Gitana XV first home in Tour de Belle Ile, race report by the Daily Sail

The Seb Josse-skippered foiler sets a new record in the Tour de Belle Ile

From the following article on the Daily sail posted on Saturday May 9th 2015, Author: James Boyd, Location: France

 

http://www.thedailysail.com/inshore/15/67994/0/tour-de-belle-ile-2015-race-report      

France's equivalent to our own Round the Island Race - the Tour de Belle-Ile set sail yesterday at 10:00 local from the Baie de Quiberon, with almost 500 boats, taking on the annual lap of Belle-Ile.

This race, the eighth that has been held, was won on the water by the foil-born Multi 70 Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, which overtook her less optimised sisterships Oman Sail and Paprec Recyclage. Skipper Sébastien Josse and his crew managed to establish a new race record for the course, while in the monohulls it was Paul Meilhat's new IMOCA 60 SMA (ex-MACIF) that was first home.

read more here

Tour de Belle Isle, ORMA60 Sensation Ocean in first, Multi50 Actual in second in Multihull class and Vers un Monde sans Sida third

Tour de Belle Ile, Destremau sailing video covering the race

Tour de Belle Ile video from onboard Sodebo

Tour de Belle Ile, results

From the following article on www.letelgramme.com

http://www.letelegramme.com/sports/voile/grand-prix-guyader-a-douarnenez-ca-commence-bien-04-05-2013-2091964.php

Here is the rough bing translate (good enough to get the idea)

Yann Guichard and the crew of "Spindrift" won, yesterday, the Tour de Belle - Ile, shortened to 15 miles due to the weakness of the wind.They have beaten Sébastien Josse ' Gitana 11' and 'Prince of Brittany' of Lionel Lemonchois.

476 registered, once the Tour de Belle Ile has also full of competitors. Amateurs, of the sailors cautioned, the stars of the racing as Yann Guichard, Lionel Lemonchois, Sébastien Josse, Alain Gautier, Thomas Coville. For the first time, all had the same desire to do battle at the start of this sixth edition. As promised, the Sun was good to go to La Trinité-sur-Mer but wind, he, was absent in the Bay of Quiberon smooth as a lake. These crews were forced to arm themselves with patience before dashing at 11:35 in a Southwest of barely 4-5 knots wind. With this weather windless, the event record, held for two years by Sébastien Josse and the crew of Gitana 11', might not fall. But expected with curiosity the first exit in competition of the 80 foot trimaran "Prince de Bretagne' face 'Gitana 11' (77 feet). It'll have to wait because the very soft conditions really helped these cars to three hulls to express themselves. Approaching the entrance to the channel of the Teignouse, these multihulls were becalmed, and against all odds, it is the TP 52 'Paprec recycling', skippered by Stéphane Névé, who had taken the head of the fleet. The wind being slightly back, "Spindrift" regained power in the laborious ascent of this channel.

Arrival in foals

History likely to drag on indefinitely, especially for the more small vessels engaged, Denis Hughes race Director decided to reduce the course and judge the arrival at the point of foals. The MOD 70 "Spindrift" was the first to cut this line at 15 h 25' 31', ' after a little less than four hours, anticipating less five minutes 'Gitana 11', twice taking the test. Nineteen minutes after the winner, "Prince de Bretagne" cut the line, become two-minute "Ocean Sensation" the former 60 foot Orma of Alain Gautier, 4th as last year. The victory of Guichard and his crew in mind almost all the time, was deserved.

There is also a detailed article on the race over at the excellent SailRaceWin blog

http://sailracewin.blogspot.fr/2013/05/tour-de-belle-ile-sunshine-and-petole.html

Spindrift Racing take the victory in the Tour de Belle Ile

From the following article on the Spindrift Racing website:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/fr/2013/05/francais-spindrift-vainqueur-du-tour-de-belle-ile/

Spindrift Racing have now issued a press release on the race in English:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2013/05/francais-spindrift-vainqueur-du-tour-de-belle-ile/

Spindrift Racing team ready to tackle the Tour de Belle Ile on their MOD70

The Spindrift Racing Team are ready to tackle the challenge of the Tour de Belle Ile

From the following article on Spindrift Racing's website:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2013/05/francais-tour-de-belle-ile-spindrift-en-son-jardin/

Yann Guichard and his crew of five men will make their comeback on the MOD70 Spindrift this Saturday at the sixth edition of the Tour de Belle île. “The Bay of Quiberon and around the Belle île is like our back garden,” Guichard said of the team based in La Trinité-sur-Mer.

The 44 miles of the “bigger” Belle île course – ‘Le Grand Tour’ – will serve as the first and last test for the Spindrift racing team, who won the MOD70 championship last year. The crew have only been back together for a few days on board their big black and white trimaran, which has been modified this winter. “The pleasure of sailing on this amazing machine has resurfaced in the first runs  this week” Guichard said. “In a few seconds we slipped up to 35 knots.” With the experience of last year and the triumphs in the Krys Ocean Race and the European Tour, Guichard has again assembled a crew according to the strict criteria of complementary skills, ability to work in a team and expertise in a multihull. “We are entering the season with some confidence, as the crew seems to me motivated and able,” Guichard said.

read more here

Tour de Belle Isle update, Maxi multihulls prepare for the race

From the following article on the Tour de Belle Ile website:

http://www.tourdebelleile.com/tour-de-chauffe/

and the rough bing translation.

Sunny on Quiberon Bay this Friday, and 24 hours of the sixth edition of the Tour de Belle - île, many participants who take advantage of this beautiful day to go to provide output at sea as a warm-up lap. Among the largest units, if Sodebo (Thomas Coville) remained at the port, Gitana 11 (Sébastien Josse) dropped the mooring lines early in the morning, followed by Spindrift racing (Yann Guichard) and at midday by Akena Verandas (Arnaud Boissières). Meanwhile, Lionel Lemonchois arrived Lorient in the afternoon on his brand new Prince de Bretagne.