©PRB
El Virbac-Paprec 3 visto desde el PRB tras doblar cabo San Vicente.

Fuente info FNOB

Suspense hasta el último metro

- A 60 millas de la llegada el Virbac-Paprec 3 aventaja al PRB por 180 metros.

- Cualquier error puede ser aprovechado por el MACIF que está a media milla del líder.

- A última hora de la tarde o primera de la noche se sabrá quién gana la primera etapa.

- El Banque Populaire se aleja del podio por un bordo poco favorable.

En el segundo grupo, el Groupe Bel siente la presión del ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered mientras el Cheminées Poujoulat cae momentáneamente al farolillo rojo al escoger navegar junto a tierra.

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© PRB
Gibraltar a la vista desde el PRB

Fuente info EWUR

22 / 05 / 2012
Media flota en el Atlántico

- El PRB, el Virbac-Paprec 3, el MACIF y el Banque Populaire superan el estrecho de Gibraltar.
- El Cheminées Poujoulat, el Groupe Bel y el ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered lo harán durante el resto del día.
- Se espera que los primeros barcos lleguen a Cascais sobre el mediodía de mañana y los del segundo grupo a última hora del miércoles o las primeras horas del jueves.

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Fuente info EWR

Competida ceñida hacia Gibraltar

- La cabeza de la flota navega en el mar de Alborán con 8,7 millas entre el primero, el Virbac-Paprec 3, y el cuarto, el Banque Populaire.

- El segundo es el PRB que esta madrugada se puso a menos de dos millas del líder y tercero es el MACIF, que navega a 6,4 millas del barco de Jean-Pierre Dick.

- El Groupe Bel está a 40 millas, el Cheminées Poujoulat a 44 y el ACIONA 100% EcoPowered a 53, pero van recortando ventaja.

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Fuente info FNOB

Emocionante salida de la Europa Warm’Up

El Banque Populaire de Armel Le Cléac’h ha sido el primero en la boya de desmarque y mantiene una leve ventaja sobre el Cheminées Poujoulat de Bernard Stamm en el primer parte de clasificaciones.
La salida ha registrado un nivel de competitividad difícil de ver en una competición oceánica, pero propio de una salida de regata con tripulación.
Los siete IMOCA Open 60 navegan hacia Gibraltar, punto de paso crucial en la etapa hacia Cascais.

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© Alfred Farré / FNOB

Fuente info FNOB

14 / 05 / 2012
El Groupe Bel, el Macif, el Banque Populaire y el PRB ya están en Barcelona

Tras la llegada ayer del ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered, hoy han arribado a la Ciudad Condal Groupe Bel, Macif, Banque Populaire y PRB.
Con estos cinco veleros amarrados en el Portal de la Pau, sólo queda la llegada del Cheminées Poujoulat y del Virbac-Paprec 3.
Estos siete IMOCA Open 60 protagonizarán la Europa Warm’Up cuya salida está prevista para el sábado 19 a las 16:00 horas.

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© FNOB

Fuente info FNOB

ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered, primer barco en llegar a Barcelona para la Europa Warm’Up

El IMOCA Open 60 de Bubi Sansó ha sido el primero en llegar a la Ciudad Condal para tomar la salida de la regata.
ACCIONA 100% EcoPowered es un velero capaz de navegar y satisfacer las necesidades energéticas de a bordo de una manera totalmente sostenible.
El barco es el fruto de un largo proceso de I+D+I y el punto de partida hacia una nueva generación de embarcaciones respetuosas con el medioambiente.

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Fuente info Mer & Media

IMOCA class: Europa Tour to start in Barcelona

Wednesday, 28st March 2012
Press Release

- The city of Barcelona to host the race start following Istanbul’s withdrawal
- Those teams participating in the event are keen to sail in race mode
- A race from Barcelona to La Rochelle via Lisbon

Barcelona has put forward the proposal to be start venue for the Europa Race on the weekend of 17-20 May 2012. The majority of those teams previously signed up for the event, have confirmed their interest in racing between the host cities on the scheduled dates.
For the competitors in the IMOCA class, the opportunity to do battle with each other prior to the Vendée Globe is the priority.

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Fuente info Mer et Media

THE EUROPA RACE IS CONFIRMED

Friday, 16th March 2012
Press Release

- 3 legs : Istanbul – Barcelona – Lisbon – La Rochelle
- 2 legs in crewed configuration and a 3rd one in solo configuration to prepare for the Vendée Globe
- Seven boats at the start, potentially 9

The Europa Race will indeed set sail from Istanbul on 5 May 2012. Under threat for a while, in the face of the Franco-Turk diplomatic controversy, the race is finally going ahead thanks to the combined willingness of the organiser, Olay Nautic, and IMOCA who have made sure that everything is in place so that this essential meeting is honoured in the event schedule.

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© Vincent Curutchet

Fuente info Transat B to B

Press release of 12/14/2011 : Breaking News: François Gabart (Macif) winner of transat B to B
Final cut for the Transat B to B !

Scorching across the finish line (safety gate offshore of Spain) at 23 h 11 min 30 sec, this Wednesday 14 December UTC, François Gabart on Macif takes victory in the Transat B to B 2011. François Gabart’s race time is 09 days 09 hours 11 minutes 30 seconds. Along the theoretical course of 2,620 miles, Macif racked up an average speed of 11.635 knots.
(Real distance done: 3168.3 miles / real average speed: 14,07 Knots)

Fuente info Transat B to B

Press release of 12/12/2011 : One for all and all for one!

As we enter the second week of racing in the Transat B to B from Saint Barts in the Caribbean to Lorient in Brittany, the bulk of the Imoca 60 fleet are continuing to make progress towards the finish with between 13 and 19 knots of boat speed. Today the tone has changed somewhat and Race Management has deemed it necessary to set up an obligatory safety gate around 900- 1,000 miles to the East of the fleet, so that it shouldn’t really penalise any of the fleet hugely. After murmurings last night, the news was confirmed this Monday. Due to very bad weather conditions forecast on the race area for the next few days (wind from 60 to 80 knots) the race management has decided to change the course of this eastbound transatlantic race. As of now, the skippers will have to pass through the weather security gate from South to North, between 42°00N/020°00W – 42°00N/016°00W. It was a decision backed up by the whole fleet as being intended for their safety and that of their boats.

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© A. Courcoux

Fuente info T BtoB

Press release of 12/11/2011 : Fronting up to the Front

This Sunday evening the Transat B to B fleet are surfing a wave of strong breeze which is set to remain with the solo sailors till the finish in Lorient on France’s Atlantic coast. As the south-westerly and soon north-westerly breeze increases, the more the skippers are reducing their sail area and the more speed they are racking up. Conditions are reminiscent of the deep South, without quite the same degree of isolation.

- The wind really punching at the Transat B to B fleet now
- The Imoca 60 fleet accelerating at the head of an active front
- Conditions set to deteriorate still further in the sprint East
- Northerly group closing on the southerly group
- Louis Burton now 350 miles stray of leader François Gabart
- TV Alert: in board images from Safran are available on the ftp server (link at the end of press release)

Still leading the merry group on the eastbound express across the North Atlantic, François Gabart (Macif) has so far notched up a top speed of 26 knots on his brand new monohull. The smile was there again during the radio sessions live from the Paris Boat Show, but so too was evidence of the depth of maturity of this young, talented sailor. “I’m in good shape and I know how important it is to remain like that. I can’t afford to go into the red because I don’t have the experience to deal with things in that state. As such I’m focusing on getting more sleep so I can manage any crises, such as broken gear etc. and remain operational. That will be my philosophy all the way to Lorient. All the conditions we’ll have along the way will set us up nicely for those we experience in the Vendee Globe and I can’t wait to be at that point. In the Barcelona World Race I obviously learnt a great deal about boat handling alongside Michel (Desjoyeaux) as well as the overall game plan for getting a boat to make headway. As such I’m a lot more confident about my ability to apprehend all the different points of sail. However, we didn’t have a lot of downwind sailing in that race and obviously we didn’t rely on the autopilot so much. There is more wind here too and, to be quite honest, I’ve never experienced such winds before, let alone in solo configuration. I’m taking it all in though, discovering new sensations and understanding how Macif reacts. I don’t really close my eyes when I sleep as I’m listening to the boat, all the new sounds she makes, how she moves…”

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Fuente info Transat B to B

Press release of 12/10/2011 : North or South, that is the question…

They’re ready for it! The gale hasn’t hit yet but all the solo sailors in the Transat B to B have it at the forefront of their minds. Onboard the boats, the sails are stowed or stacked, with the weight gradually being shifted astern. It’s a key moment to rack up some precious hours of sleep and rest before it’s the boats which begin to dictate the timing of some short snatches of shut-eye.

- The Imoca 60 fleet is split into two groups – northerners and southerners, the former still having to tack through more breeze, the latter just picking up speed again after 2 hours or so of very light airs overnight.
- The East-West split is also becoming more significant as the fleet prepare to accelerate
- On this 5th day of racing in the Transat B to B Francois Gabart (Macif) is still leading the 8-strong fleet eastwards, preparing for the big winds to hit in 24 to 36 hours’ time
- With 50 knots forecast to sweep the Bay of Biscay in 6 to 7 days, prudence is going to be the name of the game as the aim is to finish the race
- Radio Sessions to dowload on the “press page” on the transat website
- TV Alert: in board images from Safran are available on the ftp server (link at the end of press release)

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Fuente info T BTB

Press release of 12/09/2011 : All change for the North Atlantic Express

Four days into the Transat B to B from Saint Barts in the sultry Caribbean to Lorient in the rather chillier Brittany, the Imoca 60 fleet are picking their way through a transition zone in a lowly 7 to 12 knots of breeze, waiting for the moment when it decides to clock round from the NE to the E and then round to the South. The rather slow pace is just a temporary glitch then before the 8 skippers have to fasten their seatbelts and hitch a ride on the North Atlantic Express as it begins its long journey eastwards, where the terminus could well be Lorient as early as Saturday 17 December. Big seas and big winds are likely to colour proceedings in 24 to 36 hours’ time then, making for some fast, wet conditions, with poor visibility and even fog along the way. The skippers will have to make sure they’re wearing all their different thermal and waterproof layers and that everything is stowed securely and stacked where it should be.

- Traversing a transition zone today, the strategy for the Transat B to B fleet will be to hitch a ride on the high-speed train of depressions hammering East across the Atlantic and hang onto it all the way to the finish, where a first-class seat could see them tie up in Lorient as early as Saturday 17 December
- The 8 Imoca 60 skippers are stowing and stacking sails below, preparing for the big winds and heavy, cross seas due to sweep the fleet in 24 to 36 hours
- First placed François Gabart is making a phenomenal debut performance in his first ever solo translantic race and clearly has a good grasp of weather strategy, some 40 miles or so ahead of his closest rival at the 1530 UTC position report
- Jean-Pierre Dick and Vincent Riou not so happy with their northerly position as the predicted winds simply aren’t where they’re supposed to be
- Mike Golding has a few cunning tricks up his sleeve to avoid the usual pitfalls of big seas and heavy rain dredged up by 35 to 40 knots of wind in 3 to 4 days
- The East-West separation in the different groups is growing as the skippers move their pawns forward across the Atlantic chessboard.
- Radio Sessions to dowload on the “press page” on the transat website
- TV Alert: in board images from Banque Populaire and Bureau Vallée are available on the ftp server (link at the end of press release)

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Fuente info Transat BtoB

Press release of 12/08/2011 : Proving ground for the Vendee Globe.

Three days into the Transat B to B race from Saint Barts to Lorient, the Imoca 60 fleet is edging its way up a zone of high pressure to their East and as they slink around the top of the system they are gradually beginning to hang a right, with those further North already into the stronger winds being dished out by an eastbound low rolling out of Virginia on America’s eastern seaboard. In every way, this is one of the race’s major turning points. With the wind set to pick up considerably on Saturday, the race for supremacy is very much on then and all the competitors are clear that this is no delivery trip. Indeed all eight skippers have their sights on winning an entry ticket to the Vendee Globe 2012 and learning valuable lessons along the way, which will gear them up nicely for the round the world race. However, if they can steal a march on their rivals in the process then so much the better!

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Fuente info Transat BtoB

Press release of 12/06/2011 : Northbound

With Mike Golding (Gamesa) leading the eight Imoca 60s across the Caribbean Sea in the Transat B to B, the competitors are setting a course to the North, far from the direct course. The thinking behind this option is that the fleet will be able to squeeze around a zone of calms via its western limit over the course of Thursday. Ultimately, the aim then is to hang a right as soon as possible and hook onto the depressions rolling across the North Atlantic.

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