Barely 48 hours after the start of the 12th edition of the Route du Rhum, the first boats in the fleet have already passed Cape Finisterre in Spain. At the 12 noon check-in, it’s still Charles Caudrelier (Gitana Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) who is the leader.
The Trinitain Yves Le Blévec on Actual 3 is fifth, nearly 400 kilometers from the leading trimaran. Joined by France Bleu, Yves Le Blévec is a little disappointed with his ranking: “I’m not very happy. We haven’t had much success in exiting the English Channel and then in the Bay of Biscay. We know that we have a little speed deficit with the others (Ultims) but not that much so it’s a little lack of success. But I’m continuing on my way and I’m confident for the rest of the race. In front of me, Francis Joyon has an older boat but he’s a sailor who doesn’t give up.“
“We fear the material class”, Yves Le Blévec
Yves Le Blévec returned to the first hours of the race, after the start of the Pointe du Grouin, Wednesday at 2:15 p.m.: “the first 24 hours were sporty. We had to get out of the Channel by doing a lot of maneuvers. And maneuvering on board an Ultim is hard work. There, I’m on a much more direct tack, but the maneuvers aren’t over yet. There will be some next night (from Friday to Saturday). Currently, everything is going well for me.“The Ultim Actual 3 surfs at speeds between 26 and 30 knots.
The 57-year-old skipper also reacted to the damage suffered by his competitor Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire XI): “it’s sad what happened to him. Hardware breakage is something we all dread. I really feel sorry for him. I hope Armel will be able to leave. So, I’m going to look in my rear view mirror (sic) because he’s fast, even if he leaves a little late. I hope for him that he will leave and that he will try to catch up with people.“
Yves Le Blévec is taking part in his third Route du Rhum, but for the first time aboard an Ultim.