Route Du Ponant - Tough Competition In Difficult Conditions For Sam

FROM SAM:

The level of competition is so good - these guys are the best Figarists on the water and its pretty tiring now after two days of close racing with lots of manoeuvres all the time. I am feeling exhausted and there is little downtime in between the races as you keep you sails up during the races whilst tidying up the boat to go again. Each race is about 1.5 hours and in that we are probably doing about 10-12 tacks on the windward legs and then 2 hoists and drops with couple of gybes on each downwind leg. In this environment it's flat out racing and as you would expect its also really close.

Today we had more wind than yesterday...it was gusting up to 25 knots but dropping as low as 14 knots. Similar to yesterday in that it was very shifty but much more gusty. Before the start I try to get to close to a couple of good skippers to check out their boat set-up and compare my boat speed to them. The first race (race 3) was okay - no real dramas but could not get passed Le Blevec who finished ahead of me. In the second race (race 4) I had a major at the bottom mark of the windward leg - I missed the mark completely, in fact, I had to swerve hard to avoid it then go back to round it properly and it was the usual mess when something like that happens with the mainsheet tangled and so on. I was lucky not to lose too much and finish 14th this time ahead of Yves.

I am actually happier racing now at this type of regatta compared to the Générali Mediterranée event when I was a bit scared of getting too close to people or worrying about not being able to do all the manoeuvres right. But now I a more confident - I have good boat speed and am much happier out on the water. Even when I make a mistake like today, I am still in touch with the good people, crossing tacks with them and staying close all the time.

RACE 3 - WEDNESDAY 3.9.03 (provisional):
Skipper / Boat

1st Gildas Morvan / "Cercle Vert"
2nd Yann Elies / "Groupe Generali Assurance"
3rd Thierry Chabagny / "Petit Navire Le Bon Gout du Large"
4th Eric Drouglazet / "David Olivier"
5th Jérémie Beyou / "Delta Dore"
6th Charles Caudrelier / "Bostik Findley"
7th Armel Le Cleac'h / "Créaline"
8th Romain Attanasio / "Port Trébeurden"
9th Erwan Tabarly / "Thales"
10th Benoit Petit / "Defi Santé Voile"
11th Laurent Pellecuer / "Cliptol Sport"
12th Gwénaël Riou / "Espoir Crédit Agricole"
13th Yves Le Blevec* / "Réve de Grand-Actual Interim"
14th Christophe Artaud / "Petits Petons"
15th Samantha Davies* / "Skandia"
16th Jeanne Grégoire / "Skipper Ag2r"
17th Arnaud Boissiéres / "MBD Design- Sorelec"
18th Corrado Agusta* / "Sector Sport Watches"

RACE 4 - WEDNESDAY 3.9.03 (provisional):
Skipper / Boat

1st Charles Caudrelier / "Bostik Findley"
2nd Romain Attanasio / "Port Trébeurden"
3rd Gildas Morvan / "Cercle Vert"
4th Yann Elies / "Groupe Generali Assurance"
5th Erwan Tabarly / "Thales"
6th Armel Le Cleac'h / "Créaline"
7th Jérémie Beyou / "Delta Dore"
8th Eric Drouglazet / "David Olivier"
9th Laurent Pellecuer / "Cliptol Sport"
10th Benoit Petit / "Défi Santé Voile"
11th Thierry Chabagny / "Petit Navire Le Bon Gout du Large" 12th Gwénaël Riou / "Espoir Crédit Agricole" 13th Christophe Artaud / "Petits Petons" 14th Samantha Davies* / "Skandia" 15th Jeanne Grégoire / "Skipper Ag2r" 16th Yves Le Blevec* / "Réve de Grand-Actual Interim" 17th Arnaud Boissiéres / "MBD Design-Sorelec" 18th Corrado Agusta* / "Sector Sport Watches"

OVERALL POSITIONS AFTER 4 RACES - WEDNESDAY 3.9.03 (provisional): Skipper/Boat

1st Gildas Morvan / "Cercle Vert"
2nd Yann Elies / "Groupe Generali Assurance"
3rd Jérémie Beyou / "Delta Dore"
4th Romain Attanasio "Port Trébeurden"
5th Armel Le Cleac'h / "Créaline"
6th Charles Caudrelier / "Bostik Findley"
7th Benoit Petit / "Défi Santé Voile"
8th Eric Drouglazet / "David Olivier"
9th Erwan Tabarly / "Thales"
10th Laurent Pellecuer / "Cliptol Sport"
11th Thierry Chabagny / "Petit Navire Le Bon Gout du Large" 12th Gwénaël Riou / "Espoir Crédit Agricole" 13th Christophe Artaud / "Petits Petons" 14th Yves Le Blevec* / "Reve de Grand-Actual Interim" 15th Arnaud Boissiéres / "MBD Design-Sorelec" 16th Samantha Davies* / "Skandia" 17th Jeanne Grégoire / "Skipper Ag2r" 18th Corrado Agusta* / "Sector Sport Watches"

* Rookies

Visit http://www.classefigarobeneteau.com for Route du Ponant race results

THE COURSE:

2-4 September
St Gilles Croix de Vie
Six inshore windward/leeward courses (2 per day)

5 September
Depart St Gilles-Guernsey (150 miles)

8 September
Depart Guernsey-Perros Guirec (60 miles)

10-12 September
Perros Guirec
Six inshore windward/leeward courses (2 per day)