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Two crews were forced to abandon their dream of crossing the Atlantic: Arno Biston and Vittoria Ripa Di Meana on Article 1 and Jules Ducelier and Sophie Faguet on Région Normandie. Each time due to torn spinnakers.
This is one of the parameters to be taken into account in the race: damage. Transat Paprec sailors take on board a lot of spare equipment to be ready for any eventuality. Once again this year, some skippers have already had the unpleasant surprise of facing a technical problem. On the evening of Wednesday April 23, Lola Billy and Corentin Horeau of Région Bretagne - CMB Océane noticed damage to their port rudder following a collision with floating debris. The duo followed a special procedure to comply with race rules. When such a problem occurs, skippers are required to notify race management. Fortunately, very often they are able to repair directly," explains Francis Le Goff, race director. There have been torn mainsails, for example, and they lower the mainsail, then go and repair with the equipment they have on board. "But when the breakage is more serious, competitors are forced to divert to the nearest coast or island, as was the case for Région Bretagne - CMB Océane, which reached Cascais, Portugal.
On Wednesday April 23, the Région Bretagne-CMB Océane duo of Lola Billy and Corentin Horeau made a technical stopover in Cascais (Portugal) to change their rudder before resuming the race.
© Région Bretagne-CMB Océane.
Unplugging the engine
The skippers must then sail as close as possible to a port. They then notify the race directors, who authorize them to unseal their engines. "They'll take a photo of the seal with a code that we'll give them, proving that the lead has just been cut," describes the race director. And it's only then that they can get technical assistance, such as calling local acquaintances or companies to find out where to repair their equipment. Of course, it's still forbidden to ask for weather information. The duo of Lola Billy and Corentin Horeau benefited from the help of a member of their technical team who came from Brittany to bring them a new rudder. Once this stopover was over, the skippers returned to the exact position where they had unsealed the engine, in order to seal it up again to resume the race. Although they were able to rejoin the fleet quickly, the damage caused a considerable delay. "It's very heavy to have to stop because, as these are absolutely identical boats, they have speeds that are very close," explains Francis Le Goff.
Two retirements
Now that the skippers have entered the Atlantic, major equipment damage is often synonymous with abandonment. On Saturday night, the duo of Arno Biston and Vittoria Ripa Di Meana diverted to the Canaries to try and repair their torn spinnakers. Arriving at dawn on Monday morning, the crew of Article 1 assessed all possibilities before taking the decision to abandon the race. They couldn't set sail again until Wednesday," points out the race director. So imagine where the other boats would be by then? "Other crews also suffered technical problems, such as Mathilde Géron and Martin le Pape (Demain), who had a snag on their spinnaker, where the young duo aboard Les Banques Alimentaires, Pier-Paolo Dean (20) and Tiphaine Rideau (19), who "hit something underwater which had an impact on the keel". Nothing too disabling for the moment, as they continued on towards Saint-Barth. In the event of damage in the middle of the Atlantic, the skippers will have to rely on assistance from freighters in the area, or from their own rivals.
On Tuesday, April 29, it was the turn of Jules Ducelier and Sophie Faguet on Région Normandie to announce their withdrawal. The reason for this decision: the impossibility of repairing their two damaged A2 spinnakers. The two sailors had been in the "top 10" since descending the Portuguese coast, and were in 3rd place the day before their heartbreaking decision.
This Tuesday afternoon, Jules Ducelier and Sophie Faguet, skippers of Région Normandie, announced their retirement. The reason: the impossibility of repairing their two A2 spinnakers, damaged in recent days. They have therefore decided to turn back ©Transat Paprec / V. Olivaud
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Quote of the week: Francis Le Goff, race director
"Quite honestly, the Cap Saint-Barth crew surprised us. They're dealing with people with a lot of experience. On Skipper Macif, for example, Charlotte Yven won the last edition. She sails with Hugo Dhallenne, who is also a very good sailor, and they both know the Figaro very well. As for Thomas and Cindy, they've adapted very quickly, and have set very good trajectories. And we're pleasantly surprised by their performance. They're in the group of those who are capable of winning. " |
