anything, so it’s a bit random with the squalls. It takes me some time to gybe. I’m pleased to be in this pack. Further back, it looks harder. We are now set to head downwind towards Guadeloupe. I’m in a good group and learning from them. Conditions are pleasant and it’s hot, so you sweat a lot when you carry out manoeuvres. I know my boat well and never get any surprises. In twenty knots of wind, it feels like I’m in control.”
Mettraux is over 270 miles ahead of Franco-German Isabelle Joshcke (MACSF) who is eighth. Briton Pip Hare (Medallia) remains resolute after tearing her mainsail going through front but is up to 12th after placing her faith in the west, close to the rhumb line. New Zealander Conrad Colman (Imagine) is 17th having a solid race on his non-foiling boat. Seb Marsset (Mon Courtier Energie-Cap Agir Ensemble) is top daggerboad boat in ninth, he, too, like Hare is far to the west of Colman.
Hungary’s rookie Szabi Weeores is having a good race with young Brit James Harayada (Gentoo Racing) both progressively finding their feet, going fast and enjoying sailing in sunshine with the ‘big gear’ up for the first time. Szabi is 20th and Harayda 21st.
Harayda, 24, enthused, “We are on a bit of a scorcher right now, going fast in the right direction. It is a good sign on any yacht race. It feels good to be going fast forwards. I do feel a bit like I deserve it. It has been a tricky first week. But I am trying to stay positive about it. It has been long so far. There will be a, hopefully, small transition tonight. Where I am in the north we are a bit separated, hopefully now getting south I will cash in some gains tonight and tomorrow morning and then hopefully I will be into the same trade winds as the others, and maybe, maybe….I don’t want to speak too soon. I feel good and I had a good clean of the boat and hopefully it returns the favour.”
He adds, “Now this is my longest time solo at sea. I didn’t think I would get this feeling because I am usually quite a relaxed, calm person, but when you are out here and hear of boats having incidents it is like actually ‘shit I am a little bit on my own out here….’ It is not a lonely feeling but you feel isolated, not in a bad way, but I have not really felt it before.
China’s ‘Jackie’, Jingkun Xu is making great progress too on his first ever IMOCA race. He was delighted today to get photos from Fabrice Amedeo, of a painting in the Azores that the skipper from Qingdao had done at the end of his circumnavigation two years ago. Amedeo had to abandon his IMOCA when it went on fire and sank. Rescued by a cargo ship he was dropped in the Azores
“Today seems my lucky day. I also received a wonderful gift from Breton kids, they send me a wonderful video full of blessings in french and chinese, so lovely, and in the same time , I received a lot of wonderful blessing from different country, even a 80 years old poet write some poems for me, so so touching. And so the gate to the trade wind are nearly open in front of me, the temperature is getting higher and it seems the Carribean sunshine is already coming, I cooked this first hot food today my seventh day. Bread and cheese is lovely but the hot fast noodles really save my Asian stomach.” Jackie wrote today. I have heard the new record, congratulations to Charles, in a tough year, he still make a great job, he is an outstanding skipper. I am preparing my gennaker I hope to arrive in Guadeloupe sooner with its help.
In Class 40 leader and defending Route du Rhum champion Yoann Richomme (Paprec-Arkema) has doubled his lead over second placed Corentin Douguet (Quéguiner Innoveo) to over 40 miles. Swiss racer Simon Koster (Banque de Leman) in fourth is racing less than two miles from Italy’s Ambrogio Beccharia (Allagrande-Pirelli) who is fifth.
When asked if he would be happy to finish in the 12th position he holds now, American solo racer Alex Mehran (Polka Dot) laughed, “I would be happy to finish 55th I never imagined being in the top half of this race. I am enjoying it and if there is a result in there, anything better than 55th I will be happy. I have a family and a job back at home and have not been able to sail so much and so I did not have a lot of expectations, I really didn’t.”
**They said **
Pitstoping today into the Azores, Douglas Alexander RSA (Conscious Planet), “I arrived here this morning, about 45 minutes ago and I hope to be out of here quite quickly not least because there is a good weather window, I could be in Gaudeloupe in about nine days and hopefully have some fun because this race has not been much fun so far. My biggest challenge has been running out of power. I was having to charge for longer and getting less time and power on the batteries. I was having to charge more frequently and so was running out of fuel. It was very evident that the batteries were in the process of failing. So unfortunately I had to dog leg here and get new batteries. I hope to be out of here before the end of today. Also the pad eye that has all the controls for the J1 and J2 ripped out and needs replaced.”
James Harayda GBR (Gentoo) “We are on a bit of a scorcher right now, going fast in the right direction. It is a good sign on any yacht race. It feels good to be going fast forwards. I do feel a bit like I deserve it. It has been a tricky first week. But I am trying to stay positive about it. It has been long so far. There will be a, hopefully, small transition tonight. Where I am in the north we are a bit separated, hopefully now getting south I will cash in some gains tonight and tomorrow morning and then hopefully I will be into the same trade winds as the others, and maybe…I don’t want to speak too soon. I feel good and I had a good clean of the boat and hopefully it returns the favour.
Now this is my longest time solo at sea. I didn’t think I would get this feeling because I am usually quite a relaxed, calm person, but when you are out here and hear of boats having incidents it is like actually ‘shit I am a little bit on my own out here….’ It is not a lonely feeling but you feel isolated, not in a bad way, but I have not really felt it before.
Alex Mehran USA (Polka Dot) “It is going well. I have the A2 up which is great, I passed by Loic Escoffier on the trimaran and I so happy to have the spinnaker up and heading straight at Guadeloupe doing 12 or 13 kts. So I am just trying to square run my pilot a bit and eat breakfast. I might have a wash. I need it. I look at the tracking a lot because I want to see what the wind conditions are for other boats. Last night I was on the J1 and full main and knew it was going to soften and go aft, but the routing was calling for the Zero, And so I just kind of made the decision to stay with the J1 and sleep. I maybe lost a little bit. But now I looking at the guys who have left the Azores, like Edenred and Project Ocean Rescue they are coming at me at 14kts. It is good to monitor how I am going against the other boats, I check it quite a bit.