(Grand Canaria, Canary Islands)- And they’re off, plying down the
classic tradewind route from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, a
mixed bag of modern day carbon racing machines along with traditional
old cruising boats of various ilk. In the mix is the J/133 APOLLO 7
from the United Kingdom, skippered by her owner Nigel Passmore.After two delays to the start due to horrendous weather conditions, the RORC Transatlantic Race started from Puerto Calero Marina at 1000 UTC, Sunday 30th November. It was third time lucky as the RORC fleet departed Puerto Calero Marina, Lanzarote bound for Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada West Indies, 2,995 nm away across the Atlantic Ocean. Rain squalls had been disturbing the air in the early hours of the morning, but virtually nothing would have prevented the eager fleet to set off on the inaugural RORC Transatlantic Race. Sunshine and a gentle northerly breeze prevailed for the start- the only abnormal weather feature was a perfect double rainbow, pointing the way to the turning mark off Marina Lanzarote, Arrecife - the only mark of the course before the fleet would make landfall in Grenada.
The rainbow was not the only surreal experience at the start; a fleet of young Spanish Optimist sailors had decided to use the yellow inflatable turning mark for a training session. However, three loud blasts from the coach's whistle recalled the young sailors to a safe position, as humming deck gear and huge sail area, announced the imminent arrival of the Maxi fleet. No doubt, the young sailors will tell the tale for years to come!
After a competitive start, the fleets have been battling through the first night to negotiate the fastest passage through the Canary Islands and into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The entire fleet chose the northerly route through the channel between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and once again north of Tenerife. The northerly route puts the fleet nearer the fresh breeze coming from the north rather than south where an area of little wind has developed. The rhumb line goes straight through Tenerife but the highest point, Mount Teide, has an elevation of 3,718 m (12,198ft), which would give a significant wind shadow to any yachts that ventured south.
A tremendous battle kicked off right from the start in IRC Two, the French X40 Optim'X sailed smartly to take the lead from Nigel Passmore's British J/133, APOLLO 7, at the start, which the French team held right along the coast of Lanzarote. APOLLO 7, mainly crewed by friends from Plymouth, took a slender lead after passing the southern tip of Lanzarote and unfurled their Code Zero to open up a three mile lead on their rivals by dawn. It may be the last time Optim’X ever sees APOLLO 7 until they enter the harbor of Port Louis Marina in Grenada!
Nigel Passmore reports from the course on APOLLO 7: “We are round the top of Tenerife and enroute to La Palma with a welcome to offshore Atlantic sailing more like the English Channel! Rain, waves and wind shifts. Still heading in the right direction with a good breeze. Crew are happy and settling in. Very much waterline length sailing at the moment.”
Sail choice and boat handling have been the major factors to performance at this early stage in the race. Getting into the open waters of the Atlantic first pays high dividend as more wind is expected for the leaders. Just a few hours difference can turn into enough miles for leading yachts to disappear over the horizon. All of the fleet should pass La Palma into the Atlantic today, raising spinnakers that should be flying for the near future. After days of confused weather systems, the Trade Winds are forecast to re-establish over the coming days. Downwind racing, surfing down Atlantic rollers with the sun on your back – it doesn't get a lot better than that. For more RORC Trans-Atlantic Race sailing information
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