Three fleets got underway in the Transat Jacques Vabre – but the 40s IMOCAs have been held ashore due to a severe Atlantic depressionYesterday\u2019s scheduled start for the Transat Jacques Vabre \u2013 the double-handed race across the Atlantic from Le Havre to Martinique \u2013 partially got away on Sunday 29 October, but the IMOCA class have been held ashore and both the Class 40 and Ocean 50 trimarans are racing only as far as Lorient before pausing to restart. The Ultimes were the sole fleet to set off on non-stop transatlantic.
\nThe reason for the disrupted start schedule is a series of low pressure systems forming in the Atlantic. With a particularly strong depression scheduled to cross the fleet on Wednesday, the decision was made early on start day morning to send the Class 40s and Ocean 50s on a 320 mile passage to Lorient on the French Atlantic coast, where they will be able to pause racing and then restart.
\nHowever, the 40-boat IMOCA fleet \u2013 many of whom now carry large foils \u2013 are not so easily accommodated in other ports and so will be held ashore in Le Havre until conditions moderate. Results will be calculated with aggregate race time.
\n\u201cWe were all prepared to go, until the fleet got a message saying the start will be postponed,\u201d explained IMOCA Medallia skipper Pip Hare yesterday. \u201cUnlike the other fleets we\u2019re not going to do a short leg, basically because there\u2019s nowhere for us to go \u2013 all the ports are full. So we\u2019re staying here.
\n\u201cI think we could be here for a week because we\u2019ve got the monster low that\u2019s causing all the problems, and then there\u2019s another one after that.\u201d
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The challenge for the TJV skippers would have been to make sufficient ground to the south in order to avoid the incoming secondary low \u2013 but for almost every IMOCA skipper the Transat Jacques Vabre (and the return solo race, Retour a la Base) are key qualifiers for the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe and so many would have been planning a conservative approach to the early stages of this transatlantic.
\nThe giant ultim trimarans, capable of 700-plus miles per day, are capable of outrunning the approaching low pressure system and so have started their race non-stop.
\nDespite the IMOCAs being held ashore, the start was spectacular, with five giant Ultim, 44 Class 40s, and six Ocean 50s launching out of Le Havre in tough and gusty conditions.
\nLE HAVRE, FRANCE \u2013 OCTOBER 29 : Ultim boats start the Transat Jacques Vabre in Le Havre, France, on October 29, 2023. (photo by Jean-Marie Liot \/ Alea)
\nIn the challenging seaway there were some early collisions and overnight the Class 40 Cr\u00e9dit Mutuel dismasted off the coast of Guernsey, while two other boats have paused racing, one after colliding with an underwater object.
\nBy this morning the Ultim race leaders were already nearly 200 miles west of Ushant and setting up to cross the first front into the 15-20 knots north-westerly winds which will set them up for some fast sailing southwards.
\nFurthest to the north-west, Francois Gabart and Tom Laperche on SVR Lazartigue are likely to get into the new wind first, while Armel Le Cl\u00e9ac\u2019h and Seb Josse on Maxi Banque Populaire lead on the tracker by 8.5 miles.<\/p>\n
Gabart said this morning, \u201cWe wanted to keep things simple with fewer manoeuvres. It wasn\u2019t easy to get well positioned in winds that kept changing direction. In any case, the routings to the north or south of the TSS were fairly close to each other. We now have the wind behind the front and are on a long starboard tack towards\u00a0Cape\u00a0Finisterre.\u201d
\nTransat Jacques Vabre start delayed: The right decision
\nDespite the last-minute announcements \u2013 \u201cI had my boots on!\u201d one skipper joked \u2013 there was support among the IMOCA fleet for the race committee decision to delay the Transat Jacques Vabre start.
\n\u201cAt this time of year a weather front coming up the western approaches and into Biscay is relatively normal, but this one that\u2019s coming in Wednesday is particularly aggressive, it will have a big sea state behind it and as it approaches Finisterre where the continental shelf is that means huge breaking waves, damage to boats, damage to people, and its\u2019 just not a good idea to head out into that,\u201d explained Pip Hare.
\n\u201cI think in general the response among the fleet is this is the correct decision. Those of us that were looking for bail out options realised there were very few.\u201d
\nIMOCAs held ashore
\nYoann Richomme, who is looking to qualify his new Paprec Ark\u00e9a for next year\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe, said: \u201cYesterday evening, I understood we would be heading out into an exceptionally deep low.
\n\u201cWe can cope with 40-50 knot winds, but here we are looking at 80 knots gusting to 100-115 knots with 10-12m high waves. With the danger to life, there is no good reason to be out at sea. It\u2019s not reasonable to send the boats out in this, even cargo vessels.\u201d
\nOne of the early race favourites, Charlie Dalin with his new Macif, had already confirmed that he was not going to compete due to a medical issue.
\nDalin planned to cross the start line and then retire due to a health issue, as there is provision within the Vend\u00e9e Globe rules for a new boat to gain qualification miles even if a medical or technical issue prevents them for completing the course.
\nHowever, the majority of IMOCA skippers will be looking to complete two transatlantic in the next few weeks and will be watching the weather forecast carefully.
\nRegular updates are being posted on the official Transat Jacques Vabre website.
\nThe post \u2018Boat breaking\u2019 depression disrupts Transat Jacques Vabre start appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three fleets got underway in the Transat Jacques Vabre – but the 40s IMOCAs have been held ashore due to a severe Atlantic depressionYesterday\u2019s scheduled start for the Transat Jacques Vabre \u2013 the double-handed race across the Atlantic from Le … <\/p>\n