Transat Class40 winners Thierry Bouchard (3rd) Giovanni Soldini (1st) Boris Herrmann (2nd) on the Corinthian dock.

Artemis Transat 40 Fleet Finishes

By Christina Pandapas Marblehead is part of the international sailing scene this week as the finish port for the Class40 division of the 2008 Artemis Transat single-handed race across the North Atlantic.  As of Friday, May 30 all of the boats had finished and are currently moored and docked around the harbor as the sailors rest and repair in preparation for a race to Halifax starting Sunday, June 8. After 16 days at sea, veteran ocean racer Giovanni Soldini took the gun in the Class40 division, flying across the finish line off Marblehead Light on May 28 in a brisk 18 to 20 knot breeze.  The 41-year-old Italian skipper sailed an excellent race, moving into the lead the first night out of Plymouth, England, and maintaining it for the entire 2900-mile crossing.  An enthusiastic, multi-national group of about two dozen friends and race followers greeted Soldini on the Corinthian Yacht Club dock and soon found themselves showered in champagne as the elated skipper sprayed his victory bottle.  The Artemis Transat is the third triumph for Soldini’s one-year-old, Class40, Telecom Italia, after winning the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre in November 2007 and the Grand Prix Petit Navire in France earlier this year. Soldini beat second-place finisher, and at 27 years of age, one of the youngest skippers in the race, Boris Hermann of Germany, by 14 hours.  It took another two days for the rest of the Class40 competitors to step safely onto land after a grueling journey where winds reached more than 40 knots and seas rattled teeth and pounded hulls. According to 40 Degrees skipper Miranda Merron, at one point the waves were big enough to inspire a fear of heights.  “I hit the big low as I got to the ice gate and the seas were getting alarming,” she recalled.  “You know that feeling when you go over a very high, humpback bridge, you look down and your stomach drops? That’s what it was like.” To put Merron’s comments into perspective, it should be noted that in addition to sailing, the 38-year-old is a mountain climber who makes a point of scaling a four-thousand-meter peak every year. This year, the Artemis Transat was her mountain.  Merron suffered a brain hemorrhage eight months ago and had to work hard to rehabilitate herself enough to compete in an ocean race that tests even the strongest sailor’s endurance.  She finished 7th and has plans to continue a busy racing season. “I never questioned that I would sail this race, but my medical professionals said it would be a wait and see,” said Merron.  “It was quite hard and even after a few days in port, I’m still tired.” Tired, but happy that she and her boat made it to Marblehead relatively unscathed.  Like many of her fellow competitors, Merron collided with a whale during the race.  While she sustained superficial damage to her keel and was able to continue, several other competitors were forced to abandon the race, and in one extreme case, abandon the boat. French skipper Vincent Riou was on a fast reach on day 9 when he crashed so hard, one of the boat’s keel pins broke.  Concerned the boat might capsize in heavy seas, Riou deployed his life raft and was rescued by one of the other racers who was diverted to his position.  His rescuer, Loick Peyron went on to a record-breaking win the IMOCA 60 division which finished in Boston.  Because the Artemis Transat is a single-handed race, Riou was prohibited from participating in any sailing of the boat. Wind, seas and underwater collisions are inherent dangers in this level of offshore racing.  How the boats are able to hold up is as important as the skills of the sailors racing them.  This year marked the Transat debut of the Class40, a relatively small boat in the world of ocean racing.  Ironically, they seemed to fair better than the IMOCA 60s.  Twenty-four boats started the race and 19 finished.  Four of the IMOCA 60s were unable to complete the race, while only one of the Class40s retired.  Word around the docks this week has it that the Class40s are taking off as a successful design and that more of them will be seen on the world stage. Will they be back in Marblehead for the Artemis Transat 2012?  According to Corinthian Yacht Club International Program Chair Ted Agne, the chances are quite good. “The race organizers at Offshore Challenges have been thrilled in terms of the Corinthian and Marblehead as a finish port,” Agne commented.  Anyone who would like to see these racing machines first hand should take a walk around Tucker’s Wharf where several of them are docked, or head out on the water this Sunday when the Boston Yacht Club will start the Class40s on a race to Halifax at 1pm.

Artemis Transat Class40 Winner Crosses Marblehead Finish Line!

Giovanni Soldini took the gun in the Artemis Transat Class40 division, flying across the Marblehead finish line at 7:11 on Wednesday morning, May 28, in a brisk 18 to 20 knot north-westerly breeze.  The 41-year-old Italian skipper sailed a fantastic race, leading the fleet for nearly the entire 2900 miles across the North Atlantic to complete the crossing in 16d 22h 11m 27s.  An enthusiastic, international crowd greeted Soldini on the Corinthian dock and soon found themselves showered in champagne as the elated skipper sprayed his victory bottle.  The Artemis Transat is the third victory for Soldini’s one year-old, Class40, Telecom Italia, after first place in the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre in November 2007 and the Grand Prix Petit Navire in France earlier this year. Telecom Italia is now docked at the Corinthian Yacht Club.  The second-place boat, Beluga Racer sailed by 27-year-old Boris Hermann is approximately 75 miles from Marblehead and should finish late today followed by the rest of the 10-boat fleet, all of whom will be hosted by the Corinthian. On Sunday June 8th the Boston Yacht Club will start the Class 40 fleet on a race to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The yachts will then proceed to Quebec to prepare for the Quebec – St. Malo race later in July.

Historic Finish In The Artemis Transat 60s Class

Loick Peyron on board Gitana Eighty crossed the finish line of The Artemis Transat at 21:15:35 Boston time, Friday May 23.  His arrival in Boston, USA, marks an historic achievement for this legendary French sailor. He is now the only sailor in history to have won this race three times (1992/1996/2008), exceeding the two-time record he shared with another French sailing legend, Eric Tabarly.   While Peyron was celebrating, the Class40s were slamming through rough seas and winds between 30 and 40 knots.  "The seas were pretty horrible, some of the worst I have seen," reported English skipper Simon Clarke.   Yvan Noblet on Appart' City, reported critical damage shortly before crossing the ice gate in 4th place. He has retired from the race and is now heading for the St. Pierre and Miquelon Islands, 25km of the coast of Newfoundland.

Artemis Transat 60s Race Toward the Finish

CYC International Member Dee Caffari aboard her IMOCA 60, Aviva

By Christina Pandapas After 10 days on the North Atlantic and facing an oncoming storm, 21 of the 24 men and women competing in the Artemis Transat single-handed race are still pushing toward the finish.  Three of the competitors in the IMOCA 60 class have been forced to abandon the race, including Michele Desjoyeaux a favorite to win.  The Frenchman believes his boat, Foncia, hit a whale on the fifth day out of Plymouth.  The impact broke the starboard dagger board, a thin, vertical appendage that acts like a mini retractable keel. “I was upwind doing 10 to 11 knots,” Desjoyeaux reported via satellite phone.  “I felt the starboard dagger board hit something – it’s probably broken.  I hope there won’t be a big leak.”  Rather than limp across the Atlantic in a race he could no longer win, Desjoyeaux decided to make his way 1000 miles east to his homeport in Brittany. Race favorite seems to be a curse, as on day eight, the race leader, BT was forced to retire when rough seas prevented skipper Sebastien Josse from fixing a broken mainsail headcar. Another underwater collision increased the casualty rate two days later.  Vincent Riou was on a fast reach when he had a violent shock.  The crash broke one of the boat’s keel pins.  The only thing holding it in was its canted position, which seemed to have wedged it in place.  In potentially imminent danger of capsizing, Riou deployed his life raft and has been rescued by Loick Peyron who was diverted by race officials to Riou’s position.  Riou is prohibited from assisting in any of the boat’s maneuvers as Peyron’s Gitana Eighty continues toward the finish.  Corinthian Yacht Club International Member Dee Caffari is currently in eighth place in the 60 class.  She has been playing a game of catch up after early setbacks with her boat, including a complete power loss on day two, put her behind.  But Caffari’s spirits are high aboard Aviva as she approaches the ice gate south of Newfoundland, a virtual barrier set by race officials to keep the racers clear of icebergs.  Reporting in a video conference today, May 21, she seemed pleased with the miles she has made up during the last 24 hours and was heartened that, although she was stuck going around the ice gate in high pressure, so was everyone else in the middle of the pack.  The top three boats have a solid lead, but it may still be possible for Caffari to find some passing lanes and work her way up the leader board. Gitana Eighty is leading the 60 class.  But between the sailors and Boston is a nasty storm with wind gusts estimated at 40 to 50 knots.  How the lead boats fair through the storm in the next 24 to 48 hours may be a determining factor in the race. The Class40s still have more than half the race in front of them.  They are approximately 1300 miles from their Marblehead finish line and are currently in frustratingly light air.  Race leader, Giovanni Soldini has taken the most northerly route and is trying to play the breeze as best he can. “I’m just doing what the wind wants me to do,” he said during one of the morning satellite interviews.  “I think I’ll arrive at the ice gate with no problems.” Trying to keep the boat moving in light air means little sleep for the already exhausted skippers.  The top three boats in the Class40 fleet are separated by more than 60 miles, but the middle of the pack is in a heated battle where every fraction of a knot of boat speed counts.   “This is one of the closest races I’ve done for a long time,” said Alex Bennett onboard Fujifilm currently in seventh place.  The Englishman admits that the constant pressure takes a toll.  “I’m sure that sailing so close together adds to the stress.” That stress is sure to intensify as the Class40s head toward the same heavy weather about to hit the 60s.  There will be many more hard fought miles before they reach Marblehead’s light and a warm welcome on the Corinthian porch. For updated course positions, breaking news, and interviews with the skippers visit The Artemis Transat website at www.theartemistransat.com.