Sam
Davies Faces Light Winds For The First Leg Of
The Solitaire
The
2004 La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro got under
way 30 mins later than planned at 12:30hrs local
time. The delay was required in order for the
wind to settle down in both strength and direction.
The first mark of the course - The Radio France
Buoy was rounded first by Gildas Morvan on Cercle
Vert followed by Kito de Pavant (Navy Lest) and
Fred Duthil (All Mer), Sam rounded in 15th place
- a solid start in this 52 boat fleet - a One
Design fleet where leads are measured in seconds
not minutes even after days at sea.
The
boats must now sail a 156nm course (the middle
distance chosen by the race committee out of a
possible 3 variations) via Royal Sovereign Lighthouse
off Eastbourne then west along the southern coast
of England via the Owers, Pullar and Dean Tail
buoys to a finish line laid off the entrance to
Portsmouth Harbour - at Horse Sand Fort.
Early
Yesterday morning Sam Davies and the Solitaire
fleet left the centre of Caen and made the short
journey to the Normandy port of Ouistreham, where
the start line was laid today. Despite being billed
as a 'sprint' leg Sam and her 51 fellow competitors
will have to keep a watchful eye on currents,
wind and sea conditions as well as the heavy sea
traffic across the channel, all the way to Portsmouth.
Sam
speaking yesterday,
"The
boat itself is totally ready for tomorrow's start.
The weather prediction is for light winds which
will make the whole leg quite tricky. I have spent
most of today trying to get the best weather information
so that I can finalise my strategy for the leg
- but obviously this will all be dependent on
the final course.
"This
will be the first time that I have sailed in such
light winds this season as all the events we have
had so far have been much windier conditions.
Lighter winds mean that you face a different type
of exhaustion - far more mental than physical.
I am lucky in that I don't tend to get too stressed
by light winds and I am a pretty relaxed person
anyway, so by staying calm I am hoping to score
on some of my competitors. I have made the boat
as light as I can and taken off all non-essential
food and drink. I have been calculating my water
for the next two days so that everything to an
absolute minimum.
"I
am really excited about sailing into Portsmouth
and looking forward to being in England, albeit
for a very short time. It will also be great to
be able to welcome the new friends that I have
met on this circuit to the place where I was born.
As the only British person in the fleet, I suppose
I am almost their host!
On
Friday, the Solitaire fleet competed in the first
Prologue race, a 13-mile round-the-cans race off
the Normandy coast. Davies finished in 19th place
overall. "I don't feel that I sailed the
boat particularly well, but I suppose I should
be pleased with my overall position given the
size of the fleet [52 Boats]. It was a good fun
day out and great to be out sailing Skandia competitively
again," she commented.
The
Figaro fleet is due to arrive at Gunwharf Quays
in Portsmouth on Wednesday evening (28th July).
The second leg of the race will leave Portsmouth
on Friday 30th July.
La
Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro
1st
Stage
Tuesday 27 July – Caen to Portsmouth (160
miles)
2nd
Stage
Wednesday 30 July – Portsmouth, UK to Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
(463
miles)
3rd
Stage
Thursday 5th July - Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
to Gijon, Spain (434
miles)
4th
Stage
Wednesday 11th August – Gijon to Quiberon
(316 miles)
For
latest information, please go to http://www.samdavies.com/skandia
Other
information sources online:
http://www.classefigaroBénéteau.com
http://www.lasolitaire.com
http://www.coursedesfalaises.com
http://www.matchracing.fr
http://www.generalisolo.com
