This year's most significant race

[oldbilbo]

...has to be Le Transat Bakerly

which starts from Plymouth on BH Monday 2 May at 1430.

This is the top end of modern single handed ocean racing, and has a spectrum of spectacular boats - including Sodebo, Macif, Banque Populaire.... and a big handful of Tabarly's 'Pen Duick' successors. Watching is not to be missed. There are links 'on site'....

Here are a few pics:

http://www.thetransat.com/the-race

It's a pity that the retrogressive TimesMedia bunch still prevent embedding a pic-within-a-link, which would more tidily have taken interested viewers where they would wish to be.... it's the 'Trump' mentality!

Yrs trly blagged a job 'scruteing' these monsters, 'cos 'there's no known cure for the disease'' and will be down in Plymouth for the weekend's parties and the start.

Don't miss following the action via the above 'link'. And don't forget 'The Jesters Challenge' starts a couple of weeks later, on the 15th May.... A very English 'corinthian' event.

 

[DFL1010]

Quite a claim in a year that has both the Olympics and a Vendée Globe!

As a precursor to the VG, I'd suggest that the NY-LSD race is going to be more interesting, given the downwind nature of that race vice the upwind for this one.
Also, there's a few IMOCAs conspicuous by their absence from Plymouth, for one reason or another.

 

[mrming]

Still looks like fun. Great to see 10 Class 40s lining up, including British Phil Sharp:
http://www.thetransat.com/skippers/view/phil-sharp

 

[Neil_Y]

Sad to see little (no) coverage on the BBC website, even the local Devon regional page has nothing?
Sports page has football, cricket and F1.

Did the Beeb fail or does the event need to sack it's PR company?

 

[Neil_Y]

Can't find a mention on YBW either?
For those that weren't there, It was a spectacular sight and there were many spectator boats out despite the foul weather, it did clear up just before the start but it was wet and cold with poor visibility up until 2.00, loads of people getting wet in the drizzle at Penlee point as well.

 

[DFL1010]

Tracker here:
http://preprod-player.georacing.com/?server=Prod&event=100297&race=92841&name=The+Transat+Bakerly

which seems to take a lot of CPU to use, but eh.


Most interesting boat (IMHO) is Pen Duick II.

 

[Jim Schofield]

Thank you for the tracking link.

I'm trying to imagine single-handing at 28 knots. At those speeds, even a big cat or trimaran must pound ?

Jim

 

[Birdseye]

Sad to see little (no) coverage on the BBC website, even the local Devon regional page has nothing?
Sports page has football, cricket and F1.

Did the Beeb fail or does the event need to sack it's PR company?

Which comes first - a successful british sailor or british media publicity? I can remember Chichester and Knox Johnson and they both got loads of publicity here in the UK. The OSTAR race got publicity. The trouble with the present situation is that its all about the French nd the general public arent interested in hearing how good the frogs are - at anything.

Sounds trivial I know, but just think about the current cycling fad which came after british successes.

 

[oldbilbo]

Here's a link to to some short vid-clips from the single-handers out enjoying the Atlantic right now....

http://thetransat.seaevents.tv/

One can watch, in among the 'hard men', young Isabelle Joschke hanging out the washing at 20+ knots.
It may be necessary to register.... but that's free, and quick.

 

[oldbilbo]

Do some of those Ultime guys think they're doing the Route du Rhum? Heading for Guadeloupe....?

The two 'leading' Ultimes are now actually further from the finish than e.g. Arkema, Banque Pop, PRB, Virbac hundreds of miles to the north.

 

[DFL1010]

6H stop and go for Sharp (Classe 40):

http://www.thetransat.com/news/view/six-hour-time-penalty-for-sharp

Lucky boy (IMHO)