The chief's fight

The leaders are fighting hard! Nouvelle-Calédonie wins the two first races sailed in Dieppe today. TPM – COYCH takes the third one. The overall ranking is now very tight, with Nouvelle-Calédonie leading. Behind Bertrand Pacé’s team, Courrier Dunkerque, second, and TPM – COYCH, third.

No doubt, Bertrand Pacé masters the start of this 33rd edition. A match-race expert, he wins two more races today (five victories for a total of twelve races sailed) and finishes third of the last race in ten knots of wind. He also knows how to deal with offshore legs. The tactician Pierre Pennec speaks of a “a good crew for inshore and offshore sailing. There should be some wind for the next offshore, tomorrow. Gildas Morvan is our navigator and Bertrand Pacé our helmsman, and our crew know what a TFV and a Farr are.”

Careful, then! Yet, their competitors won’t let it go that easily. Five points behind Pacé, Courrier Dunkerque is second overall and TPM – COYCH isn’t far neither (eleven points). Coming from the South, they are a team to pay attention to! Their victory today for the third race proves it. Fourth, Oman Sail’s Renaissance is also a key team.

Though the two worst results have been deleted after twelve races sailed, the amateur and student leaders didn’t change. Ville de Genève – Carrefour Prévention is tenth overall and Team SOG – Safran still leads the student ranking, but falls at the seventh place after a bad day.

A last inshore race will start tomorrow in front of Dieppe. Then, at 5.00 pm, the 28 Farr 30 will leave for a long offshore leg. 200 miles to Pléneuf-Val-André, a three coefficient and another night at sea!