Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008 - (Page 6)

WHAT THEY SAID Adrien Hardy Skipper of the Mini Brossard, talking about restepping his mast alone in mid-ocean during the Transat 6.50 George David Owner of the 90’ Maxi Rambler, winner of a Rolex Middle Sea Race sailed in stormy conditions. Georges Bonello DuPuis President of the Royal Yacht Club of Malta Luc Talbourdet President of the Imoca Class, concerning the race schedule for the class, which has excluded the Velux Five Oceans and the Transat Jacques Vabre 2009 and 2011 (see this issue) "I used my thigh, calf and arm to absorb the shocks and protect my boat. I was covered in bruises. There was blood everywhere and I soon as I tightened the shrouds, the bowsprit started to pierce the deck, (…) but I managed it. I dismasted at 6h30 and by noon the mast was back up. Twelve hors to dry out and I was on my way again (…) The next day in the trade wind, I hoisted the gennaker. After that I sailed along at between 12 and 15 knots. I re-started in tenth place and made it back to sixth. I may not have won, but I’m proud of what I did. I didn’t give up." "It was a great race. There was a lot of wind, huge waves and a storm with winds blowing steadily at 45 knots. It’s really enjoyable thinking of what we went through…now we’re back on dry land!" Roger Langevin Skipper of the 50’ trimaran Négocéane, concerning respecting the environment during the Transat Jacques Vabre "What can we do to reduce the pollution? Firstly, not let the sails go overboard as we used to… A foresail is the equivalent of how many plastic bottles?" "Next year we shall be celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the first Rolex Middle Sea Race. Stormvogel, the first maxi yacht to be built and which grabbed line honours in the first race in 1968, as well as Leopard 3, the most recent super Maxi to be launched, have announced they will be taking part." "We preferred to give priority to races, which are 100% Imoca, to ensure the format was easily understood by the public: everyone sets sail at the same time, and the winner is the one that arrives first. Things couldn’t be much clearer." Roland Jourdain Skipper of the 60’ Imoca, Veolia Environnement before the Barcelona World Race "While my father took me in a zodiac along the coast to fish for bass or mackerel, you couldn’t really say that I was born into a family of sailors… in any case at that time my real passion was football!" Grégoire Metz Executive Director of the Imoca Jérémie Beyou Skipper of the 60’ Imoca, Delta Dore "When I was small, in my bedroom, I didn’t have any pictures of Fame Academy or the latest pop stars. I had posters of Alain Gautier’s Bagages Superior. So of course, when I think about sailing myself in the Vendée Globe, it’s very much like a childhood dream come true." Karine Fauconnier Co-skipper of the 50’ trimaran Crêpes Whaou! at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre "Today with more media coverage desired, the Imoca monohulls cannot allow themselves to share a line-up with boats that are faster than them. That is why we have decided to favour races that are 100¨% Imoca, in the framework of the creation of the world championship, which will become the reference." Pierre Bojic General Director of Pen Duick, the organiser of the Transat Jacques Vabre and the Route du Rhum Marc Guillemot Skipper of the 60’ Imoca Safran D.R. Tanguy De Lamotte Skipper of the Class 40’ Novedia "I can’t wait to sail in the Transat Jacques Vabre with a boat finetuned within the Class 40 rules, in spite of the various changes that have been made to them. However, some members of the Rules Committee are judge and jury and adapt the rules in their own favour, claiming to offer homogenous and low-cost boats, while their budgets are much greater than the average." "The Doldrums are such as a special place. You can spend hours there without moving on a small lop, with the sails flapping and the wind going around in every direction. It feels like you are entering a huge lifeless zone, where nothing happens, where the wind does anything it likes, where you don’t see any birds or marine animals, no flying fish, nothing at all… It’s really gloomy. I can well imagine that 200, 300 or 400 years ago, sailors must have wondered where they were… it’s not really a joyful place to be!" « I have just come out of the safety briefing. The « Cross " search and rescue centre gave us a talk. That doesn’t really encourage you to want to take part in the race! They just talked about rescues, men overboard and capsized boats! (…) More seriously, it is important to have this sort of briefing, as when that happens, you’re pleased to be able to know what to do. " "I am not convinced that the Imoca board reflects the opinion of all of the skippers in the class. Some races must by their very nature be aimed at one class of boat, and we are committed to that with the running of the Transat AG2R and the BPE Trophy. However major open ocean races should remain in place. It is the diversity, which is their contribution. They put adventure in the spotlight and encourage the public to dream. Why make this announcement just before the Jacques Vabre?" Sidney Gavignet "UCo-skipper of Delta Dore talking about the Barcelona World Race "A round the world race is 85% the same boring thing and 15% something you will never forget." ©Y. Zedda/Whaou ! Ocean Racing - december 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008

Cover
Edito
Contents
What they said
News
Portfolio - The news in the picture
Transat Jacques Vabre - Monohulls in power
In the words of the skipper - Michel Desjoyaux, A little bit more
Barcelona World Race - A couple sailing around the world
Imoca - Growth crisis in the Imoca class
Transat 6.5 - A whole series of records
Mini Class - Anatomy of a winner
Multihulls - What sort of trimarans tomorrow ?
Volvo Ocean Race - Second generation
Trials - Mach 45 : an unusual IRC
Match Racing - King Richard
Tactics - A good start
Portrait - Jacques Caraës
Lab - Tubular or wing mast ?
Forty years ago - Chichester, the lonely sea and the sky
Equipment - Shop window
New products - From the drawing board to the boatyard
Opinion - The mirage of worshipping technology

Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008