Panerai Transat Classique - Day 12

Just for the pleasure

They're coming. After several days of very lively conditions, the competitors in the Panerai Transat Classique 2015 are nearing the Caribbean and finally enjoying some fine weather. The scoreboard has yet to deliver its final verdict but, whatever the outcome, the welcome in Martinique looks set to be a hot one. Very hot!

ETA of the 1st boat: Monday 19 January (evening) / Tuesday 20 January (morning)

Closing in on the finishing line... Slow down, dear competitors. Slow down and let us savour a little longer this fantastic edition of the Panerai Transat Classique. Imagine, as we wait for the next update of the positions, our impatience, our questions, our doubts, our satisfaction when we discover that our favourite boat, the one crewed by our friends, by someone in the family, has just moved up a place or our disappointment if the opposite is true. Every day you've been treating us to an epic battle on the high seas where, like a hero in a Greek myth, you play out your adventure, share with us your highs and lows, your woes such as a backed headsail or a parted halyard, your profound pleasures, the warm conviviality of an evening meal, the heady delight of surfing on the rolling swell... And you want to deprive us of all that? Do us—yourself—a favour and listen to your inner voice, the one telling you to prolong this wonderful race just for the pleasure.

Swords drawn!

Will our prayer be heard? Nothing is less certain given that all the boats are, despite the lightening winds, continuing to sail fair and true. First to suffer from the calmer weather, Altair will soon be feeling Amazon breathing down her neck... Can she hold on to her lead? It's a tall order for the chasing yacht, but she's in with a chance as they complete their final approach to Martinique, tacking northwards to fetch Fort-de-France Bay. And Adventuress is sure to make them pay for the slightest mistake. Behind her, Argyll, Faïaoahé, Corto, The Blue Peter and Gweneven form a line extending from the northwest to the southeast, like a charging cavalry with swords drawn, each ready to outstrip their neighbour in the hope of securing a higher position on the final scoreboard. Offshore racing engenders not only a spirit of solidarity and fraternity but also an equal measure of fierce competitiveness. It is this spirit, underpinned with steadfastness, pride and persistence, that the young and less-experienced crews of Vagabundo II and Desiderata continue to display. And an unshakeable belief in their ability to secure success in corrected times.

A colourful welcome

With Altair expected to arrive Monday 19th, in the evening, preparations are well underway in Fort-de-France to ensure a welcome worthy of these old ladies of the sea and their crews. The quayside is already decked out in the flags of the Panerai Transat Classique 2015, the sweet smell of Martinique rum fills the air, the limes are ready and the fritters are frying. Steward boats are standing by, ready to cast off in a hurry to welcome each classic yacht as she crosses the finishing line. Packed with photographers and journalists, they'll also be carrying the family and friends of the heroic crews. With curiosity and goodwill the local population is looking forward to catching a glimpse of these adventurers of the highs seas during the regatta scheduled for Sunday 25th. The coming days will be filled with the emotion and laughter associated with friends and family reunited in the warmth of the West Indies. Welcome to Martinique!

Quotes:

Bruno Jourdren, Corto
"All's well aboard. Conditions have been superb today, 20 knots and decreasing. The sun is shining once again. We can now look forward to exploiting these perfect conditions to develop a strategy and make this a real race. We've got 900 nautical miles left to run. It's going to be great! But for now, let me tell you about how we got knocked down two days ago. It was in the early afternoon. Conditions were good, in fact very good for some fine sailing with a good breeze and speeds of 9 to 12 knots. We spotted a sailing boat ahead of us. It aroused our interest, who could it be? Everybody aboard had their own idea, ranging from the most optimistic to the most pessimistic. The wind continued to increase. Obviously we soon caught up with her. She turned out to be an ordinary cruising catamaran, sixty feet long and three reefs in her mainsail. By this time the wind had risen to 34 knots so we decided to take in the kite. And then, all of sudden, we got blown onto our beam ends! It all happened barely 200 yards to leeward of the catamaran. Her crew were all on deck, astonished to see our barmy boat in the middle of the Atlantic with our spinnaker flying as if we were out on a Sunday morning regatta. We spun round into the wind as we brought in the canvas and for a brief moment our wind speed indicator [Ed: at the top of the mast] turned into a speedometer [Ed: below the waterline] and vice versa. After about ten minutes we managed to right her, set the big genoa and scarper. Yup, we probably put too much canvas on 404! All the best, the crew of Corto."

Jonathan Gagachian, Altair
"Hello François. A short message from Altair and her crew. Yesterday evening we finally left that squally zone behind us. So, less wind but the sea's now calm enough for us to set our big spinnaker! It means we've got a hell of a lot of canvas out and Altair is bowling along, and in the right direction too... It's very nice. We're now less than 500 miles from the finishing line, and the deck is dry and warm. Iced coffee, sun cream, shorts... Caribbean here we come! Today everybody aboard seemed determined to give me an excellent birthday, and they succeeded wonderfully! Fabulous place, fabulous sailing boat, fabulous event, very fine food and, above all, a fabulous crew with whom to begin my twenty-fifth year! I am very touched, thanks everybody! Yesterday we had a magical moment. At sunset two killer whales fell in with us, swimming about ten yards away from the boat. Magnificent animals, and a first for most of us aboard. Really, really special. To round off this message, please find attached a photo of the crew by Kara Browne, taken a few days ago when the weather was still a bit humid... A big hello to the rest of the fleet, we hope everything is going well and that the remainder of your time on the Atlantic is full of wonderful moments!"

Jeremiah Bailey, Adventuress
"Every dawn up 'til now has been a wet start. Whether damp to the shiver or humid to the sticky. Today the deck was dry, and the warm air carried the breezy-beach beer-bucket smell of dancing Caribbean reggae crowds. We're thirsty, and talking about it. The crescent moon behind us hung above big, dark, puffed-up clouds silhouetted by the pastel-yellow rising sun. A sail change to put layers on our lady and a clothing change to shed layers off of us. A sunshine rain shower, faint double rainbows, and a teasing nip of a Windward Isles slow-down, winter skin turned pink on the way to tan. A couple buckets of sea water tossed for a shower. Air dry, sun bathe, and a back resting siesta. It can be a torturous pleasure, for boat-bounding speed and the hawse-pipe drinking ink mean a strong finish to Martinique. But for now, a gentle sway..."

Rémy Gérin, Faïaoahé
"A very happy birthday party last night [Ed: Jan. 16 was Lucie's birthday]. A beautiful night, the boat moving fast through the water, moonless but full of stars to guide us on way, some touron* to accompany the tea, and a private concert by the Rolling Stones during the night watch (00:00 to 04:00 hrs), just me and Philippe. We clocked up 214 nautical miles yesterday. But today the trades are missing. Scrappy squalls are keeping us wet, the wind keeps veering, the boat is dragging her heels, and isn't even on course, the boom swinging in the swell. Hooked a dorado... but the line broke. Apparently it was 'enormous' according to five witnesses, including three independent ones (I believe them). In short, a poor sailing day. The bread didn't even rise. And a diabolical sunset, looking like the gates of hell. Since then we've been sailing close-hauled in less than 10 knots of wind... But the crew are optimistic. Be happy, 10/F77."

* Speciality typical of the Basque Country and Catalonia.

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