“Words from on board, Day 2: ‘We’re testing lots of things—it’s a great early-season race!’”

Guillaume Pirouelle, Seafrigo – Sogestran (197)

“Everything is going well on board Sogestran–Seafrigo. The conditions were pretty easy today, the boat was really moving well—it was great. I tried to grab a few naps because I barely slept last night! It’s always easier during the day; I think I’ll be tired tonight, but that’s normal. Now things are going to get more complicated: the evening and early part of the night will be trickier as we enter a ridge extending from the high-pressure system to our west. That means very unstable conditions, light winds, still a bit of sea which is slightly uncomfortable, and then the wind should return overnight to keep us going downwind. We should reach the Cape Finisterre waypoint early tomorrow afternoon, so that will already be a solid chunk done!

But the main difficulty ahead is the ridge and the associated calm zone, as well as the right-hand wind shift.

Otherwise, the day went well: I had great speed, I was happy, I tried quite a few setups, and overall I dropped quite a few competitors on AIS, so when it goes like that, it’s pretty good! I can still see a few boats visually and on AIS, which helps to compare and spot when you're going a bit slower. It’s still tight! We’ve opened a small gap on the back of the fleet, but with the ridge it could compress again, and the front isn’t really breaking away. There’s still a long way to go, so a lot can happen.

The feeling is good, the boat is going well, I’m not making too many mistakes. I’m happy to be back sailing solo—it’s been a long time, almost not since my Figaro days. I enjoy it, even though everything is harder, so you can’t afford mistakes because they cost you quickly. I’m happy with my start to the race and my choices. I feel like I’m getting to know the boat better and better, which is great—it shows that training pays off. And that we’re improving!

After that, there will be a long upwind section, with strengthening wind, maybe a messy zone on the way back up with the fleet bunching together again. So there’s still a lot to play for. Conditions are changing, you have to stay focused, everyone is pushing hard—there’s still everything to do!”

Pep Costa, VSF Sports (181)

“Everything is going very well. We’re still sailing downwind, with the wind easing. We had stronger wind than forecast all day today—around twenty knots—and it was really fast! It was intense, but great for making progress. Now we’re following the wind as it gradually drops, until we set up our gybe to aim for the tip of Spain tomorrow during the day.

Getting back into solo sailing is going really well! On bigger boats, everything is a bit less straightforward than double-handed or crewed, but that’s part of the game. I’m in a good rhythm, trying to stay in tune with myself, focus on my race and what I’m working on, sail a clean track, and take good care of the equipment. I’m gradually managing to rest—I take short naps here and there, which really help and allow me to manage everything else more calmly.

We’ve had fairly pleasant conditions so far—it’s definitely less intense than in strong winds! We’re still discovering small things on the boat, which is normal—little settings and tweaks—but less and less, which is good. It means we’re starting to have good experience with it. I’ve got quite a few adjustments in mind that I’ve worked on in recent weeks, now I need to execute them solo—that’s always the challenge!

The next part towards Galicia should remain quite pleasant downwind, with the wind gradually strengthening—we’ll keep an eye on that. Then the whole upwind leg will be quite difficult, quite long, and very technical. It won’t be easy to find the right tacks, and the models are already showing a big lull near the Gironde waypoint, in the middle of the Bay of Biscay. That will be a tricky crossing to manage—we’ll really need to stay focused on it. For now, it’s still uncertain!”

Sasha Lanièce, Alderan (186)

“Everything is going well on board. I didn’t have the best exit from the bay—I made some good moves and some bad ones, and struggled a bit with my gennaker during some maneuvers. Then during the night I really pushed on the trim, gained a few places, and then lost them again at daybreak with—yet again—a gennaker issue! But that’s how it goes.

I rounded the mark pretty well and set my spinnaker; now I’m climbing back a few places, the boat is performing well. I’m getting back into my solo rhythm—downwind sailing solo is something I already did during the Transat Café L’Or, since Sanni was injured. So gybes, maneuvers, spinnaker hoists—I’ve already done all that alone. Downwind sailing speaks to me!

The onboard rhythm is good. Unlike the past few weeks, I’m actually managing to eat—that’s a big win! So I’m making the most of it, because once we turn upwind, it’ll be less fun.

A small joy: I’ve had swallows all over my boat for a while now. Every time I think they’ve gone, there are more—I’m seriously starting to wonder if I didn’t leave with a nest on board!

Otherwise, everything’s fine. I’m a bit frustrated not to have found the right settings in the lull, and not being able to furl my gennaker straight like the guys with their big arms—I have to keep bearing away to roll it up! But that’s life—I’ll keep going to the gym and maybe one day I’ll manage!

The rest of the course is variable downwind to the next waypoint—we’ll need to stay sharp on the trim, but I think we’ll still get some chances to sleep. We’re quite far from shipping lanes, which is good. I hope I’ll catch part of the fleet! Then it’s upwind in strong wind—we know that, we did it last year on the transat. It’s long and tough, but it’s great for testing the boat in those conditions, and the structure too. Ours had opened at the bow in similar conditions, and we reinforced it—so now’s the time to test that! Oh, there’s my little swallow again… Anyway, everything’s going well on board. We’ve had lots of different conditions, we’re testing plenty of things—it’s a great early-season race!”

Lomano Takasi, Réauté Chocolat (160)

“Everything’s going well—we’ve got really nice, manageable conditions, both for heading up to the Chaussée de Sein and for sailing down towards Cape Finisterre. I had quite a few problems the first night—I had a gennaker issue and everyone passed me in a short time! Then I picked up some fishing gear between Quiberon and Belle-Île—complete stop—and by the time I managed to free myself, I was back underway but far behind the fleet.

That’s more down to bad luck than my start in Class40! I’m discovering all the maneuvers solo, and I’ve already noted quite a few small adjustments I need to improve to make things easier alone. I’m going to try to catch back up with the fleet—and above all, not finish last!”

Stéphane Bodin, Wasabii (198)

“Hello everyone, everything is going well on board, as the saying goes.

I’m pretty happy to be sailing downwind now, because upwind wasn’t really my thing. At the moment the boat is going quite fast—I’m catching up with the group ahead and I’m hoping to overtake them during the night.

I’m very happy to be back sailing solo. I’m still a bit slow on maneuvers, but the goal is to finish without breaking anything, and so far that’s going well. As for sleep, I’ve managed it quite well. The autopilot steers nicely downwind and I was able to get some rest today.

Night is falling now, I’m making myself a beef stew.

In short, everything is going well. We could have kept going like this all the way to Guadeloupe instead of turning left tomorrow!

Good night everyone—for me, it should be a smooth glide, with the wind easing a bit.”