After 24 hours at sea Sam Goodchild (Artemis 23) and Rookie Henry Bomby (Artemis 37) are making the most of their last chance to prove themselves in the 2012 Solitaire du Figaro. The third and final leg of the race started at 1200 (BST) yesterday with 12-knots of westerly breeze and a two meter swell in Saint Gilles Croix de Vie. Goodchild had the best of starts and after the inshore course moved up from 8th to 2nd at the Radio France buoy – the final buoy before heading out to sea just behind Nicolas Lunven (Generali).
“Henry Bomby has been sailing a blinder since his difficult start yesterday,” reported Marcus Hutchinson after Bomby once again suffered electronic problems after the start and has now climbed the leaderboard to an impressive 11th overall and 2nd rookie.
Bomby’s recurring electronics problems meant that he had to finish the inshore course using his secondary autopilot and penalty turns for hitting a mark also added to his losses on the fleet. However, after spending hours studying his electronics during the previous stopover he was not going to let this beat him again and he has gone on to show how quickly things can change in this tight fleet. Nick Cherry (Artemis 77) also had a difficult start to leg three at the leeward mark which he is yet to recover from: “The kite went over the side with the jib half up, he decided to gybe and luff up to try and recover it but he drifted sideways into the fleet coming away from the leeward mark and fouled someone,” reported Marcus Hutchinson, Artemis Offshore Academy race coach. “By the time he had recovered the sail, untangled his jib, re-hoisted it and done his penalty turns he was well and truly last.”
Overnight it looks like the cards have been re-dealt for many of the sailors on Leg three of the Solitaire du Figaro as key tactical decisions were made, particularly on how to pass Belle Isle as Hutchinson explains: “The fleet has made its way up the coast, most of the leaders passing inside Belle Isle and then needing to tack to avoid Ile de Groix on their way to the Glenan Islands and the next mark of the course.
“Whether Henry has repaired his electronics or not we don’t know but for sure he has knuckled down and has been grinding away at the boats around him and is in 11th overall. He played the approach to Glenans just right and was one of the beneficiaries of the slightly further offshore option after Groix.”
The rest of the hazardous Brittany Coast will occupy the fleet for the whole of Monday as the winds are still relatively light and the tides in this part of the world are always strong. After their first 24 hours at sea the fleet will not of had much time to sleep and we are not expecting them to get much sleep until they head further out to sea to cross the English Channel tonight. Currently Fabien Delahaye (Skipper Macif 2012) is leading the fleet with Morgan Lagraviere (Vendee) in second and Nicolas Lunven (Generali) in third as the fleet race towards the challenging Raz de Sein.
From : Artemis Offshore Academy
Credit : G.Chiorri
“Henry Bomby has been sailing a blinder since his difficult start yesterday,” reported Marcus Hutchinson after Bomby once again suffered electronic problems after the start and has now climbed the leaderboard to an impressive 11th overall and 2nd rookie.
Bomby’s recurring electronics problems meant that he had to finish the inshore course using his secondary autopilot and penalty turns for hitting a mark also added to his losses on the fleet. However, after spending hours studying his electronics during the previous stopover he was not going to let this beat him again and he has gone on to show how quickly things can change in this tight fleet. Nick Cherry (Artemis 77) also had a difficult start to leg three at the leeward mark which he is yet to recover from: “The kite went over the side with the jib half up, he decided to gybe and luff up to try and recover it but he drifted sideways into the fleet coming away from the leeward mark and fouled someone,” reported Marcus Hutchinson, Artemis Offshore Academy race coach. “By the time he had recovered the sail, untangled his jib, re-hoisted it and done his penalty turns he was well and truly last.”
Overnight it looks like the cards have been re-dealt for many of the sailors on Leg three of the Solitaire du Figaro as key tactical decisions were made, particularly on how to pass Belle Isle as Hutchinson explains: “The fleet has made its way up the coast, most of the leaders passing inside Belle Isle and then needing to tack to avoid Ile de Groix on their way to the Glenan Islands and the next mark of the course.
“Whether Henry has repaired his electronics or not we don’t know but for sure he has knuckled down and has been grinding away at the boats around him and is in 11th overall. He played the approach to Glenans just right and was one of the beneficiaries of the slightly further offshore option after Groix.”
The rest of the hazardous Brittany Coast will occupy the fleet for the whole of Monday as the winds are still relatively light and the tides in this part of the world are always strong. After their first 24 hours at sea the fleet will not of had much time to sleep and we are not expecting them to get much sleep until they head further out to sea to cross the English Channel tonight. Currently Fabien Delahaye (Skipper Macif 2012) is leading the fleet with Morgan Lagraviere (Vendee) in second and Nicolas Lunven (Generali) in third as the fleet race towards the challenging Raz de Sein.
From : Artemis Offshore Academy
