A
Happiest Of Memories For Marc Guillemot As
Safran Wins Transat Jacques Vabre
Although the duo had battled through an
horrendous Atlantic storm, during which they
took the lead of the 14 boat IMOCA Open 60
class back on Thursday 12th November, the
hard bitten skipper from La Trinité
confirmed on the dockside that the worst
part of their race was the final 24 hours.
Because both they and their nearest rivals
Groupe Bel (Kito de Pavant and François
Gabart), who were just 90 miles behind, had
chosen to go in ‘stealth' mode – during
which their positions are no longer
publically broadcast – he spent the final
miles fighting through unpredictable light
winds, squalls and shifting breezes as they
closed to the Costa Rica coast through the
night, being eaten up by worry that De
Pavant and Gabart might still catch them
with their ‘Laughing Cow' logo'd, an
identical design from VPLP/Verdier
partnership.
“The most difficult time was today, every
time were battling under the clouds, the
storms, the rain, with no wind I was
imagining Kito and François with their
Laughing Cow running down the slopes with 25
knots of wind, whereas we were stuck with
three or four knots. It was hyper hard for
the moral, very stressful. Even up to an
hour before the line we were still very
anxious. But the main thing is that we got
in in front.” Grinned a relieved Guillemot.
A potent combination of 50 year old
Guillemot's 30 years of experience multihull
and monohull ocean racing, and the youthful
intensity and stamina of Caudrelier's
grounding in the Figaro class - in which he
won the Solitaire in 2004 - the duo's win
today overwrites the memory of finishing in
a frustrating second place in 2007 into
Salvador de Bahia, watching from astern as
Michel Desjoyeaux and Manu Leborgne won.
Guillemot's win will be a hugely popular one
in his native France, and throughout the
global sailing community who readily recall
how he stood by his injured friend and rival
Yann Elies during the solo Vendée Globe
round the world race last December. For
nearly 48 hours Guillemot spoke from only
metres away by phone and radio to Elies, who
was stuck unable to move after smashing his
thigh bone, immobilized with pain just two
metres from his medical kit.
As well as pit-stopping twice in remote
islands to try and repair his mainsail mast
track, Guillemot sailed the final 1000 miles
of the solo, non stop round the world race
with no keel on Safran. After being damaged
in the Southern Ocean some weeks earlier
when he struck a sea-mammal, his keel
unexpectedly dropped out of his boat.
Regardless, he nursed Safran home to finish
in third place.
Behind Safran when they finished into Puerto
Limón are double Vendée Globe winner Michel
Desjoyeaux, who was lying fourth before he
and co-skipper Jérémie Beyou went into
stealth mode, and 2004-5 Vendée winner
Vincent Riou who lies ninth of the 14 boats
which started in Le Havre on Sunday November
8th.
Safran finished at 08:52:10hrs GMT/UTC
(02:52:10hrs local time Tuesday 24th) after
15 days 19 hrs 22 mins 10 secs. Co-skippered
by France's Marc Guillemot and Charles
Caudrelier-Bénac Safran won the 14 boat
IMOCA Open 60 Class in the Transat Jacques
Vabre transatlantic race which started on
Sunday 8th November from Le Havre.
Safran sailed 5263 miles at an average speed
of 12.46 knots
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Marc Guillemot, left, and Charles Caudrelier-Benac skippers of the Safran talk to the press as they arrive off Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Guillemot and Caudrelier-Benac won the 2009 Transat Jacques Vabre finishing first out of the Imoca class competing in the 4730 mile sailing race from Le Havre, France to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.
(AP Photo/Kent Gilbert)
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