With the Class40 Ose Ta Victoire (100) rounding Fastnet at 02:55 UTC this morning, the fleet in this 15th CIC Normandy Channel Race is snaking right the way across the Celtic Sea from southern Ireland to the south-west tip of Cornwall. Indeed, with the first boats closing on the tricky section comprising the three TSS around the Scillies and Land’s End, it is Legallais (199) which is leading the charge. Fabien Delahaye and Benjamin Schwartz have snatched control from Groupe SNEF (178) with Sogestran – Seafrigo (197) still very close behind. All but one of the pack of scows have adopted a trajectory to the north of the Seven Stones TSS, Everial (177) opting to be the trailblazer by passing between the Seven Stones TSS and the Scilly Islands. Currently lying in sixth place on the leader board, the crew on the latter is giving its all to close on the leaders before they reach the English Channel.
The return sprint to Ouistreham is set to be gnarly thanks to 20 to 25 knots of NE’ly wind, with gusts of 30 knots sweeping across the English Channel. Enjoying virtually idyllic conditions and comfortable points of sail thus far, it’s now time for the fleet to become embroiled in an upwind slog in heavy seas. The skippers will also have to cope with the adding difficulty of sailing wind over tide at times, resulting in choppy seas, and an acceleration in the wind, a situation heightened by the equinoctial tide, a recent full moon and a coefficient of 115.
On this final section of the racetrack, the routing is offering two very different options. One more direct one to the south of the Casquets TSS, albeit more exposed to the wind and steep seas, which comes with the added risk of being exposed to the most powerful currents in Europe at the infamous Alderney Race and Barfleur. The alternative option to the north of the Casquets TSS is longer but has the advantage of preserving the boats a little more and, once the prohibited area is behind them, they should be able to make for the Baie de Seine on a single tack. We shall have to wait and see who opts for which strategy in a few hours’ time…
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