Transat Quebec - St Malo yacht race

The race (one of my favorites) has gotten underway. This year they are welcoming Ultime multihulls into the racing (Spindrift2 and the MOD70 Musandam/Oman Sail) which should see a rewriting of the current multihull record which was set in 1996 at 7 days and 20 hours by Loick Peyron on Fujicolor 2. The Ultimes due to the staggered start they are departing on the 13th of July. The Multi50's are also competing and have a four boat field this year. The Multi50's are the fairly evenly matched French Tech Rennes St Malo, Arkema, Ciela Village and the classic multi50 trimaran Olmix. The Multi50 record was set by Erwan Le Roux on FenêtréA Cardinal 3 in the 2012 event at 9d 14h 21m 5s 3287

The website, as usual it's best to look at the French language version as it's kept more up to date than the English although you can access the tracker from either:

https://transatquebecstmalo.com/

An article on the race:

https://transatquebecstmalo.com/en/...-the-transat-quebec-saint-malo-starting-line/

The tracker:

http://player.georacing.com/?event=100325&race=92976&name=Quebec

 

A slow start with light winds and wind against tide slowing the field.

www.sail-world.com/146318

 

The Ultimes, Spindrift2 and Musandam/Oman Sail have departed. The Multi50's have remained sailing in a fairly tight group in the predominantly soft conditions.

 

Spindrift 2 look like they are on track to break the multihull outright record. Musandam/Oman Sail has capsized all crew ok and awaiting recovery.

https://transatquebecstmalo.com/en/...il-capsize-all-crew-safe-and-secure-update-1/

 

Barring a disaster it looks like Spindrift 2 will clinch the outright record. The latest English update from Dominique Jobin:

http://www.sail-world.com/USA/Transat-Qu-bec-Saint-Malo---Swarming-the-Atlantic/146516

 

Is Oman sail the tri that lost a ama awhile back? It is getting quite the history attached to it if so but that is racing. Was it a wind capsize or a structure failure?

 

The Irens designed Oman Air/Majan ultime was the boat that lost a float. It was a similar design to the older Sodebo. At the time they were mystified by the float loss and I'm not sure whether they ever found out what caused it. Marc Thiercelin has been attempting to raise enough money to repair it and has been making some progress in raising the funds. It's hanging in a shed awaiting repair.

The Oman Sail/Musandam MOD70 which capsized while racing in the Transat Quebec - St Malo was a leeward capsize as they have all been so far. They mentioned that a tug was going to leave as soon as the crew was ashore to attempt recovery and a long slow tow back to the nearest port. It will probably require a new rig they seem to always break their mast when they capsize.

 

Thanks Corley, bad luck for the sponsors. If they are all going over to leeward they aren't over square yet.

 

Spindrift 2 has arrived in St Malo easily eclipsing the old record with a race time of 6 days 1 hour and 15 minutes. The previous record was 7 days 20 hours and 24 minutes set by Loick Peyron on the ORMA 60 Fujicolor 2 in 1996.

 

In the Multi50 class, Arkema sailed by Lalou Roucayrol and crew Karine Fauconnier, Etienne Carra and Cesar Dohy came in first followed by Ciela Village in second and French Tech Rennes Metropole in third.

Team Lalou bettered the Multi50 record despite the very light conditions they had to contend with in the St Lawrence river when departing Quebec. The former record held by Erwan le Roux on FenetreA Cardinal 3 at 9 days 14 hours 21 minutes 5 seconds has been lowered to 9 days 9 hours 0 minutes 58 seconds with a total distance travelled of 3254nm and an average speed of 14.46 knots.

 

The MOD70 Musandam has been recovered successfully and towed to the port of St Pierre. They righted her at sea and the techno geek in me is interested to know if they used the approach that they did on Prince de Bretagne Maxi 80 or a simple bow over stern pull, no info in the article though on that front.

http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/saint...n-oman-sail-remorque-saint-pierre-382309.html

 

I'd read initially that it was a leewards capsize on the MOD70 Oman Sail but from Alex Pella's description of the accident it was actually a pitchpole.

I've only seen this on Facebook so far.

https://www.facebook.com/AlexPellaOficial/posts/1322269911135003