Underway for the ARKÉA Ultim Challenge

As a new chapter in ocean racing history was opened with the start of the inaugural ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest as a winter chill and modest NE’ly wind was scarcely enough to lift the giant ULTIM multihulls on to their foils as they got underway on January 7 In Brest, France.

Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) made the dream start, as after arriving a day earlier following six weeks of repairs, Laperche hit the line at speed before building a narrow lead.

Considering the weather forecast for the six solo skippers in the first ever solo multihull race round the world on 32mx23m giant ULTIM trimarans, it is agreed that François Gabart’s 2017 mark of 42 days 16 hours was not in imminent danger. The fleet could be more than two days behind the record time when they get into the big south.

Much of the passage down to the Equator will be upwind, slowed first by a low pressure trough off Portugal and then by a big Atlantic depression to be negotiated later this week. As yet there is no sign of any fast trade-winds sailing before they pass into the Southern Hemisphere.

However, none of these latest generation, cutting-edge, giant foiling trimarans have ever been sailed at max speed across the southern Indian and the Pacific oceans, so any initial deficit could still be overturned before Cape Horn.

But first, the leaders should pass Cape Finisterre, off the NW corner of Spain, early on the second day after a relatively straightforward passage of Biscay. But the first major weather hurdle is off the Portuguese coast which will be the precursor to the big Atlantic depression.

“It is quite tricky for the skippers because they have a thalweg (a trough) which they have to cross to the other side of, that means a transition zone of the wind from the north to the wind from the east,” noted Spanish weather ace Pep Costa.

Australia-based Will Oxley, who is in the weather routing cell for Thomas Coville’s Sodebo, notes how the Elephant in the room is the large front and low pressure the fleet it due to encounter on January 10.

“All the set-up revolves around when and where will we interact with the system?” said Oxley. “As we know, the weather routing programs know no fear and left to their own devices, they are happy to send the Ultims into 6m swells and 45 knot gusts, so we need to manage that carefully.”

Details: https://arkeaultimchallengebrest.com/en

The Ultim Class trimarans have a maximum length of 32 meters and a maximum width of 23 meters.

The solo speed record around the world was set in 2017 by François Gabart (FRA) on the 30m Macif trimaran in a time of 42d 14h 40m 15s for an average speed of 21.08 knots. This yacht has been rebranded and will be raced by Marchand.

Entrants:
• Charles Caudrelier (FRA), Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (2017 Verdier 32/23)
• Thomas Coville (FRA), Sodebo Ultim 3 (2019 VPLP/others 32/23)
• Tom Laperche (FRA), Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue (2021 VPLP 32/23)
• Armel Le Cléac’h (FRA), Maxi Banque Populaire XI (2021 VPLP 32/23)
• Anthony Marchand (FRA), Actual Ultim 3 (2015 VPLP 30/22)
• Éric Péron (FRA), Trimaran Adagio (2014 VPLP 31/21)

Five rules from the Sailing Instructions:
• The start line is kept open for 168 hours and the finish line is closed after an elapsed time of 100 days after the start time, that is to say 16th April 2024.

• The skippers can communicate and exchange with their teams on shore, so they have the freedom to get weather information and be routed by their team on shore and get technical help and advice to help with technical problems.

• The solo skippers can stop but there are two distinct operations. A technical stop is unassisted and requires the sailor to drop anchor, take a mooring, or tie up alongside an anchored or moored boat with no external help. There is no time penalty for a technical stop. But for a technical stopover (escale technique) where one or more crew or technical team come on board to help, there is a mandatory 24 hours minimum. This does not apply to the start port of Brest where all means are authorized to reach or leave the port within a radius of 50 miles.

• For the first time in ocean racing, zones where there are known to be a high concentration of whales and sea mammals are determined. Establishing these zones should both protect the marine wildlife and reduce the chance of a collision. These zones are around the Azores, the Canaries, south of South Africa, the Kerguelens, and parts of the Antarctic.

• There are ice exclusion zones to protect the skippers and their boats.