On Friday, July 24, sailors competed on the Bay of Angels, in front of a Promenade des Anglais crowded with people. Today, they raced the Coastal Raid, a highly tactical race. With the victory of the third in the overall standings, Spindrift, combined with the setbacks of the top two, Groupama and CombiWest, the result is a tight contest—as the top three are separated by just three points before the last day of the competition tomorrow.
At the pre-race press briefing at 10 a.m., the leaders’ directive was uniform. For Groupama, CombiWest, Spindrift, and the amateurs from Team Vannes, all wanted first to “run their own race.” Frédéric Guilmin (CombiWest) summed up the day’s potential perfectly: “Today, we’re approaching the curve, and tomorrow, the final straight.”
Because the Coastal Raid this Friday tightened the standings for the leaders. A big thanks to the weather conditions. While the sun was present, the wind didn’t blow very strongly, delaying the start of the race to 13:47 instead of… 12:00.
Under these conditions, the tactical aspect of the race gained even more importance. Everyone tried their strategies to capture as much wind as possible: sailing offshore, tacking over short periods, or going straight ahead. Yann Guichard, with his crew, was the cleverest. The skipper of Spindrift crossed the first checkpoint in the lead and maintained this position until the finish buoy. 22 nautical miles (40.744 kilometers) were covered in 3h37 to secure a fifth Coastal Raid victory in this Tour. Conversely, other lagging teams sailed offshore in search of wind, ultimately passing right in front of children and miniature boats from the Nice Sailing Club, at least three times smaller…
Are the top two in the standings struggling? Good for the suspense
Groupama and CombiWest surely imagined they would be battling at the front among the 28 multihulls. On one hand, Franck Cammas, a reference in the sailing world and winner of the 2013 edition; on the other, Frédéric Guilmin, a real tactician with eight participations in the event. They had to settle for watching Spindrift sail far ahead. Stuck in the pack, they could never break away. Worse for Groupama, which fought to maintain its 14th place while its competitor in the standings finished eighth.
A fantastic finale is shaping up for tomorrow. Now it’s time for the Nautical Stadium regattas. Today’s success criteria (patience, tactics) are to be forgotten in these very short races. The sailors will compete in several regattas lasting only 20 minutes, in front of beaches crowded with spectators and sailing enthusiasts. There’s no doubt the spectacle will be assured, as the boats will compete side by side on a looped course.
