Gitana : écurie de course au large fondée par le Baron Benjamin de Rothschild

Saturday 23 November 2019

Hanging a left

On this nineteenth day at sea in the Brest Atlantiques, the separation between the three competitors still out on the racetrack is relatively stable. Still heading the fleet with a lead of nearly 300 miles over her pursuers, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild was the first to hang a left yesterday evening and distance herself from the coast of Namibia to follow the curve of high pressure associated with the Saint Helena High. Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier are sparing no effort, keen not to shy away from any manœuvre as they try to exploit every possible variation in the shifty trade winds, which are proving to be particularly unstable.

Three out on the racetrack

There are now three crews competing in the Brest Atlantiques, following the retirement of Sodebo Ultim announced yesterday in Cape Town. The victim of serious damage to the starboard rudder and float between Brazil and South Africa, Thomas Coville had hoped they’d be able to hit the racetrack again very quickly. However, the discovery of a crack on one of the maxi-trimaran’s foils has forced their retirement from this first edition. Informed by his shore crew of this decision to withdraw, Franck Cammas had this to say: “It’s doubtless the right decision for them. It was their first race with this boat. It’s not easy. The best of luck to them. It’s never great news and there’s never a good time for a crew to have to bring a boat home out of race configuration. I’m sure it is with a heavy heart that they’re doing this."

=> TODAY’S VIDEO

Charles Caudrelier, hidden talents for DIY!

The milder conditions encountered by the duo on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild since passing Cape Town and rounding the Saint Helena High in her climb up towards the equator are enabling the sailors to take care of themselves as well as their boat. Indeed, the 32-metre got a bit of rough handling at times between Rio - Cape Town. The perfect versatile sailor, Charles Caudrelier swaps the helm for a toolbox, with varying degrees of success… but always with humorous appeal.

Ranking on 23 November 2019 at 19:00 UTC

1. MAXI EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD (Franck Cammas / Charles Caudrelier / Yann Riou) - distance to the goal: 4,487.4 miles - average speed over the past 30 mins: 23.7 knots

2.ACTUAL LEADER (Yves Le Blevec / Alex Pella / Ronan Gladu) – 289.4 miles behind the leader - average speed over the past 30 mins: 25 knots

3. MACIF (François Gabart / Gwenolé Gahinet / Jérémie Eloy) – 320.2 miles behind the leader - average speed over the past 30 mins: 26.6 knots

Retirement - SODEBO ULTIM 3 (Thomas Coville / Jean-Luc Nelias / Martin Keruzoré)