The first day of the Normandy Channel Race has seen the Class 40 fleet first reaching in front of the Normandy beaches and then slowly beating against headwinds across the Channel, arriving in the Solent this morning.
At 15.30h, exactly twenty four hours after the start the leaders passed the Needles lighthouse with the Sam Manuard designed #145 Earendil and Owen Clarke’s #157 Cape Racing Yachts neck and neck, on top of each other. The leaders were followed closely by the Finot designed #148 and the two Lift 40s from Marc Lombard, #150 and the winner of the Route du Rhum, #154.
With light airs forecast for the rest of the afternoon and evening, the lead will surely swap back and forth as the sailors seek relief and then advantage from the tides around Anvil Point, Portland Bill and Start Point. It’s going to be another long 24 hours of trimming and steering as they head for Lands End, then to round Tuskar Rock and the Fastnet before returning to Caen.
At the Needles
1st #145 Earendil 0.0 miles Pietro Luciani/Pablo Santurde del Arco
2nd #157 Cape Racing Yachts 0.0 miles Jorg Riechers/Cedric Chateau
3rd #148 Aira Enfance et Avenir +0.2 miles Aymeric Chappelier/Pierre Brasseur