News - Sunday 09 September 2012, 15h19
MOD70 EUROPEAN TOUR
Open or closed?
Spindrift racing may have won the Dun Laoghaire City Race series but it is still Michel Desjoyeaux and the crew of FONCIA which head for Cascais this afternoon with the overall lead on the MOD70 European Tour. They hold a cushion of five points over Yann Guichard’s team who have been particularly impressive in the strong winds.
Spindrift racing may have won the Dun Laoghaire City Race series but it is still Michel Desjoyeaux and the crew of FONCIA which head for Cascais this afternoon with the overall lead on the MOD70 European Tour. They hold a cushion of five points over Yann Guichard’s team who have been particularly impressive in the strong winds.
After the tightly bound course from Kiel, Germany which was more often than not close to land, which kept the fleet close in terms of strategy, this leg is the most open, sailing in the open Atlantic for some of the time. And there are several key stages where options will open, requiring decisions to be made.
But even at that the common consensus is that the finish into the Tagus estuary and Cascais may be a light winds facsimile of last week in Dun Laoghaire.
For Leg 2 of the MOD70 European Tour, from Dun Laoghaire (Ireland) to Cascais (Portugal) the first challenge will be negotiating the Fastnet lighthouse in strong upwind conditions and rough seas. But even after that nothing is too easy after crossing the Bay of Biscay with the possibilities of a light winds finish into Cascais.
The second leg of 1215 miles should include a loop past Cascais round to Lagos in the western Algarve passing Cabo St Vincent, the SW tip of Portugal. Race direction have this provision as part of the course but they may shorten at Cascais when the fleet approach. This leg accounts for about 240 miles of the course.
The start today at 1500hrs local time off Dun Laoghaire’s will be influenced by the Atlantic depression which is approaching Ireland which is now dispersing the high pressure system which has prevailed since just before the MOD70’s arrived for their Irish stop. The winds at the start will be around 15-25kts from the SSW, with more in squalls.
The St Georges Channel will be the first challenge of the passage, 80 miles out to Tuskar, which will be quite tough with gusts to 35kts trying to stay more offshore than staying with the coast. Only when the slow moving cold front arrives when the fleet are approaching the Fastnet rock will the skies start to clear. This stage can be key depending on the timing of the front. If any team can round the rock as the front passes they can get an immediate boost as the wind veers W to give faster, reaching conditions.
Overall this early part of the leg will be neither good for the crews or the boats, upwind with many tacks in big, disorganised seas. After the Fastnet there is also a second front out to the west, and some may choose to take more westing to get to the stronger westerlies at the back of this.
Thereafter it is rhumb line, straight course sailing, skirting the Bay of Biscay there is a small ridge of high pressure so they can choose to slide east on port tack which risks getting into the throes of a little windy, disturbed trough. So the key at this stage will be timing the gybes down this corridor between the two phenomenon. But with the breeze gradually softening from ahead as the fleet pass Cape Finisterre and reach the Iberian peninsula some compression seems inevitable here.
Picking a way down the wind holes here can be another big challenge. The return of the Azores high off Brittany and a northerly will build down the Bay of Biscay strengthening off Finisterre by Tuesday afternoon. But the finish could see less than ten knots of wind. The current ETA for the fleet is Wednesday morning.
Crews for Leg 2 to Cascais
Race For Water: Steve Ravussin (SUI), Yvan Ravussin (SUI), Franck Cammas (FRA), François Morvan (FRA), Loïc Forestier (SUI), Tanguy Cariou (FRA)
FONCIA: Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA), Antoine Carraz (FRA), Thierry Chabagny (FRA), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), Emmanuel Leborgne (FRA), Xavier Revil (FRA)
Edmond de Rothschild Group: Sébastien Josse (FRA), Antoine Koch (FRA), Thomas Rouxel (FRA), Espagnon Christophe (FRA), Florent Chastel (FRA), Olivier Douillard (FRA)
Spindrift racing: Yann Guichard (FRA), Léo Lucet (FRA), Pascal Bidégorry (FRA), Jacques Guichard (FRA), Yann Eliès (FRA), Thierry Douillard (FRA)
Musandam, Oman Sail: Sidney Gavignet (FRA), Fahad Al Hasni (OMA), Mohsin Al Busaidi (OMA), Brian Thompson (GBR), Jean-François Cuzon (FRA), Thomas Le Breton (FRA)
Ranking MOD70 European Tour (Kiel City Race + bonus + 1st stage with Dun Laoghaire City Race)
1-FONCIA (Michel Desjoyeaux) 12 53 +10 = 75 points
2-Spindrift racing (Yann Guichard) 11 47 +12 = 70 points
3-Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse) 10 44 +11 = 65 points
4 - Race for Water (Steve Ravussin) 8 38 +9 = 55 points
5-Musandam, Oman Sail (Sidney Gavignet) 9 +34 +8 = 51 Points
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