It was a spectacular start today for the sailors – including Ireland's Pamela Lee – who set sail on the 16th edition of the CIC Normandy Channel Race. Bracing conditions and a superb light filtering through the partially overcast skies formed the backdrop for this great Norman classic with the Race Committee releasing the Class40 crews at exactly 14:00 hours local time. Completing the looped ‘show-course’ along the coast, the sailboats then headed offshore, barrelling along in heavy seas and a dazzling light, in what was a technically astute and visually striking performance.
The start line was breezy with a bracing fifteen knots or so of westerly wind, gusting up to 25 knots. These boisterous conditions prompted Race Management to reduce the show-course and get the sailors to link straight onto a return sprint around the cans located opposite the Ouistreham canal and the Luc cardinal mark. It was a welcome introduction to proceedings then as the racers prepared to really get their teeth into the race. With daggers drawn, this stellar fleet got off to a cracking start in heavy seas and it was the Class40 Amarris (182) which set the pace straight out of the starting blocks.
Benefiting from their extensive experience as Figaro sailors, Achille Nebout and Gildas Mahé positioned themselves nicely on the racetrack and were first across the starting line. On a reach, the fleet was quickly posting dazzling speeds in excess of 15 knots, putting on quite the show for any guests out on the water. Very soon after the start, the local duo from the Baie de Seine, Guillaume Pirouelle and Cédric Chateau aboard Sogestran – Seafrigo (197), took the reins and were first around the Luc cardinal mark, which was the final mark of the coastal show-course. On the chase behind them were the Class40 Crédit Mutuel (202) skippered by Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier, and Trim Control (190) with Alexandre Le Gallais and the legendary Michel Desjoyeaux, who complete the top trio as the fleet sets a course for the Saint Marcouf islands.
Following a collision during the start procedure, the Class40 Wasabiii (198) dismasted and the Class40 VSF Sports (181) suffered damage. Both crews are safe and doing fine. They are now dockside in the outer harbour of Ouistreham. The organisation team would like to thank the SNSM lifeboat association for their responsiveness and their support.
A nocturnal Channel-hop
On tonight’s programme, the Class40s will have to negotiate the 40 miles between the start line off Ouistreham and the compulsory mark rounding to the west of Saint Marcouf. Conditions are set to ease over this section and then the fleet will have to hug the coast to escape the current, which they’ll be punching into from late afternoon at the Barfleur headland. The fleet will then launch onto a reach for a nocturnal passage across the English Channel synonymous with heavy shipping before they tackle the tricky section that takes them across the Solent amidst its treacherous sandbanks.
