There was a happy ending in store for Frédéric Le Peutrec and his crew when, after a disappointing day yesterday and a poorly negotiated first round this morning, they lifted the second round in fine style. And by way of a salute to the friendly local public, the boats effected two exhibition laps of the port, turning within a few feet of the harbour to all-round applause!
It has been a strange and spectacular weekend's sailing for the competitors in this Trapani Grand Prix, as they've had to contend with unusual weather conditions throughout the Sicilian meeting! On Friday, the first day's sailing was cancelled in its entirety due to 25/30-knot winds interspersed with 40-knot squalls raking over the water's surface. Then on Saturday, 3 rounds took place in variable conditions and heavy seas not suitable for men or boats! Finally on Sunday, the region's normal weather returned in the shape of radiant sunshine and a north-westerly breeze over the water's surface, rising from 15–20 knots on the first round to 22 on the second. The still chaotic sea only added to the spectacle offered by Gitana 11, Géant and Groupama.
Frédéric Le Peutrec, Gitana 11's skipper:
“We saved the best till last, a fine winning round… It's just a shame it was the only one! It was a really nice weekend that we finished beautifully, even if we didn't always seize or chances earlier. There were loads of opportunities we weren't quite able to seize, then in the last round, everything opened up nicely for us… it came as a big relief to us as after our daggerboard problem, as we'd been afraid the boat's performance would be altered. It's a positive result, although there were certain situations when we were in control of our opponents that we could have handled better. We also had a few difficulties changing tack but rather than being a problem of cohesion, we just lacked a bit of power onboard, as this type of sailing requires a lot of muscle! The boats were pushed to the maximum on really tricky seas and the lads were well and truly put to the test. I will retain excellent memories of this first Trapani Grand Prix. Everyone has made us feel really at home here!”
Crew Gitana 11
Frédéric Le Peutrec
Baron Benjamin de Rothschild
Jean-Baptiste Levaillant
Frédéric Guilmin
Daniel Souben
Jean-Baptiste Epron
Alexandre Quiblier
Ronan Le Goff
Antoine Mermod
François Denis
Christophe Lassègue
Trapani Grand Prix ranking :
1st – Groupama / Franck Cammas 27 points
2nd– Géant / Michel Desjoyeaux 25 points
3rd– Gitana 11 / Frédéric Le Peutrec 23 points
Multi Cup Cafe Ambassador ranking :
1st – Groupama / Franck Cammas 17,5 points
2nd – Géant / Michel Desjoyeaux 12 points
3rd – Banque Populaire / Pascal Bidégorry 10 points
4th – Gitana 11 / Frédéric Le Peutrec 8,5 points
5th – Gitana 12 / Thierry Duprey du Vorsent 3,5 points