Yann Marilley, foresail trimmer : "...Today, Sunday we were first across the starting line and we sailed well at close quarters with the leaders. We're getting better every day and have learnt tons...". Philippe Durr, the boat's tactician adds his two cents : "...it was really superb in this nice warm wind on a glassy sea. Even though we are still lacking the speed we want, sailing shoulder to shoulder with the major figures, we are in the process of validating some of our technical options ...".
Without her foils and a dagger board which is not multi-directional, Gitana had a tough time keeping up with the others head to wind.
This Grand Prix d'Italie enables Gitana a total of just ten days racing since she was launched, but has never the less given the Gitana Team the possibility of making decisions about changes to be made to the platform. She needs to be lightened. That will be taken care of by the Multiplast yard in Vannes where she was built (France's Atlantic coast) between the end of July and mid-August, after the Grand Prix de Marseille (4th to 6th July) and before the one to be held on the Channel coast, in Fécamp between 28th and 30th August.
Bound for La Ciotat
After this Grand Prix, Gitana will head for her Mediterranean training base after a 350 mile 670 km delivery between Sardinia and the Mediterranean coast. Three crew together with Lionel Lemonchois will be on board for the delivery - Yann Marilley the Team Manager, Olivier Wroczynski the Boat Master, Jean-Yves Le Govic, in charge of the logistics management and organisation and Alain Hubert, polar ice adventurer who has come to get a taste of another world. Gitana is expected to reach La Ciotat around 19th June.
Rankings of the Grand Prix d'Italie / Cagliari :
1/ Sergio Tacchini (Karine Fauconnier)
2/ Groupama/Franck Cammas
3/ Sodebo / Thomas Coville
4/ Geant/Michel Desjoyeaux
5/ Banque Populaire/Lalou Roucayrol
6/ Banque Covefi / Steve Ravussin
7/ Tim / Giovanni Soldini
8/ Gitana / Lionel Lemonchois
9/ Sopra Group / Philippe Monnet.
Everything about the Grand Prix of Cagliari :
www.multis-online.com