Though a report was sent by his Cheminées Poujoulat team last night indicating that Bernard Stamm was nearly ready to leave his anchorage off Dunedin, NZ and rejoin the race after making repairs, the Swiss skipper, who has been protested by the Race Committee, was still stopped early this morning. The actions which took place when he went alongside a Russian survey vessel in the Auckland Islands in adverse weather conditions in a tight anchorage are the subject of the protest hearing. It is investigating whether outside assistance, contrary to the strict race rules, took place. Fiftes in the 50’s….Le Cam accelerates Conditions have been pretty tough for the vastly experienced Jean Le Cam who leads the group of ‘Fifties in the 50’s’ on SynerCiel. Le Cam, 53, had visibly slowed through yesterday and had complained of the robust sea state but his more direct course to the north of the tracks of Mike Golding (Gamesa) and Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud) sees the French skipper sailing significantly quicker, riding the low pressure system whilst his pursuers are on the back of it and may run the risk of falling off. After repositioning to the north slightly and losing some miles in lighter airs, Spain’s Javier Sanso – 300 miles behind Mirabaud - looks set to have Acciona 100% Eco Powered back in stronger NW’ly winds today. Photo Credit: Jean-Marie Liot/DPPI/Vendée Globe
Jean-Pierre Dick and Alex Thomson have been reeling off relatively fast miles as they benefit from strong W’ly and NW’ly winds which are allowing them a much more direct, straight course towards the final safety gate of the course. Forced south by an awkward transition zone of slack winds, race leader Le Cléac’h and Gabart make only modest speeds. With some 300 miles to make to the Pacific West gate Le Cléach is ahead of Gabart by just 12.7 miles this morning, the pair making between 13 and 15kts in light N’ly winds. Their speeds have risen slightly but their losses to their pursuers are expected to continue. Dick has reduced his margin to the leader by 180 miles in 24 hours and was down to 460 miles behind Banque Populaire. Briton Thomson, recovering 170 miles over that same period, is about 850 miles behind.
Arnaud Boissieres (Akena Verandas), sixth in the last edition of the Vendée Globe, must have expected to be higher up the fleet at this stage, but the skipper from Arcachon has been delivering some impressively quick 24 hour runs recently. He has just passed Stamm and so is up to ninth place and is 450 miles from the New Zealand gate. Bertrand de Broc (Votre Nom Autour du Monde avec EDM Projects) passed into the Pacific at 21:55hrs last night.
Protagonisti l’AC40 di GB1 e una chase boat di Tudor Team Alinghi, entrati in collisione mentre sul campo di regata si stavano preparando le prime partenze di prova
Un appuntamento, quello dal 24 al 27 settembre, dalla duplice valenza: infatti verranno assegnati anche gli scudetti tricolore sia della Open che della Corinthian
Il 1° novembre, da Saint-Malo, saranno 118 gli skipper che prenderanno il via della tredicesima edizione della grande transatlantica in solitario, destinata a concludersi dopo 3.542 miglia a Pointe-à-Pitre, in Guadalupa
La 38ª America’s Cup entra nel vivo anche per ARC Team USA. A Napoli, dal 24 al 27 settembre, il nuovo challenger americano farà infatti il suo debutto agonistico nella Preliminary Regatta, prima occasione per vedere in gara l’equipaggio e l’AC40 del team
Pietro Sibello guida i magnifici quattro di Alinghi: con lui il britannico Paul Goodison, skipper e timoniere di dritta, il neozelandese Phil Robertson, timoniere di sinistra, e lo svizzero Nicolas Rolaz, trimmer di dritta
Le regate di prova nella vela sono piene di superstizioni e molti velisti fanno di tutto per non vincerle. Tuttavia, il team principale di Luna Rossa non ha seguito il copione superstizioso e ha dominato la flotta con margini enormi
A La Baule si decide tutto nell’ultima giornata. Lorenzo Cerretelli è secondo negli Apprentice Master ILCA 7, Alice Grassi guida le donne negli ILCA 6
Sabato 26 settembre alle ore 9 aprirà ufficialmente al pubblico e ai concorrenti il villaggio di Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, uno degli appuntamenti più attesi della stagione velica internazionale
L'ARC Team USA vince la regata d'apertura, ma il team italiano si prende la seconda prova e chiude al comando della classifica. Giornata difficile per GB1, mentre i francesi di La Roche-Posay si ribaltano nella seconda partenza
Luna Rossa chiude con una giornata praticamente perfetta la Preliminary Regatta della Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup a Napoli. Due vittorie nelle regate di flotta e poi il successo netto nella finale di match race contro Emirates Team New Zealand