The forty Imocas entered on the 16e edition of the Transat Jacques-Vabre, who were to set off on Sunday October 29 from Le Havre towards Martinique, will ultimately remain at the dock, the race organizers announced a few hours before the start. This decision was taken due to the difficult weather conditions expected in the middle of next week in the Channel.
“A breakage in this system, with a boat that would no longer be maneuverable, there is no possible escape”, explained Francis Le Goff, the race director, at a press conference. No later departure date has been given for the monohulls. The start of the race for the three other classes of boats entered – Ultim, Ocean Fifty and Class40 – will begin as planned from 1:05 p.m. off the coast of Le Havre.
The five Ultim maxi-trimarans planned for the starting line, faster than the rest of the fleet, are able to escape the Channel and the Bay of Biscay before the storm hits the area from Wednesday, explained the organizers. “We have more than 8 meters of waves at sea from Wednesday and 10 meters on Thursday with gusts of nearly 120 km/h”commented race meteorologist Christian Dumard.
A stopover in Lorient
The Ocean Fifty and the Class40, a fleet representing 55 boats more fragile than the Imoca, will also leave on Sunday, but will have to stop in Lorient at the start of the week for shelter, before leaving again, once the beating has passed. “The start of this second stage will be given as a fleet and the ranking established on arrival in Martinique is the sum of the times of the two stages”explained Francis Le Goff on Saturday.
“We did not have the capacity to offer this format with a stopover in the Imoca class for reasons of space in the port”, he added, Sunday. The first Ultims of the Transat Jacques-Vabre, a famous double-handed race created in 1993, are expected around November 12 in Fort-de-France, in Martinique.