Last leg
The final 1600-mile race of the 2021 Pro Sailing Tour is officially under way.
06 August 2021
Advertisement
The final stage of the 2021 Pro Sailing Tour is now underway with six Ocean Fifty yachts commencing the 1600-mile offshore race off the coast of Toulon in ideal conditions.
With wind speeds of 15–20 knots, the trimarans are currently heading towards Brest via the French Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts for this last stage – aptly named the Final Rush.
“We’ll have all sorts of weather conditions, some complicated and some less so. I think that we’ll be hoisting all the sails during the week,” said Leyton’s Sam Goodchild.
“It’s essential to stay on top form at all times as the conditions can change very quickly and you have to make good decisions equally as fast.”
The skill level of the crews is high and the accolade will go to the one that can tick all the boxes, as Sébastien Rogues of Primonial outlined before the race. “There will be tactics, speed, placement and composure at least until they reach Gibraltar,” he added.
Advertisement
“It will be necessary to tack out way down the Mediterranean, make decisions from the outset. We should move downwards to catch a north-easterly wind which will be rather nice. Going into the Alboran Sea will be a complex passage, with having to opt between North Africa and Spain.”
Early routings before the race have predicted a travel time of six to eight days. But all of that will depend on, as Ciela Village’s Erwan Le Roux estimates, the Straits of Gibraltar.
“If we are all in the same boat in Cap Saint-Vincent, everything will be fine. But if one of us manages to slip ahead, there will be better conditions in the Atlantic and that could alter the leaderboard. It’s essential to move quickly from the get go.”
“There is one place to win and four to lose,” added Arkema 4’s Quentin Vlamynck.
“That only depends on us. We will give it our all. It’s not good enough to beat Leyton, we’ll have to put another boat between us.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hamilton Island cancelled
