![]() |
Photo: © Yvan Zedda |
Some Wind To End
![]() |
Photo: © Yvan Zedda |
![]() |
Photo: © Yvan Zedda |
![]() |
Photo: © Yvan Zedda |
![]() |
Photo: © Yvan Zedda |
On Home Waters
Following on from this, 1102 UTC on Sunday will see the start of the ninth and final offshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. After a short preliminary course off Lorient, the six crews will leave the islands of Groix and Belle-Île to starboard, before diving towards the island of Sein and climbing up to the Fastnet, to the South-West of Ireland.
Once again they'll have to make their way along the coast (Irish shores this time), then leave the Aran Islands to starboard before making towards the finish line off Galway. As such it's a short leg which awaits the teams, though one which is packed with traps, since the course has a number of coastal parameters framing their movements: the effects of land, tidal currents, fishing nets, shipping.
As regards the weather, Saturday's depression is set to distance itself from the race zone, to leave the way clear for another Atlantic disturbance which will propel the fleet along fairly quickly, as soon as it's clear of the North-West tip of Brittany. However, it's the section of the course between Belle-Île and Sein, which will prove to be the most technical, as a north-westerly breeze of around ten knots or so on leaving Lorient, is due to ease as it shifts round to the WSW as the fleet approach the Glénan Islands.
As regards the weather, Saturday's depression is set to distance itself from the race zone, to leave the way clear for another Atlantic disturbance which will propel the fleet along fairly quickly, as soon as it's clear of the North-West tip of Brittany. However, it's the section of the course between Belle-Île and Sein, which will prove to be the most technical, as a north-westerly breeze of around ten knots or so on leaving Lorient, is due to ease as it shifts round to the WSW as the fleet approach the Glénan Islands.
The first to make the Penmarch' headland will be in with a serious chance of a leg victory because, following on from this, the south-westerly breeze of around twenty knots is set to last all the way to the finish in Galway (Monday night or the early hours of Tuesday). This long reach across the English Channel and then the Irish Sea is good news for Groupama 4, which is especially fond of this point of sail, but as Jean-Luc Nélias explains before the start: "our most dangerous adversary is ourselves!"
(Provisional) general standing after eight offshore legs and eight In-Port races:
1-Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas) : 2+20+2+18+5+24+2+30+4+20+6+20+5+25+6+30 = 219 points
2-Puma (Ken Read) : 5+0+4+19+3+17+5+25+5+30+4+30+4+20+5+20 = 196 points
Tied 3rd-Camper (Chris Nicholson) : 4+25+5+24+4+18+3+15+6+15+5+25+3+10+4+25 = 191 points
Tied 3rd-Telefonica (Iker Martinez) : 1+30+6+29+2+27+6+20+1+25+2+15+1+15+1+10 = 191 points
5-Abu Dhabi (Ian Walker) : 6+0+3+10+6+14+4+10+2+0+3+10+6+30+3+15 = 122 points
6-Sanya (Mike Sanderson) : 3+0+1+5+2+5+1+5+3+0+0+0+2+5+2+5 = 39 points
(Provisional) general standing after eight offshore legs and eight In-Port races:
1-Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas) : 2+20+2+18+5+24+2+30+4+20+6+20+5+25+6+30 = 219 points
2-Puma (Ken Read) : 5+0+4+19+3+17+5+25+5+30+4+30+4+20+5+20 = 196 points
Tied 3rd-Camper (Chris Nicholson) : 4+25+5+24+4+18+3+15+6+15+5+25+3+10+4+25 = 191 points
Tied 3rd-Telefonica (Iker Martinez) : 1+30+6+29+2+27+6+20+1+25+2+15+1+15+1+10 = 191 points
5-Abu Dhabi (Ian Walker) : 6+0+3+10+6+14+4+10+2+0+3+10+6+30+3+15 = 122 points
6-Sanya (Mike Sanderson) : 3+0+1+5+2+5+1+5+3+0+0+0+2+5+2+5 = 39 points
Groupama Media
No comments:
Post a Comment