Route du Rhum Underway

Here's a nice collection of video clips from the website of Prince de Bretagne (Lionel Lemenchois) showing their M50 Class trimaran doing its thing at speed. Now, who wouldn't want to take a ride on this bad boy and light it up?

http://www.princedebretagne-mer.com/medias/371.flv

http://www.princedebretagne-mer.com/medias/267.flv

http://www.princedebretagne-mer.com/medias/126.flv

 

Pete Goss is a really interesting guy.

Not only are his sailing exploits the stuff of legend (just Google his name some time when you want a good read) but he is a sailor through and through who is always looking for a way to make his boat of choice be ever more efficient as it moves along his chosen path.

Right now, Pete is sitting in 13th place in the Class 40 division of this Route du Rhum. Not a stunning placing at present, but one needs to take a look at his route and the likely wind and weather he will see to understand just what this sly fox is up to while the whole Class 40 fleet is banging its way to the finish line in Guadeloupe some many miles to the north.

Pete has taken a real chance, having read the prevailing signs and instead of going with that vast pack of hounds, as they pretty much play follow the leader at, or near, the Rhum line, he is, instead, way off to the south with pretty sparse company. Only four boats are even close to his chosen line and all lay some distance aft of him.

His chances of winning the RdR? Probably very, very, slim. But, Pete Goss is winning something else that I consider very important. He’s winning the hearts and minds of every armchair sailor out there, who might harbor a wild dream that they, too, could one day take a flier in the RdR and pull off a magic transition and win the race. He’s also got my full attention, as he carves his own path, as risky as it looks and he’s having a total blast doing so. That would be my style if given the same choice.

I think he’s going to make huge gains on the fleet over the next couple of days because he’s sitting in very favorable reaching Trade winds as he spins his magic towards Guadeloupe, while the rest of the fleet, are going to have to bang their way upwind and for their reward, they will get to sail right into a huge dead spot that has been sitting to the north of the finish line for more than a week, now. It is that dead spot that is going to give Pete a serious look at vaulting up the standings if he plays his sailing right. He is only 100 miles behind the 7th place boat.

This is one monohull race that is turning out to be really worth watching.

There is a very interesting audio interview with Pete, here: http://www.kernowpods.com/audio/petegoss.mp3


Here’s Pete’s latest posting with RdR race control from earlier today:


Time for Skipper and Boat

"Last night went well in that we managed to keep going despite the fickle winds that we find ourselves in. I had set a goal of maintaining eight knots and just worked at it all night, not always successful but at least we were making a reasonable speed in the right direction. The result was that I felt pretty old this morning and needed a lift so it was a case of taking an hour or so out for myself and the good ship DMS.

First off it was a shower, then I did all my washing and hung it up dry on the boom. I cleaned the galley and then scrubbed right through the bottom of the boat. I went through all the stores and managed to ditch some food - not the packaging of course; 'Pack it In' remember. A big bag of porridge and it was time to get the stereo going and have a quiet coffee to myself on the deck. A steady breeze had allowed all this activity and it has stayed with me for most of the day. There is nothing quite like sitting on deck by yourself and watching the boat glide over lovely blue seas of its own accord with some good old Pavarotti booming away. Quite special.

I say on my own but this in fact was not the case at dawn for a huge great Oil carrier passed us in the opposite direction about three miles to windward. It was really nice to see a shape and as usual I called them up for a chat, which turned into a half hour conversation with the deck officer. Lovely guy, Greek, who works six months on and six months off and during the six months on it is seven days a week without break. When they drop off or pick up oil it is a twenty four hour turnaround during which they are all burning the midnight oil. No girl in every port for these guys.

Its funny, today is the first day that I have found some time on my hands for up to now I have just been going hammer and tongs to keep up with the pace of change. All I have done today in terms of sailing is changed to the mast head spinnaker and of course kept trimming. Rather nice to have a break but me being me, I am on the prowl for jobs and find that they are lacking thanks to the amazing job that Tom Gall has done as Boat Captain. I really feel as if he is here with at times, for every time I go to do a job, he has already been there with a little modification, or tweak, that makes all the difference. I can honestly say that DMS is the best prepared boat I have ever been on. He even made sure I had a couple of clothes pegs - brilliant job by someone who in my view will go far.

I was very humbled and touched by an email that Stuart Elford sent me with a load of the messages of support from the website. Its very moving and I feel as if I have an extended family out there who are sharing the trip on a daily basis. Well, its going really well and I am loving it and am most grateful for all your enthusiasm."

 

Well, folks, the time is now here as M50 Class leader, Lionel Lemenchois, draws near to the Guadeloupe coast on the northeast. He must make his turns around the island from the west in order to enter the harbor of Pointe-à-Pitre correctly, but it's all over save for the champagne and the giving of the Champions Cup.

Lemenchois has run a terrific race, his shore crew has been superb in how they have assisted his journey across the Atlantic and he has played the wind and the sea like the master that he is at this game. Roucayrol and Laperche are in no positoin to challenge this victory and save for the extreme outside possibility that he breaks something very big, they will not catch him.

 

A classic scenario is shaping up in the Class 50 multihull race as positions 2through 4 are now up for grabs to the boat that can best maintain some boat speed in the lighter air around Guadeloupe.

Hanging back up till now and not even a factor for a podium finish, has been Loïc Fequet driving Maître Jacques. Fequet is now running at 11 knots and is rapidly closing on the third place boat of Laperche, who is only able to manage a speed of 3.8 knots at present. Fequet is just 20 miles behind Laperche and if the wind holds, he'll be taking over third before noon tomorrow. Once there, Roucayrol is but 35 miles away for second place.

Fequet is getting his drive from the Trades to the south and east of the island and is on a nice reaching angle. One look at the position map below tells it all. He's driving a five year old VPLP design that is not the fastest boat that started the race, but he is driving it with panache and great skill.

This should get interesting in very short order.

 

From the front page of the Route du Rhum website comes the headline below. Lemenchois has rounded the last big corner in this wild and exhausting adventure with his very fast and dependable M50 trimaran, Prince de Bretagne. After 300 miles of open Atlantic, he has the island of Guadeloupe on his port side as he guides his boat around the southwest corner of this Caribbean island that is a part of France. There's a very interesting, if all too brief, description of the island and its history here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe

As mentioned in this thread yesterday evening, Loïc Fequet, driving Maître Jacques, has passed Philippe Laperche over night and now has his sites set on Lalou Roucayrol, just 30 miles ahead. It's a real battle for second place as the next two boats work to round the island and drive for the finish line.

After Jourdain's double, here comes Lemonchois?

On 15/11/2010

"...Lionel Lemonchois (Prince de Bretagne) leads the Multi 50 class by 60 miles with 84 miles to go and is on course to be the second double Rhum winner after Jourdain. The overall winner from the last, 2006 edition is due in this evening (Monday)..."

 

It's done

Lionel Lemenchois has won the M50 Class of the 2010 Route du Rhum. Lemenchois now ranks among the elite, as he has won twice in this most difficult of solo racing endeavors.

Here is a collection of photos showing the boat, Prince de Bretagne and Lemenchois during various activities surrounding the commissioning and racing of this magnificent boat, designed by VPLP.

More to follow on Lemenchois' effort in this race.

 

Still out on the course are Lalou Roucayrol on Région Aquitaine – Port Médoc and Loïc Fequet, driving Maître Jacques, second and third respectively, as they head, all-out, towards the finish line at Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. Philippe Laperche is third, at present, with a very serious opportunity to grab the last podium spot away from Maître Jacques.

Whoa, Baby, this is how a sailing race is supposed to end!

Here are the positions as of this report:

 

From the RdR website just now...

Lionel Lemonchois (Prince de Bretagne) wins the Multi 50 Class in the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale 2010

"Crossing the finish line in Guadeloupe at 17h 52m 48s (CET/Paris) (16h 52m 48 GMT/ 12h52m48s local Pointe-à-Pitre), Lionel Lemonchois secured first place in the Multi 50 class in the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale 2010 transatlantic race from Saint Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. The elapsed time for Prince de Bretagne is 15 days 04 hours 50 mins 48 secs, his average speed on the water is 13.10 knots over an actual distance of 4776 miles. On the theoretical course of 3539 miles Lionel Lemonchois’ average speed is 9,70 knots. Lemonchois completes a notable Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale double winning this multihull class after winning the race outright in 2006 when he set the current course record of 7 days 7 hours 19 mins, 06 secs."

 

A seriously critical eye in all of this will recognize that Lemenchois' boat does not carry lifting foils, and yet, he has worked his way back through the fleet, after suffering a serious malfunction of his rig; a problem that initially sent him back towards Cape Finisterre to repair. He fixed it himself and then proceeded to blast his way back into the lead and the eventual win in this most prestigious of races.. his second time on the podium and a place among the most highly regarded of solo sailors.

Congratulations to Lionel Lemenchois and his principal sponsor, Prince de Bretagne.

 

But Lemonchoix has daggers in the floats that are slightly angled towards main hull - and take a look at the boat flying its main hull ... that dagger is not only an anti-derive but a lifting foil too when the platform is at that angle.
Lovely looking design, shame that the two new other 50's broke; they would have beaten the 60's in.

 

Angled in by what, Gary... 5 degrees? I hardly call that a lifting foil in the recognized lexicon.

For all intents and purposes, the foils on Lemenchois' boat are daggerboards. It would be really interesting to get a direct interview with Lemenchois and VPLP, as to the purpose of the foils and how they fit within the rules of the Multi50 Class.

 

From Lemenchois' own website:


Prince of Britain and the Route of Rum for Multi 50

"Lemonchois led his trimaran Prince of Britain's most beautiful way to the finish line, which he crossed at 17 hours 52 minutes and 48 seconds on Monday. After 15 days 4 hours 50 minutes and 48 seconds of crossing at an average speed of 13.1 knots, it is with great joy that he has the entire firm and producers of Prince of Britain, who came to cheer."

 

Yes, I notice that he's the only one with this setup ... but they are daggers ... just slightly angled ... and they will provide more lift than vertical ones. At the end of the day, all underwater appendages are lifting foils of sorts.

 

Totally agree.

 

OK, so Lemenchois is home free and parked at the quay. I'll bet he's off to have a shower, a couple of cold ones and maybe even a short nap before meeting his competitors down at the dock to wish them well upon arrival.

But what about those other guys who are still out there, slugging it out for podium positions? Where are they and what is going on?

Take a look at the most recent positioning map as supplied by the RdR folks below. You'll see that Lalou Roucayrol has a lock on second place and is about to drive up the beautiful waterway that leads to the finish line. He'll be doing this in the dark, so we'll probably get to see a really cool display of those victory flares that get whipped-out by the sailors who slam this race with all they have.

The last question to be resolved, though, is who is going to bag third place and get that last spot on the podium. Again, looking at the positioning map, we see that rascal, Loïc Fequet, who is driving Maître Jacques, holding a very precarious spot in front of the ever persistent, Philippe Laperche just a few minutes behind.

If Fequet makes one small mistake, he can see his whole bid for third get washed away, so the tension is quite high for these two guys right now.

Meanwhile, back at the harbor, Lemenochois and his band of merry men from Prince de Bretagne corporate are no doubt, whooping it up in grand style. These guys really deserve this victory, especially since they had to watch their boat turn around early on to make a repair and then rejoin the race in a very back marker position. This has been an absolutely huge victory for Lionel Lemenchois and it surely must rank right up there with his outright victory last time around. This guy Lionel is the real deal when it comes to long distance sailing with a purpose. It will be interesting to see what offers come flying into his mailbox and telephone now that he's worked another piece of magic.