A total of 72 skippers are, this morning in La Rochelle, making final preparations for the start of the Transat 6.50 Charente-Maritime/Bahia, the 4,250-mile solo Mini transatlantic race which starts later today.
By mid afternoon today the fleet will have left the safety of Chalutiers Basin in the heart of La Rochelle to gather off Fort Boyard for the 1717 start.
The conditions this morning in La Rochelle are perfect for start with bright sunshine and a strong north-easterly wind. The forecast is for the wind to remain stable throughout the day allowing the competitors to enjoy a fast, downwind sleigh-ride across the line in 20kts of north-easterly breeze later this afternoon.
The first leg of the course - 1,350 miles to Puerto Calero, Lanzarote - should take approximately nine days. The fleet will then have a few days to recover and carry out further checks/repairs to their boats before the 8 October start of the second/final leg across the Atlantic to El Salvador de Bahia. The estimated time of arrival of the first yachts into Brazil is Thursday 27 October.
Chatting to Tobias Hochreutener, Swiss/British competitor aboard Complete Freight this morning it seems that the general feeling around the dock is fairly anxious. "Most of us have been ready to go for over a week and we just want to get on with it now. Naturally I'm starting to feel slightly jittery so as soon as we leave the dockside the better. The wind's good, which should make for a fairly lively start. I've been training for this race for over three years now and done over 10,000 miles so it's time to get on with it!"
Fellow British sailor Nick Bubb on Whittlebury Hall is currently in the process of eating his last sandwich before setting sail: "The atmosphere here is incredibly exciting and I have to admit I'm feeling a bit nervous now, not too much though. This is my last bit of 'proper food' for a while so I'm making the most of it! We're leaving in about an hour to head out to the start. My prediction is it's going to be fairly exciting particularly with so many spectator craft around. The race committee are going to give us a short windward/leeward in the harbour before we finally head off. The wind is forecast to build later tonight so our first night at sea is going to be rather interesting!"
Peter Laureyssens the sole competitor from Belgium sailing a Series class Wellments concluded: "Yes, I'm looking forward to the start although I'm also a bit anxious. Once the race gets underway my aim is to keep motivated which for me will be the most difficult thing particularly as this is my longest solo race ever."
Sue Pelling/Yachting World, 17 September 2005
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A total of 72 skippers are, this morning in La Rochelle, making final preparations for the start of the Transat 6.50 Charente-Maritime/Bahia, the 4,250-mile solo Mini transatlantic race which starts later today.
