La Solitaire du Figaro Leg 1 - Le Havre to Gijón

29/07/2010

The 45 Figaro sailors set off from Le Havre in Northern Normandy on Tuesday on their first leg, 515 miles to the Gijón, in Asturias on the Spanish Cantabrian coastline. Eric Peron (Skipper Macif 2009) grabbed Karine Fauconnier’s (Eric Bompard Cachemir) early lead shortly after the last position poll and has continued to maintain a narrow margin over his immediate pursuers, Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat), Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement), Nicolas Lunven (Generali) Armel le Cléac’h (Brit Air).

Demanding course
Sailors who opted for a more inshore course were rewarded with a lead Wednesday morning, however as the fleet rounded the Cherbourg headland filing down past and between Guernsey and Sark, the bulk regrouped. The coming days promise to be just as complex as the sailors attempt to get some rest and keep their keel and rudders clear of the seaweed before embarking on the passage at Four and the maritime traffic at Ushant on the turn south into the Bay of Biscay.

Eliès runs aground
At 8:43 p.m. on Wednesday, July 28, Yann Eliès, skipper of Generali Europ Assistance, warned Race Direction, that he had run aground on Primel beach in northern Finistere. The PSP's Cormoran Naval ship located in the area was warned one minute later at 8:44 p.m and set the rib off to meet the skipper. Finally, at 8:48 p.m., Eliès manages to get off unaided with the help of his engine, spinnaker and the boat's ballast. Eliès has suffered a fright but continues his race.

Covering 1,717 nautical miles
La Solitaire du Figaro 2010 will cover 1,717 nautical miles combining stopovers both new and old. The return to Gijón and Kinsale after many years of absence means that the race reconnects with a past that left a good number of skippers with some fantastic experiences. Sandwiching the two legs outside of France, there is a combination of novelty and tradition alternating, as Le Havre will welcome La Solitaire du Figaro for the first time as a start town for the 41st edition. Whereas Brest and Cherbourg-Octeville further strengthen the ties with the great classic race of La solitaire by welcoming the fleet again.

Source: www.lasolitaire.com/EN/

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