Brilliant students - The am better than the pros

Only one inshore race today to escape the strong flood of the river Garonne at the peak of the tide. The young crew of Team SOG - Safran did really well, finishing first, just before Toulon-Provence-Méditerranée – COYCH.

Wind, at least! The 27 boats of the Tour de France à la Voile have had some pretty good condition to race this morning, 15 knots of wind for a start and high but long swell to surf downwind.

The race committee chose the high water mark to have the minimum stream on the racecourse. You can’t have slack water for long outside Royan and it was still doing some 1.5 knots. It was therefore not so easy to be sure of your lay line but the Farr 30 had enough speed to play tactical options. And the young students onboard Team SOG - Safran where rather impressive. They took the lead on the very first beat, and keep it to the end. It is the first time this year a student boat wins a leg.

TPM - COYCH makes a brilliant second and is back in the top three again. Courrier Dunkerque did a little bit better than the overall leader - he is slowly closing the gap in between the two first boats.

The bad result of the day is for Oman Sail’s Renaissance. The boat skippered by Rob Greenhalgh was too aggressive at the start or maybe misjudged the stream and had to cross the line again after a premature start. With the wind blowing 15 knots, it was hard game starting last. They just succeed to finish the race 23rd.

There is still one day of racing in the Atlantic tomorrow before taking up the road to the Mediterranean Sea.