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10th Nov 2009
Blog La Solidaire du Chocolat - November 9th - 15thOnly few days before reaching the Mexican coast!
Telecom Italia crossed the finish line in 2nd place on Sunday November 15th at 05:25:20 GMT with a 7.59 knot average speed after 5,000 miles and just 19 hours and 20 seconds behind the race winners, Initiatives-Novedia. Cheminées Poujoulat took 3rd place at 05:44:04 GMT with only 18 minutes and 44 seconds separating the two Class40s. According to the position poll issued at 2000 GMT local time, Palanad II maintains in 5th position at 144 miles averaging a speed of 6.4 knots.
Tanguy de Lamotte and Adrien Hardy on Initiatives-Novedia crossed the finishing line of the first run of the Solidaire du Chocolat from Saint Nazaire (France) to Progreso (Mexico) 8h25 UT today! "It's brilliant. We certainly didn't expect to see so many people. Thank you to the organizers and to everyone for this superb race. We are over the moon !" Before setting foot ashore, the crew had to undergo customs and health formalities. On the fishing boat quayside, welcoming committee was waiting to celebrate their success in pure Maya tradition.
The final sprint to the finish for the race leaders Initiatives-Novedia turned into an inshore drift overnight. Speeds began to drop after 1600 GMT on Friday and by midnight, the French duo were making between 2 and 3 knots in a barely perceptible easterly breeze as they slowly worked their way along the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula towards the finish line off Progreso. At 0800 GMT this morning, Initiatives-Novedia is making just 5 knots with 23 miles of racing remaining. While Telecom Italia in 2nd and Cheminées Poujoulat in 3rd held the breeze slightly longer, the two chasing boats also stalled as they approached Cape Catoche at the eastern end of the peninsula. Although the Italian team have decreased the lead held by the leaders to 95 miles, Telecom Italia are currently making just over 6 knots with Cheminees Poujoulat directly astern by 10 miles and averaging a little under 3 knots. Weather models indicate that while the light airs may continue for Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat, Initiatives-Novedia may pick up pace fractionally over the next few hours. South of Cuba, Cargill-MTTM in 4th have continued to extend their lead over Sail4Cancer in 5th and 97 miles now separates the two Class40s. Further east by 141 miles, Desafio Cabo de Hornos in 6th and the British team on 40 Degrees in 7th are separated by 13 miles with the Chilean team averaging slightly better speed at 9 knots, while 40 Degrees, taking a track slightly further north, are making just over 8 knots as the pair of Class40s heads towards the Cayman Islands. A major division in distance now splits the fleet in two with seven boats racing south of Jamaica and Cuba led by Groupe Picoty in 8th place, 322 miles behind 40 Degrees. The trailing pack has split into two sub-groups: Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides in 9th have followed Groupe Picoty south with a current distance deficit of 78 miles. While Fournier and Nigon's Class40s are now on starboard gybe heading north-west towards Jamaica, PLAN in 10th, Keysource in 13th and Crédit Maritime in 14th are currently continuing to drop down through the Caribbean on port gybe in around 11 knots of easterly breeze with 34 miles separating the trio of boats. Meanwhile, two boats - Adriatech in 11th and ORBIS in 12th - are currently separated by 24 miles on a more northern route favoured by the majority of the fleet, closer to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. According to the position poll issued at 2000 GMT local time, Palanad II maintains in 5th position at 334 miles averaging a speed of 8.5 knots.
This morning, the race leaders Tanguy Initiatives-Novedia are off Cape Catoche, the eastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, with 152 miles of sailing along the coast remaining to the finish line off Progreso. Over the past 24 hours, they managed to extend their lead over Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat, but the chasing pair of boats have found a stronger band of northerly breeze off the western tip of Cuba and, with around 12-13 knots of wind speed, both boats are averaging 9 knots while the race leader, 117 miles ahead, is polling 6 knots on a starboard reach in around 8 knots of breeze. Initiatives-Novedia first took the lead after 6 days at sea as the fleet approached the Azores. The French duo dropped down the leaderboard temporarily as the fleet dived south, but as the charge west across the Atlantic to St. Barts began, Initiatives-Novedia took the lead on 1st November and has held the front spot ever since. However, the fight between Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat has been intense since the middle of the Atlantic and currently, just 14 miles separate the two Class40s after 25 days at sea. In 4th place, Cargill-MTTM have extended their lead over Sail4Cancer in 5th by a handful of miles in the past 24 hours and 70 miles currently separate the two boats. Throughout Thursday, both Class40s averaged around 6 knots until the evening when Sail4Cancer slowed to below 5 knots and Cargill-MTTM are now averaging 8 knots - around one knot better speed than the British duo. At around 2100 GMT yesterday, Groupe Picoty in 8th place ended their descent south through the Caribbean and maintain a 144 mile lead over 9th place Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides who are growing weary of the relentless, volatile conditions. “The nights are becoming pretty identical,” commented Nigon earlier. “The constant storm activity keeps us on our toes and awake the entire night,” he continued. “The good news is there is more wind in the squalls. The bad news? After the squalls there's no wind at all and it is a constant fight to try and reduce the miles west.” The pack of five boats in a private regatta towards the eastern end of the Caribbean are currently separated by 48 miles and led by PLAN in 10th place with the backmarkers on Crédit Maritime in 14th, currently making the best speed in the entire fleet at just over 10 knots. According to the position poll issued at 2000 GMT local time, Palanad II maintains in 5th position at 517 miles averaging a speed of 8.7 knots.
Positively buzzing in Progreso, in the Yucatan! The first boats in the Solidaire du Chocolat should be arriving within 36 hours or so. Everything in the marina is ready. The skippers will receive a hero's welcome! Fleet leaders Initiatives Novedia are most likely to be first across the finishing line early tomorrow morning (EU time). Just 300 miles remaining, 550 km, roughly 36 hours to finish. The name of the game is to avoid gear failure and to succeed in becoming the first winners of this new race to Mexico. Unusually enough, according to Météo France, a cold front is expected to pass over the Gulf of Mexico into the Caribbean over the next 24 hours. The leaders are going to finish on the wind, without trade winds! «We started on the wind and we're finishing on the wind, back to square one!»: Bruno Jourdren (Cheminées Poujoulat) on the radio chat session today. Noone was that happy to have to put their spinnaker away last night and prepare for some unpleasant close-hauled sailing. Back to a heeling boat which slams in each wave and puts the rig under strain. Telecom Italia are a little worried about this system having put in an appearance. They have a broken forestay track from the last spot of rough weather they ran into on the Atlantic. Damocles' sword is hanging over them. One positive thing comes out of this new weather situation – the automatic pilot is put back to work again, giving the skippers a little bit of respite. « Downwind, we helm all the time » confirms Bruno Jourdren. A second consequence of this cold front on the FWI is that the trade wind over the Caribbean has fizzled out altogether. Cargill-MTTM have been battling through it for the past 24 hours now. After having been stuck in a windless zone between Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba, they have managed to hang onto 4th place 70 miles ahead of Palanad 2. Both boats finally made it out of this trap this morning and managed to make use of the low to recover a few miles towards the Gulf of Mexico. Further astern, there is every chance that the 2 following Class 40s find themselves in the grip of the windless zone: Desafio Cabo de Hornos 6th and 40 Degrees 7th. Means of exploiting this situation to obtain a strategic advantage has not escaped the attention of those immediately behind the leaders. Groupe Picoty is attempting to pull something off with a southerly option. «We can either follow in line without any hope of moving up the rankings or make a tactical move. We have made our choice. If it comes off, then we might be in for a spot of fun!» (Jean-Edouard Criquioche on the radio chat session today). For AXA Atout Cœur pour Aides and the five other boats which have just come into the Caribbean, the southern option is not viable. The trade wind is still blowing in the southern half of the Caribbean Sea and should return to the whole area by Sunday. This situation may even concentrate the fleet into a group. Vale Inco Nouvelle Calédonie have made official their retirement from the race. They are the 11th team to retire since the start. Worn sails and the loss of their two spinnakers have got the better of them making it impossible to continue. They are making for Saint Martin's and will do their best to fly to Progreso as soon as they can. …And meanwhile, back ashore in the Yucatan, the marina is a hive of activity. «There's a buzz of excitement here!» commented Bernard Duval, race manager. «The Mexicans have made a considerable effort in their marina to accommodate us. There are a lots of events planned for the next few days.» So the Yucatan is ready and waiting to celebrate the arrival of the winners in the first run of the Solidaire du Chocolat. Unless something unexpected happens, Initiatives Novedia are expected to finish first at the end of tomorrow afternoon Progreso time (early in the evening French time). Bernard Duval : « There is going to be quite a party for the finish – for each competitor!». According to the position poll issued at 2000 GMT local time, Palanad II maintains in 5th position at 698 miles averaging a speed of 4.8 knots.
With 522 miles remaining to the finish line off Progreso, race leaders Initiatives-Novedia have won back the miles lost to Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat on Monday and Tuesday. In the 0800 position poll, Initiatives Novedia have returned to a 111 mile lead over the chasing pair of boats. Just west of the southern tip of Cuba, Telecom Italia in 2nd place hold 7 mile lead over Cheminées Poujoulat in 3rd and while all 3 leading boats have slowed, the 2 trailing Class40s are making higher averages than Initiatives-Novedia at 8 knots. Weather models suggest that Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat may keep the breeze longest as the wind shifts southerly, but a barrier of light airs is blocking the leaders as they continue south of Cuba and may run into this area later today. As the group clear the western end of Cuba and enter the Yucatan Channel for the final sprint to the finish line, north-westerly headwinds are forecast for the closing stage of the race and the Solidaire du Chocolat podium is far from decided. In 4th and 5th place, Cargill-MTTM and Sail4Cancer are separated by 162 miles as the 2 Class40s sail through the Jamaica Channel while just over 200 miles further east off Cape Beata in the Dominican Republic, Desafio Cabo de Hornos moved into 6th place last night, pulling a 28 mile lead over 40 Degrees and although both boats are currently averaging 10 knots, the wind is forecast to shift south-easterly and drop in strength. Trailing the Chilean and British boats by 154 miles, Groupe Picoty in 8th have dropped speed to just 5 knots, but morale is still high on board the French Class40. “The competition is hot up ahead,” admits Criquioche this morning. “We have the Chilean team who raced round the world in a Class40, finishing second, and then we have Miranda, who is completely charming on land, but when at sea and racing, transforms into an enraged Doberman Pinscher when it comes to competition!” Despite the distance deficit, Groupe Picoty are confident about the remaining 1,200 miles to the finish line. “At the moment, we're after the Doberman's bone!” adds the French co-skipper. With Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides passing through the St. Barts gate on Tuesday night in 9th place, 6 Class40s remain in the North Atlantic and after 24 days at sea, conditions continue to be tough. For Crédit Maritime in 13th place, the North Atlantic refuses to let go. “Tuesday was marked by a phenomenal storm lasting nearly two hours and delivered a mini-apocalypse,” reported Carpentier late last night. “You could have thought you were caught in the middle of a naval battle with flashes and relentless detonations, all very close to us,” continues the 58 year-old French skipper. However, currently averaging the best speed in the pack at 9.8 knots, the duo is back on form. Trailing the fleet by 191 miles, all is not well on Vale Inco Nouvelle Calédonie. “We are very sad to announce the tragic death of our mainsail following a long illness,” reports Eclaret sombrely this morning. With 1,860 miles of the race remaining, the options for Vale Inco Nouvelle Caledonie are clear. “Now, it is most important just to reach Mexico without endangering the crew or the boat,” adds the French skipper. According to the position poll issued at 2000 GMT local time, Palanad II maintains in 5th position at 827 miles averaging a speed of 7 knots.
Things have spiced up over the last 24 hours for the leaders in the Solidaire du Chocolat. In the Caribbean, in highly variable winds, the gaps between the boats increase and decrease in no time. Anything can happen... Cargill-MTTM is firing on all cylinders. After having made a pitstop last night to sort out a couple of energy charging problems, they sailed at a 17 knot average for several hours. In the small hours, the duo on Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat made the most of a wind corridor on the approach to Jamaica to reduce their 100 mile shortfall. As luck would have it, the leaders Initiatives-Novedia were able to step up the rating and flew past the southern coast of Cuba at an average of 15 knots, putting paid to any revolutionary thoughts in the minds of her chasers. Latest position readings reported them holding off the Italians by 143 miles and the Swiss Breton team by 148 miles. Not bad when you consider the situation 24 hours ago. Difficult to imagine how it might all turn out. The tropical low Ida on its way may well upset the rankings if she brings wind holes into the area. The players in this game are going to have to be on the ball. Behind the fleet commanders, two other crews are at arms. Since leaving the Atlantic astern, 40 Degrees and Desafio Cabo de Hornos have been racing side by side, currently within shouting distance, one mile apart off Puerto Rico. 1,200 miles from the finish, it's as if they have restarted the race in the Caribbean. One piece of less spicy news is that Vale Inco Nouvelle Calédonie has lost her second spinnaker. According to the position poll issued at 2000 GMT local time, Palanad II maintains in 5th position at 973 miles with a speed of 10.5 knots. Earlier during the day, Nicko was reporting: “It has been a pretty stressful night and I've just got off the helm after about three and-a-half hours and fortunately it is getting light now. For most of last night there was no moon, so pitch black and blowing 35 knots, so pretty stressful. We were probably doing two hours on the helm at a stretch as Wrighty's ribs are still playing-up from time to time and it's worse for him helming on starboard gybe. He's doing a stint now. The guys ahead of us polled 14.5 knots, back when it was daylight, I think, which is a very impressive run and we haven't quite got near that yet. We managed to flog-off the lazy spinnaker sheet during the night, so we had to drop the kite and fix that back on, but it gives you some idea of the situation. When things went wrong last night, you are heading for a fairly big wipe out with all the sails flogging. Fortunately, we haven't broken anything or done any damage, so we can keep on pushing while we've got the breeze and see if we can put as many miles as possible on the guys behind us.”
The tropics in all their splendor... All 15 boats remaining in the fleet of the Solidaire du Chocolat are getting a true taste of the extremes of sailing in tropical latitudes, where the only thing you can be certain of is uncertainty. Out in the lead, Initiatives-Novedia are riding high in a 15 knot north-east flow. Off her stern, Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat are match racing within a mile of each other after 3 weeks at sea! Further astern, from the Caribbean Sea to the open ocean, the teams are facing up to very changeable conditions, dishing up squalls of zones of little or no air at all. Either one or the other ! When the going is good, the rich get richer. As each day passes, those further downfield lose a little more ground. Since the first boats entered into the Caribbean, the fleet has been divided into three groups : the three leaders, the fours chasers and the eight who are still out in the open ocean. Out in the lead, the ones who have made a breakaway may well take the first three places. But in which order? Telecom Italia and Cheminées Poujoulat are pretty much neck and neck after three weeks racing. With the leading pack pushing to get the best out of their boats, the chasers are snapping at their heels waiting for the slightest occasion to upset the hierarchy. It is quite possible that the 110 mile advantage held by the young fleet commanders on board Initiatives-Novedia can simple fade away. It is still anybody's game off the coast of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. Place your bets! In the Atlantic crews, Cargill MTTM, Palanad II, Desafio Cabo de Hornos and 40 Degrees have now arrived in the Caribbean. Although a little behind the first three boats, something around 300 to 500 miles, their speed is in keeping with their ranking. Proof that conditions favour the leaders at the moment. Conditions are hollowing out up front, whereas the north-east flow filling out the spinnakers and increasing the number of gybes, is increasing in strength from the west. The Atlantic crowd are having a tougher ride. As a squally storm is forming, the crews are having some electrical experiences. There is a storm brewing and it is blowing a little uncertainty into this part of the fleet. Maneuvering is the order of the day. Sails have to be adjusted to suit the ever-changing conditions, varying from small puffs of wind to violent gusts, the competitors are working hard to pull through and out on the other side. They can't wait to get to the Saint Barts gate making the end of the Atlantic and the start of the stretch along the coast of the islands paving the watery way to Progreso. Groupe Picoty is the next boat expected to appear off Sugar Loaf mountain tonight. They still have 1,500 miles to sail before reaching the Yucatan peninsula. According to the position poll issued at 2000 GMT local time, Palanad II remains in 5th position at 1,256 miles with a speed of 9.5 knots. Story by Sandrine Wallace
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