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Transat Bakerly: François Gabart making quick progress west

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François Gabart instantly got down to serious racing for his first single-handed race at the helm of the MACIF trimaran, running down the Channel at full speed. This enabled him to measure the potential of his 30-metre multihull. "I didn't have time to hesitate. I crossed the Channel 50% of the time on one float. The central hull didn't touch the water often! I was able to run her at top speeds, since the wind was fairly regular and there was little swell, even if I constantly had my hands on the sheets." The skipper liked how the race started: "The first single-handed sailing emotions are very strong. It is the first time that I have been alone on the Atlantic, since the Route du Rhum. This is not without significance, particularly when you find yourself on a 30-metre trimaran. You cannot be indifferent". Before leaving Plymouth, François Gabart chose to set a southern course: "I knew that I would get as far as Cape Finisterre at least, because the Azores anticyclone was positioned fairly high up. This route allowed me to sail quickly downwind down the Bay of Biscay and to slip under the high pressure area. The northern route, which was quicker, was unthinkable with 40 knots wind speed and 10-metre waves." The MACIF trimaran is now making headway to the Azores, often sailing at over 30 knots. She will have to tackle the high-pressure, followed by a large low pressure area before she reaches New York. Constantly in contact with his router, Jean-Yves Bernot, the skipper is happy with these tactics. "As I like to anticipate, I do my weather routing from the boat, but it's always comforting to have someone to back me up on shore, giving me all the options. This saves time." Although the weather conditions favour speed right now, they are still quite difficult, due to the rough seas, which mean that François Gabart has to be particularly vigilant. He must also stay at the helm.  "There are a lot of waves. It's a little tricky. You have to stay alert. You spend your time catching up with the waves and then there's a moment when there's one that's a little higher and it stops you in your passage. Yesterday, sailing round Cape Finisterre, there was a lot of wind and waves, so I spend hours steering." Does he still have time to rest? "Yes, I've managed to sleep well since the start. I have my own organisation between holding the sheets, the alarms and always keeping an eye open. You need to stay clear-headed on this kind of boat. You cannot allow yourself to lose sleep. So it's essential to find the time to rest, by taking successive naps. On average, I sleep between 3 and 5 hours per 24-hour stretch." The same requirements are also true for food, which must not be neglected, particularly when consuming so much energy in manoeuvres. This is the case for the skipper, who was gybing for the seventh time since the Bay of Biscay, on Wednesday morning. "Gybing takes a long time, is tiresome and occupies you. You turn cranks for 20 minutes and this cannot be reduced. You consume a lot of energy, so it's vital to eat properly." Since the start, François Gabart and Thomas Coville have been at close quarters, following more or less the same trajectory, so that MACIF's skipper was practically able to follow his contender on the AIS (radar) all night. "Being at such close quarters after two days of racing is remarkable. Having Thomas so close to the MACIF trimaran naturally encourages me to push harder. You don't want do ease up. The race also drives you to surpass yourself and find solutions to win the odd knot here and there. Thanks to the rankings and occasionally the AIS, I immediately know makes the boat perform better. It's a great way to make progress."

04/05/2016 19:46:00 © riproduzione riservata

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