Transat Jacques Vabre 2013, MOD70 & Multi50

Discussion in 'Multihulls' started by Corley, Sep 17, 2013.

  1. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    Corley, how close is this course to the Mini Transat, do you know offhand?
     
  2. Corley
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    Corley epoxy coated

    The first part is similar in some aspects but the Mini Transats are headed to Port a Pitre

    You have probably seen the tracker but if not it's here:

    http://www.minitransat.fr/cartographie
     
  3. Blackburn
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    Blackburn Senior Member

    ...

    The Mod70's are doing 28 knots at the moment and still in their 8th day of sailing.

    They are now abreast of Salvador de Bahia, which was earlier a finishing port for the race (last in 2007), and to which the existing speed record was over 10 days by the Orma 60's.

    They have about 1000 miles to go, and they could finish this longer course in about the same time as the shorter Orma record!

    :cool:
     
  4. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    ========
    Thanks!
     
  5. Blackburn
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    Blackburn Senior Member

    Aloha Pipeline!

    When they flipped during the trip home after the last Route du Rhum 2010, you recall how they were sailing unreefed on a fine day, and a squall or sudden gust led to the capsize. They were three on board, Lalou was below when it occurred. Apart from bad luck, that sounded a little unnecessary.

    This time they'd been racing neck and neck with Fenetrea Cardinal all day long, it was about 10pm and windier with boatspeed close to 20 knots when they capsized. Again there was talk of a strong gust being to blame, but I wonder if Lalou is considering that at age 49 he's pushing his less than infallible luck by drag racing like that against another boat with younger guys on board. They're 10 years younger on Fenetrea.

    I guess Lalou will give an interview sometime telling exactly what happened and why they flipped, but he speaks with a lot of dialect or slang and we'd need a native to translate it.

    ....

    I see Actual got ahead of Fenetrea in shifty winds a couple hours ago. On Actual Yves is also 49 while Kito de Pavant is 52. Yves has 4 kids while Kito has 5! Kito has also had his share of bad luck during his long racing career, more that his share perhaps. On the bright side I think these guys when they become 'veteran racers' get an enormous amount of respect in their local communities, and if there's been some bad luck in the picture then it fits in with the traditional French understanding of Gloire; where losing sometimes seems more interesting than winning.

    Desjoyeaux and Gabart on the Imoca 60 Macif are age 48 and 30, Jean le Cam on PRB is 54, most senior I think, and considered ancient. Bet those guys are happy not to be on boats that flip as easily as new Multi 50.

    ....

    Didn't the tug rescuing Arkema have a zodiak or rib on board? Why was the transfer so scary?
     
  6. Corley
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  7. Corley
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  8. Corley
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    I think the French attitude to multihull capsizes is more mature than elsewhere the boats are racing and pushing the limits to win. Multi50's actually have a remarkably low capsize rate relative to miles sailed. The core of this capsize is I believe the shorthanded nature of the racing if you have a crew your more able to quickly release sheets and take remedial action if things go wrong. If you have two sailors on board and one is off watch and sleeping you are handling the boat singlehanded the only difference from true singlehanding is that there is more often someone on watch and they are better rested. Do the Multi50's have upside up anti capsize devices fitted? I have not heard that they do so there is another potential layer of safety that may not exist.

    Lalou is very experienced and his recent performance in winning the Route des Princes on Arkema suggests he is not past it :)

    The long slow tow home:

    On the Portuguese tug "West" which they were shipped last Friday (November 15), Lalou Roucayrol and Mayeul Riffet should arrive in Madeira in the middle of next week. There still 150 miles to go at the speed of 3 knots! The two sailors reflect to the after: back in cargo or rigging of fortune according to the structural State of their Multi 50 Arkema - Region Aquitaine. For the time being, time passes slowly...
     
  9. pipeline
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    pipeline Junior Member

    Thx for the comments and info, Blackburn and Corley. All I can add is...with the oldest participant at age 54...that doesn't seem too old to me!

    Aloha...
     
  10. Baltic Bandit

    Baltic Bandit Previous Member

    Its not even close. Pointe a Pitre is in the Caribbean, Itajai is in South America well below the "horn".

    The Old mini course used to be somewhat similar, but since the mini's always stopped in Lanzarotte (Canary islands) - they ran a more easterly course and hence had a narrower choice on where to cross the inter-tropical convergence zone
     
  11. Blackburn
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    Blackburn Senior Member

    And Jean Le Cam's boat has been leading most of the race! Right now with 1 mile separation between them and Macif.

    Sticking to my Monday-morning quarterbacking here, I think Arkema's duel with Fenetrea all day long before the capsize, with wind increasing as dark set in, looked fatiguing. There was 4500 miles to go and they should not have been taking extra risk, if that was what it was.

    ;)
     
  12. Corley
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    Phil Weld reckoned that being older (at 65) when he did the OSTAR on Moxie was an advantage as he only needed about 3 hours of sleep each day and could spend more time actively driving the boat.
     
  13. Corley
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    Less than 90 miles to go for the MOD70 Edmond de Rothschild duo of Josse and Caudrelier who still hold a commanding lead over the second placed Oman Air team the conditions seem to be softening as they approach the coast so it could be a frustrating final approach for them.

    http://www.transat-jacques-vabre.com/en/still-control
     
  14. Corley
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  15. Corley
    Joined: Oct 2009
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