Fleet Hits Heavy Weather in Transat Jacques
Vabre
November 3 - English Channel
The monohull fleet racing in the doublehanded
Transat Jacques Vabre is being subjected to harsh weather conditions
generated by a strong low pressure system moving eastwards, coupled
with heavy cross seas off Ushant, as they head out of the English
Channel into the Atlantic. Ecover and Sill are
so far cleaning up on the rest of the fleet, the skippers on
each boat however doing their own clean up on board after the
worst of the bad weather. The 17 Open 60 monohulls, five Open
50 monohulls and the two Class 2 multihulls pointed their bows
towards Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, 4,340 miles away, at precisely
1500 French time on Saturday.
The monohull fleet started on Saturday afternoon
Photo Jacques Vapillon, Courtesy www.pixsail.com
By Sunday morning, the starters had already
suffered two casualties. Canadians Georges Leblanc and Marc Nadeau
were air-lifted off their Open 60 Ciments Saint-Laurent-Océan
by a helicopter. The boat lost its keel during the night offshore.
At 0500 French time, the Race Office were
alerted that the alarm on the ARGOS beacon on board the Canadian
Open 60 had been set off. Immediately, a helicopter was sent
out to fly over the zone, which was 16 miles north of Cherbourg,
and reported that Ciment Saint-Laurent-Océan was
upside down without its keel at 49°55.6N, 1°37.32W. The
pilots could confirm that both safety beacons which had been
set off were in the water, but that at that time of night they
could not see either of the two skippers.
Therefore the Rescue Services initiated
an immediate search over the whole zone. The winds were in excess
of 30 knots and the sea was very rough. Then just as the light
dawned one of the skippers appeared from the boat and was spotted
by the helicopter, which engaged immediately in their airlift
rescue procedure. Both skippers are safe and sound.
The other casualty of the first 24 hours
was the trimaran of Anne Caseneuve and Christophe Houdet. Atlantic
Nature informed the Race Office at 0700 French time yesterday
that they had dismasted in the middle of the English Channel
at 50°04.8N, 2°46W, north of Guernsey). Anne Caseneuve
added that, "The wind was up to 50 knots from the southwest
and the mast came down at 0500 hours, breaking at the second
spreader." The trimaran did not request assistance and arrived
at Cherbourg at 2050 last night.
Due to the harsh weather, the Open 60 multihull
start was postponed from its original Sunday slot. The start
has been rescheduled for 1000 French time from Le Havre on Wednesday
morning. The weather forecast looks to be considerably better
with moderate winds of 15-20 knots from the south-southwest,
with wave heights around six feet.
Other competitors have put in at various
ports for repairs, but all of them have or intend to resail.
For complete reports, more photos and to follow the action, see
www.jacques-vabre.com.
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