Course memo

Ile d'Yeu to leave portside, the South Cardinal buoy named Sablaire to leave starboard (46°43,7 - 02°19,4W), Belle Isle to be left portside, the lighthouse of Birvideaux to circumvent and leave starboard (47°29.2N - 03°17.4W), Belle Ile to leave starboard, mark buoy to leave portside, the lighthouse of Chanchardon to leave portside, the tower of Antioch to leave starboard, finish line between the buoy at the Minimes to leave portside and a tetrahedral orange buoy to leave starboard. That will meddle offshore and coastal course with all the difficulties that it brings: night sailing, fishermen fleets, coastal effects, currents, and tidal phenomenon... The firsts are expected Thursday in the late afternoon in the Port Minimes.

Good start at 11:20…

The fleet has set sails at 11:20 this morning and headed towards La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) for 465 nm. The wind was 5 / 6 knots east sector (90 °). A windward mark was moored 1.3 miles off Cabo de San Lorenzo in front the Island of Tortuga and Nicolas Boidevezi (719 – Défi G.D.E) took the lead for protos ahead of Paul Marette (265 - Région Nord Pas de Calais) and Milan Kolacek (759 - Follow me). Among series boats, it’s Amaury François (697 - www.amauryfrancois.com) that was first to head North for his second crossing of the Bay of Biscay ahead Jean-Marc Allaire (464 - Baker Tilly - AG2R La Mondiale) and Pierre Cizeau (746 - Colibri). 

The five first Series boats at the mark.

1 - Amaury François (697 - www.amauryfrancois.com), 

2 - Jean-Marc Allaire (464 - Baker Tilly - AG2R La Mondiale), 

3 - Pierre Cizeau (746 - Colibri),

4 - Yann Le Pautremat (483 - As de cœur - Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque),

5 - Brendan Archin (757 - Association La Touline).

Five first prototypes that reached the mark.

1 - Nicolas Boidevezi (719 - Défi G.D.E), 

2 - Paul Marette (265 - Région Nord Pas de Calais), 

3 - Milan Kolacek (759 - Follow me),

4 - Thomas Normand (787 - Financière de l'Échiquier),

5 - Jorg Riechers (753 - Mare.de).

Start of the second leg.

The race's second leg between Gijon and La Rochelle has started! Wind sector East 90° at 6 knots.

Atmosphere before the start.

White and cloudy sky in Gijon at 8:00 this morning, there is almost no wind in the zone ... The sailors started to fill in the attendance sheet at 8:00 and the boats have started to leave Gijon's harbour at 8:30. Only 34 boats will leave, Vincent Pilato (481 - Mcom) will not set sails for personal reasons. The starting line should be on the right of the zone and the windward mark should be a 1.3 miles next to San Lorenzo beach... Now, everything depends of the wind in the zone...