Route du Rhum - 31st October - Page 4

gotchiguy · 31 October 2010, 19:17

"Esquina" (ex Corryvekkyran) the 11m cabin Redbay seem to make it easily enough

. Shame you didn't come down, it really was absolute mayhem, we met up with a couple of the Cap guys and it was fantastic: proper report and photos to follow

Gotchidad · 01 November 2010, 11:23

Report....

I knew the day was going to live up to expectations when it dawned clear and bright, if a little breezy, and the Police Municipale were on duty to control the crowds waiting for the water taxi at our sleepy little port.

I have no idea how many boats were out on the water at Pointe du Grouin, but there had to be several thousand. They came in all shapes and sizes from three Brittany Ferries, two Condor ferries and tens of smaller vedettes usually used for tours round the outlying islands, down to the smallest rib and hard motor boats. Lots of yachts turned up, as did the odd kayaker and jet-skier. The latter weren’t meant to be there, but it would have been impossible for the authorities to police the restrictions.

Immediately after the start, there was utter mayhem. I hadn’t appreciated that the start wasn’t just for the competitor yachts, but also for the chasing pack as well. In conditions which were far from glassy calm the leading sailors made a good 20 knots and many of the following boats struggled to keep up. Some of the boats followed a single yacht, which was quite a sensible idea since it meant you didn’t need to cut across the “motorway”, but we were successful in getting close to the top 4 or 5 yachts and followed them all the way to Cap Frehel where they entered a restricted zone which appeared to have been used as a mooring place for the all the spectator boats coming from the West. The SNSM boats did a fair job of moving boats along so that the competitors got a clear passage.

I attach a few pictures of our day and a short video, but it wasn’t easy to stop for photographs. You needed 360 deg vision to keep clear of traffic. I didn’t see any collisions, but it is impossible to think there weren’t any during the day. We did hear several distress calls for engine breakdown, but nothing more serious fortunately.

I recommend a visit when the race comes round again in four years’ time.

Se

Gotchidad · 01 November 2010, 11:24

More photos....

Gotchidad · 01 November 2010, 11:25

....

Channel Ribs · 01 November 2010, 11:26

Some very dramatic photos there!

It certainly looks like quite a spectacle, worth putting in the diary for 2014

Gotchidad · 01 November 2010, 11:37

The video shows how quickly we were all moving to keep pace with the boats, and how close all the spectating vessels were

[YOUTUBE]6z-8s9r_0Rw[/YOUTUBE]

Erin · 01 November 2010, 13:09

That's quite some wash being kicked up by all the chasing boats. The bit of video shows it well. I had wondered why Condor Vitesse was so off course when I saw it on AIS, I didn't realise it was doing a bit of sight seeing along with everyone else. I've always wondered what it would be like to be under the bows of that thing (so long as it isn't doing 30+kts at the time)

gotchiguy · 01 November 2010, 14:13

The whining in the video is the supercharger of the Verado 350 in front

Couple of other interest ribs, one large ~9m+ with triple 275 Verados I think, but it had NINE Ullmans. That's well over £25,000 worth of seats alone

Ex-corryveckyran also looked very good, although it nearly rammed us at one stage when I had to dodge under his bow in order to avoid the boat ahead of me which had slowed down.

You either had to hold station in a space you claimed as your own or blast about like a manic

, in order to get a variety of pictures of all the fleet.

P.S. The red Solent bucking along behind the yacht is the one from Cap Breizh

martini · 01 November 2010, 18:53

Talk about mayhem! I knew I was going to be missing out but conditions further north were much worse, couldn't really justify the long slog.

GJ0KYZ · 01 November 2010, 19:40

You mention something about jetskis not being allowed to join the other boats. Can I ask why this is? Do you know if there are restrictions on jetskis in French waters?

martini · 01 November 2010, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by GJ0KYZ

You mention something about jetskis not being allowed to join the other boats. Can I ask why this is? Do you know if there are restrictions on jetskis in French waters?

I think Gotchi's referring to temporary restrictions that were in place for the race start. I wasn't aware of jetski specific regs but as your french is better than mine you might find a mention here.

Gotchidad · 01 November 2010, 20:03

There were special restrictions for the whole area along the coast which meant that only motor boats with a fixed VHF listening out on Ch 16 were allowed in. All other activities such as diving, fishing etc were banned for the afternoon. On Cap Breizh you'll see a thread with a couple of photos of a jetski and a kayaker. However, they must have been mad!!

Matt, you're quite right.

david

GJ0KYZ · 01 November 2010, 21:18

I'm aware there are general restrictions under French maritime law regarding distances from port and cruising ranges for small craft; maybe there are similar provisions for jetskis. However, I doubt these regulations can be imposed on visiting craft else some would never be allowed to return home.

I know UK jetskiers hop across the English Channel now and again and that the odd local skier has ventured to Carteret and Port Bail without any hassle. I'm thinking of buying a jetski myself in a year or two's time when the menopause has kicked in. Has anyone seen how sophisticated the top models are nowadays? They come with fly-by-wire controls, suspension, cruise control, braking mechanisms and, oh yes, 300hp engines. Nought to fifty in under three seconds with these puppies.

Anyway, the main advantage is near-zero draught. I reckon with rib support it ought to be able to get to Granville in reasonable weather from where it's just a case of hugging the coast to get into the estuaries and rivers and Bob's your uncle. MStm on any tide - sweet.

I almost forgot: On a wholly unrelated subject, has anyone seen this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGzKcypnBlA

GJ0KYZ · 01 November 2010, 21:35

Or this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bZ6H08-tpY

Gotchidad · 01 November 2010, 22:27

As I understand the position, in France jetskis can only be used by day and are limited to a distance two miles from the coast. Within 300 metres of shore their use is subject to local regulations. Anyone using a jetski with an engine larger than 50hp requires a full boating licence (permis mer). I assume that as with motor boats, anyone using a "UKflagged" jetski could operate according to UK rules regarding distance and licence issues.

martini · 01 November 2010, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by GJ0KYZ

I almost forgot: On a wholly unrelated subject, has anyone seen this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGzKcypnBlA

Great, now I feel seasick

If that marshal didn't get flattened he's a very lucky b*stard

GJ0KYZ · 01 November 2010, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gotchidad

As I understand the position, in France jetskis can only be used by day and are limited to a distance two miles from the coast. Within 300 metres of shore their use is subject to local regulations. Anyone using a jetski with an engine larger than 50hp requires a full boating licence (permis mer). I assume that as with motor boats, anyone using a "UKflagged" jetski could operate according to UK rules regarding distance and licence issues.

Yes, I think you're right there. These restrictions are clearly more rigourous than those of the UK. I suppose one difficulty for anyone wanting to jetski to France would be obtaining insurance in the first place. I'm sure any company would insist on accompany skiers or a support boat.

Incidently, are the yachts sailing to the Caribbean direct or are they stopping off at the Azores?

Gotchidad · 01 November 2010, 23:49

This site shows the route. Since the leading boats are aiming to finish in 7 days I don't think there's time for a stop-off.

http://routedurhum-labanquepostale.g...om/2010/?lg=en

Channel Ribs · 02 November 2010, 07:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by GJ0KYZ

These restrictions are clearly more rigourous than those of the UK. I suppose one difficulty for anyone wanting to jetski to France would be obtaining insurance in the first place. I'm sure any company would insist on accompany skiers or a support boat.

You could have a chat with Paul Cannel, a Jetski member of RIB.net.

He cruises with his 'ski all through the season in England and has crossed the channel twice (so far) to Alderney.

gotchiguy · 02 November 2010, 08:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by GJ0KYZ

Incidently, are the yachts sailing to the Caribbean direct or are they stopping off at the Azores?

They all go their separate ways, either north or south. The original 1978 record was over 24 days non stop. This has now been slimmed to just over 7 days

This is a very interesting place to follow the race with the current record super imposed. The leaders are currently well over the two day mark with just over a day and a half on the clock, however if you turn on the weather forecast feature it would look as if those going south are heading into lighter winds than those going north, its all a tough strategy to work out.

http://routedurhum-labanquepostale.g...om/2010/?lg=en