Gitana 11 expected into Pointe-à-Pitre this evening
At the 1100 GMT ranking, the trimaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild was not far from the Pointe du Château, situated on the East coast of Guadeloupe, and was just 86 miles from the finish. Close to the goal and deliverance, Yann Guichard has yet to negotiate the circumnavigation of Papillon Island before tasting the delights of the finish line and the reunion with his team. It is worth recalling though that these last few miles have proven to be very long for his rivals, due to the lack of a sufficiently steady wind.
Contrary to the three ‘ultimates’ which make up the podium for the Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale 2010, Yann Guichard is planning on making landfall in Guadeloupe via the East. As such Gitana 11 has sailed past the island of Désirade before diving as close as possible to the shores of Grande Terre. Currently making headway towards the Pointe de la Grande Vigie, to the far North of the island, the maxi-trimaran will then set a course towards the islet of Tête à l’Anglais, which marks the start of the circumnavigation of the island in the eyes of the organisers. At that point there will be just fifty-four miles left to cover and according to the grib files gleaned by Sylvain Mondon, 4 to 8 knots of a prevailing S’ly wind is set to accompany Yann over the final miles. Such a forecast will be synonymous with an upwind beat to the end of the race for the skipper of Gitana Team.
The 23 metre maxi-trimaran is expected into Pointe-à-Pitre this evening, GMT, which equates to late afternoon local time. However, the previous arrivals have taught us to remain prudent as regards a more precise ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival)…
Ranking for the Ultimate Category on 10th November at 1100 GMT
1- Groupama 3 finished on Tuesday 9th November at 15h 16’ 47 GMT in 9d 3h 14’ 47’’
2- Idec finished on Wednesday 10th November at 1h 52’ 48 GMT in 9d 13h 50’ 48’’
3- Sodebo finished on Wednesday 10th November at 15h 15’ 11 GMT in 10d 3h 13’ 11”
4- Gitana 11 some 86.2 miles from the finish
5- Saint-Malo 2015 some 1,194.4 miles
6- Défi Cancale 1,201.8 miles
NL- La Boite à Pizza 814.9 miles
Abandon- Côte d'Or II
Abandon- Oman Air Majan