Brazilian pit-stop in maxi trimaran race

(January 15, 2024; Day 9) – While the leading duo of Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue) and Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) are still less than 50 miles apart in the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest, making around 34-35.5 knots sailing SSE of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, the first pit-stop for the six-boat Ultim fleet has occurred.

In this solo, non-stop race around the world in the 32m Ultim Class, Armel Le Cléac’h (Maxi Banque Populaire XI) arrived today in the port of Recife in Recife just before 0740hrs UTC. A team from Banque Populaire was waiting for her so that they could begin repairs as soon as the boat was docked.

When his big gennaker came loose at the tack and tore off the pulpit during gales several nights earlier, his team was unanimous the skipper should not go into the ‘big south’ with no pulpit on the main hull.

He is expected to time his departure from the Brazilian port at the required 24 hours minimum stipulated by the rules for a skipper who accepts help for a pitstop.

“Continuing the race without the pulpit which keeps me safe during maneuvers would be impossible,” Le Cléac’h said. Maxi Banque Populaire XI also has an issue with the hydraulics on the starboard foil which would not go right down and the team was standing by to repair.

“We will be back to sea tomorrow morning,” reiterated the skipper. “So many things can still happen, the race is far from over.”

According to the SIs which stipulate the minimum of 24 hours, the Maxi Banque Populaire XI will not be able to leave before 07:38 a.m. UTC tomorrow morning.

For Laperche and Caudrelier, they are working their way around the Saint Helena High in the South Atlantic, and have yet to depart from the Brazilian coast line. However, they are both looking to have a good timing to hook into a depression, probably in two days, with the low promising downwind conditions with the winds averaging 25 to 35 knots which will take them to the tip of South Africa by December 19

More than 400 miles behind Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) is now third. Having been racing side by side with Armel Le Cléac’h for a long time, Coville is now on his own as he transits the western side of the Saint Helena anticyclone. But what is concerning for the eight times round the world circumnavigator Coville is that he won’t make it on to the same depression as the first two.

Observes Race Director Guillaume Rottee, “The door will close, the anticyclone will expand again, which will not be easy.”

Anthony Marchand is the fifth skipper to pass the Equator. The skipper of Actual Ultim 3 crossed it at 1057hrs UTC after 7 days, 22 hours and 27 minutes at sea, or 1 day, 16 hours and 14 minutes after Tom Laperche. He had a more complicated battle with the doldrums where he had slightly less wind than expected.

“It was a little slower and harder than for the leaders who didn’t stop,” explains Rottee. “But from now on Marchand is heading towards the Brazilian coast. He probably won’t get past Recife before Armel comes back out but it’s always better for morale to have a boat close to you.”

In sixth, Éric Péron is more than 1,800 miles from the race lead after having to be patient to maneuver between the Cape Verde cetacean exclusion zone and a light wind area which had slowed his progress. But that is behind him and the skipper of ULTIM ADAGIO gybed onto starboard to head west and head down to the Doldrums.

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)*
* Only entrant without foiling appendages

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.