Tuesday, December 2: Nighttime frustrations
The second night at sea for the crew of The Famous Project CIC, which was expected to be rough with a violent front passing through, turned into a long and frustrating wait for the eight women competing in the Jules Verne Trophy.
Defying all forecasts, the expected squall line proved slower than anticipated, subjecting the maxi trimaran IDEC SPORT to erratic sailing in light winds.
It was not until around 6 a.m. this morning that the strong north wind finally filled the sails of the giant trimaran. The apathy of the night gave way to the usual flurry of activity as all eight women on board mobilized on the deck and in the cockpit to adapt the boat, its foils, and its sails to the new conditions, which were expected to last all morning, with winds of 25 knots and more in gusts, and a racing pace more in line with the boat’s formidable potential.
IDEC SPORT is racing towards the Madeira archipelago this morning, which it hopes to reach by midday. It will then be time to gybe again, this time setting a decisive course southward, downwind and at high speed.
Dee Caffari words
“The night was very frustrating. We kept getting caught up in windless bubbles, and the expected front never reached us. Then, at around 6:00 a.m., everything kicked in, and we passed through a big rain cloud and found the winds we had been waiting for, 20 knots and more from the north, so we could finally point our bows in the right direction, in more sustained conditions. But of course, everything had to happen at once. We went from 8 knots of wind to 25 knots in a matter of minutes, and we had to maneuver the foils and change sails, which took a little time.
For those who are following our route, I think they must have seen us veering off course a little. But everything is fine on board, and we will be able to pass north of Madeira, with a gybe later this afternoon. Yes, it was a frustrating night, because we were waiting for the front to pass us, and it took a long time.
Finally, the only cloud, with lots of rain and wind, disappeared. We’re expecting slightly rougher conditions all morning, but we’re making good progress now. It was worth the wait, but it took longer than we expected.”
Article by The Famous Project CIC
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