A new event occurred in the season this summer. Between the relentless Figaro skippers on La Solitaire and the sailors of the Transquadra always so much passionate, the Ultimate trimarans realized a spectacular race until New York…
LA SOLITAIRE URGO LE FIGARO
Keep calm and carry on
Navigating relentlessly right through the finish line while enduring the sleep deprivation, here is what is recommended to win a Solitaire. Indeed, the famous French multi stage solo offshore race requires a huge amount of energy, hard work and investment. Aged from 18 to 53 years old, coming from 6 different countries, the 43 competitors realized an impressive and demanding race this year!
The 48th edition of La Solitaire was a challenging one with extreme and varied weather conditions. First leg was an incredibly tough start in which the competitors faced an epic storm with 40 to 45 knots while, ironically, second leg started in complete windless conditions!
Even if it was slightly shortened of some hundred miles, the second leg was a very long stage, both mentally and physically hard because of the light conditions that did not allow for much rest. The real turning point of the leg took place not far from Concarneau, when Adrena Hardy took the lead at the very end and crossed the line in first position. Nicolas Lunven took third place, securing the top of the overall standings.
After their arrival, the sailors had a very short time to recover before the start of the next leg, a 150 mile coastal race starting and finishing in Concarneau. Knowing very well the area, Nicolas Lunven felt at ease and took the good tactical options to finish in first position. He expressed his relief and huge satisfaction on his arrival: “It is the outcome of a strong determination as well as years of hard work. One of my greatest ambitions was to prove that I am capable of competing on different types of boats and on different kind of races like the Vendee Globe 2020”.
Last leg was a long and complex one, in which Adrien Hardy seemed to be the only one able to deprive Nicolas Lunven from the victory. But the Generali skipper didn’t want to let it go and managed to secure the top of the general ranking by arriving in Dieppe on Friday morning at 8:16 in fourth place. This marks Nicolas Lunven’s second victory of La Solitaire Le Figaro. Adrien Hardy finishes second overall while Charlie Dalin, who won the fourth leg of the race, takes third place in the final classification.
On the Rookies and Amateurs’ side, the three first in each category are equipped with Adrena software. Congratulations to the Rookie Julien Pulvé who finished 11th overall.
Proud to be official supplier of the race, Adrena equips the Race Management Team members to help them with the organization of the race, to reinforce security and to calculate estimated time of arrivals.
THE BRIDGE 2017
4 Ultimate Trimarans equipped with Adrena racing against the Queen Mary 2 …
On June 25th, one hundred years after the American landing resulting in the end of the First World War, the 4 Ultimate multihulls and the Queen Mary 2 sailed off from Saint Nazaire, greeted and cheered by thousands of spectators: a breathtaking departure to celebrate a century of Franco-American friendship.
As expected, the prestigious Queen Mary 2 crossed the finish line in New York in first position!
On the Ultims side, even if the trimarans look the same, they did not encounter similar weather conditions and the gaps between the multihulls widened after 48 hours… MACIF took the lead and was hard to catch up by the rest of the fleet.
On top of that, the race proved to be quite tough for the trimarans: a damaged rudder and a crew member injured onboard SODEBO, a propeller lost by ACTUAL right from the beginning of the race, a minor collision of the dagger board onboard IDEC and a damaged foil for MACIF! Even so, the race was not over! The first aim of the teams was to test their boats across the Atlantic Ocean while comparing their performances to the others’.
The sailors wished they had more downwind conditions as they were most of the time close-hauled by the Northern route. MACIF managed to keep the lead despite IDEC’s multiple attempts to catch up. “We have a beautiful boat and so is the crew. We worked well together and this victory is a collective pride!” explained Francois Gabard on their arrival after 8 days and 31 minutes of racing.
The Bridge was a good opportunity and a good test to validate many projects like a solo round-the-world for some and a Route du Rhum for others…
TRANSQUADRA
Non-professionals sailors more than passionate!
The 9th edition of the Transquadra started on July 12th from Barcelona, Spain and on July 16th from Lorient, France. Almost 100 boats are participating to this transatlantic race. Solo or double-handed, more than 70% of the fleet is equipped with Adrena software.
In this exclusive interview, Mico Bolo, founder of the race, gives us more details about this unique event created 24 years ago.
As the founder of the Transquadra race, could you tell us a bit more about its evolution?
1993: Creation of the race with a departure from Nantes, France. 14 solo-handed and 3 double-handed participated to this first edition from Nantes to Saint Martin with a stop in Porto Santo (Madeira). It gathered only long-distance yachts. Indeed, the main objective was to cross the Atlantic Ocean! Winning the race was just a bonus. The first transatlantic race sailed on production boats and only open to non-professionals over 40 years-old was created.
2017: 9th edition! 14 boats will start from Barcelona, Spain and 81 from Lorient, France. Two routes: Lorient-Madeira-Martinique and Barcelona-Madeira-Martinique. The race is divided into two categories: solo-handed and double-handed.
The cruising aspect of the race does not exist anymore. Now some shipyards are even building pure racing boats specifically for the Transquadra. The level of competition is very high even if it is still dedicated to non-professional navigators.
How do you imagine the Transquadra race in 10 years?
The Transquadra is not just a competition. It has become a social phenomenon that can last for a very long time as long as its very essence is preserved.
What makes the essence of the race is that it gathers 40-year-old non-professional sailors, with a route divided into 2 legs – July and February. Thanks to this format, the families of the skippers can follow and support them on each leg. All of these elements contribute to the success of the race.
How is the Race Management Team using Adrena software ashore?
Adrena software helps us to track the whole fleet in a very efficient way: overview of the fleet, focus on a boat, tracking of a boat if it is in distress or has a problem, estimated time of arrivals, multiple routings, etc.
Adrena being official provider of the Transquadra race, how could you describe this partnership?
Adrena software is the best tool that we could have to track the boats and ensure their safety while on the race course. Adrena team also provides a very efficient and friendly support to the Race Management Team.
Adrena released a new version this year, the Carbon Edition. What do you think of it?
The new interface design is very pleasing and well thought out. It does not take a long time to get used to it because it is very intuitive!
What are your best memories ashore and offshore of the last Transquadra editions?
My best memories offshore are the integrality of 1993 and 1999 Transquadra editions (solo-handed). I will never forget such an intense experience.
Ashore, it is a great pleasure to work with the race management team members thanks to their efficiency. It is also a huge satisfaction to welcome the competitors on their arrival in Lesser Antilles.
