Defi Azimut, Sebastian Josse wins Ultime class in a light air race

Seb Josse led home Sidney Gavignet on Musandam-Oman Sail followed by Loick Peyron on Banque Populaire V.  Class debutante Yann Elies on Paprec Recyclage kept the rest of the field honest coming in fourth with a good performance only 7 minutes shy of Loick.

The final results:

Sidney Gavignet completes solo qualification for Route du Rhum on the Multi70 Musandam/Oman Sail

From the following article on BYMnews:

http://bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=137740

Sidney Gavignet, French skipper of the Sultanate of Oman’s flagship Musandam-Oman Sail, completed the single-handed 1,000 nautical mile Route du Rhum qualifier over the weekend marking the start of his race to prepare for one of the biggest challenges of his career and providing a new benchmark for Oman Sail's Omani sailors to aspire to.

With the fully-crewed racing season behind him, including the epic sprint around Great Britain and Ireland with a 50% Omani crew for the first time, obliterating the record set by a boat almost twice the size, and setting a new one at 3 days 3 hours 32 minutes and 36 seconds, Sidney Gavignet is now fully focussed on preparations for November's Route du Rhum.

“It is back to school for me,” he said on Sunday morning in Lorient after four and a half days at sea alone. “I was lucky with my first solo experience, the conditions were favourable which is a very good way to start and I was happy to get four and a half days of experience in one hit as it is unlikely to be possible again during my training,” he said.

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Multi70 Oman Sail/Musandam break Round Britain and Ireland multihull race record (awaiting ratification by the WSSRC)

 From the following article by RORC:

http://roundbritainandireland.rorc.org/newsblogsphotos/press-releases/326-an-extraordinary-series-of-events.html

Sidney Gavignet and the crew of Musandam-Oman Sail, a MOD70 trimaran crossed the finish line of the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race off the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, at 12.42.36 BST on Thursday 14th August 2014.

This is an elapsed time of 3 days, 3 hours, 32 minutes, 36 seconds and, subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, a new Outright World Record for the Round Britain and Ireland course and a new race record for the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race.

It was almost unthinkable that a 70ft trimaran, with no ability to decide when to start, could defeat a 140ft trimaran that had decided exactly when to set off. However a fantastic boat, a perfect performance and an extraordinary series of coincidences lined up to make the impossible a reality.

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Multi70 Oman Sail/Musandam in full flight, photo Mark Lloyd/Oman Sail

Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland yacht race update

After a start in ideal conditions the Multi70 Musandam/Oman Sail has powered up the coast of the UK and is now approaching Muckle Flugga the northernmost turning point of the race in the North Sea.  They are currently 2 hours ahead of the record time set by the maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V.

More details in the latest RORC press release:

http://roundbritainandireland.rorc.org/newsblogsphotos/press-releases/295-record-pace-at-muckle-flugga.html

and a good video showing the start of the race:

Start of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race delayed by 21 hours

Nick Elliot Racing manager of the RORC gives a brief explanation of the reasoning behind the decision.



And the press release and quotes from the fleet below:

http://roundbritainandireland.rorc.org/newsblogsphotos/press-releases/273-race-postponement-quotes-from-the-fleet.html

The Race Committee have taken the decision to postpone the start of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race 2014 by 21 hours. The new start time will be 0900 on the 11th August 2014.
The Race Committee took this decision after receiving advice that the low pressure system known as Bertha is moving more slowly than previously predicted, with the result that the forecast winds for the start and the immediate period afterwards include sustained winds of 40 knots, with gusts in excess of 50 knots in the English Channel.

The advice is that this delay will allow time for the severe winds to abate as the low pressure system moves North East.

Katrin Hilbert speaking on behalf of the Custom JV 52, Haspa Hamburg, commented, "the adrenaline was pumping, we were ready to go but we realise that the decision was made for all the right reasons; our hearts were saying let's go! But our heads were looking at the bigger picture. Some of the younger crew are disappointed but we will sit down and talk about it in a coffee shop. Cowes is a nice place, it is better to have the discussion there than in terrible weather in the English Channel.

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Transat Jacques Vabre update, MOD70 Oman Air has finished in Itajai

From the following article on the Transat Jacques Vabre website:

http://www.transat-jacques-vabre.com/en/oman-air-musandam-second-itajai

Sidney Gavignet (FRA) and Damian Foxall (IRL) on the MOD70 Oman Air – Musandam crossed the finish line of the Transat Jacques Vabre finish line off Itajai, Brasil at 20h 04m 09 sec local time (22h 04m 09 secs) 5 hrs and 15 seconds after the winner Edmond de Rothschild (Sébastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier). The duo took 11 days 10 hours 04mins and 09 seconds to complete the 5,450 miles (theoretical course) between Le Havre and Itajaí, at an average speed of 19.71 kts. They actually sailed 5968 miles at an average of 21.77 kts.

This transatlantic race for the MOD70s was characterised by a fast, relatively testing exit of the English Channel followed after the Bay of Biscay by a difficult passage of Cape Finisterre in big seas and building winds – which skipper Gavignet later described as the worst he had seen on a MOD70 – before escaping into the Portuguese Trade Winds allowed an initial break by Edmond de Rothschild.

The two MOD70s closed up after the Doldrums and Oman Air – Musandam were less than 30 miles behind on Saturday night before they dropped off the back of the cold front there.

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