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Start on 31th october 2010 from Saint-Malo.

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Here come the roaring 40's! On 16/11/2010

Here come the roaring 40's!

A long, and busy night in Pointe-à-Pitre saw more and more finishers completing the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale, and it is only set to get more hectic when the Class 40 fleet start arriving late Wednesday or Thursday depending on how cruel or kind the winds on the approach to Guadeloupe turn out to be. Notable finishes last night included Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) and Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas), the two IMOCA Open 60 skippers who chose the southerly routing option. Desjoyueax arrived in sixth position, just under one day behind fellow Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou (PRB). He joked about going south for the sun early but admitted that there was very little to choose between the two options before making his choice “ I did what I wanted. From time to time you try things when you don’t know if they will be good or not so good. I expected to have 50 miles of deficit in the south of the Azores amticyclone and it was 150. There the mass was said.” Desjoyeaux said. “I have had time to digest this. Now we move on. Life goes on.”
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The second double On 15/11/2010

The second double

After Roland Jourdain became the first skipper to win the IMOCA Open 60 class twice in successive editions of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale, today it was the turn of Lionel Lemonchois to break the finish line in Pointe-à-Pitre on Prince de Bretagne and win the Multi 50 class, thereby becoming the first skipper to win different classes in back to back editions. Lemonchois smashed the race record in 2006 on Gitana 11, this time it has been a special comeback for the skipper who fought back from a main halyard problem which saw him very, very close to quitting. At one point Lemonchois was more than 480 miles off the lead. It is something of a comeback too for a boat which Lemonchois spent six months refitting and repairing after it was damaged in last year’s Transat Jacques Vabre. The IMOCA podium was completed by a remarkable third place by Marc Guillemot (Safran) who seized his chance when he found Jean Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) slowed on the west coast of the island. The scenario was in some ways a replay of 1998 when he lost out on third place to one Franck Cammas during final approach. What goes around, comes around. Meantime Thomas Ruyant (Destination Dunkerque) has neatly consolidated his position at the front of the Class 40 fleet with a lead of 72 miles and had less than 500 miles to finish. SEE FULL LEMONCHOIS STORY AND QUOTES UNDER MULTI 50 NEWS>>>>>>
After Jourdain's double, here comes Lemonchois? On 15/11/2010

After Jourdain's double, here comes Lemonchois?

After Franck Cammas (Groupama 3), overall winner of this ninth edition of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale, also topped a podium comprising Francis Joyon (IDEC) and Thomas Coville (Sodebo), so now the podium for the very closely matched IMOCA Open 60’s was completed early Monday morning by Marc Guillemot (Safran). He was greeted on the dockside by a relaxed looking, scrubbed up Armel Le Cléac'h who was second while Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) of course made Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale history early Sunday morning when he successfully won the IMOCA class for the second successive edition. Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac-Paprec 3) arrived not long after Guillemot, just losing out on third in the final miles of the race, and Vincent Riou was due in fifth. Meantime young Christopher Pratt in sixth is having his mettle tested with no power on DCNS 1000. He has been hand steering since Thursday and hopes to be in by Tuesday night. But this ninth edition of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale a transatlantic race which will continue to deliver. Lionel Lemonchois (Prince de Bretagne) leads the Multi 50 class by 60 miles with 84 miles to go and is on course to be the second double Rhum winner after Jourdain. The overall winner from the last, 2006 edition is due in this evening (Monday). And in the Class 40 fleet from 400 miles of lateral separation to more like 60 this morning, Thomas Ruyant (Destination Dunkerque) has now come south and repositioned to windward of second placed Nico Troussel (Credit Mutuel de Bretagne) and leads by 64 miles. The leaders are expected Thursday.
The Sunday of the Jackal On 14/11/2010

The Sunday of the Jackal

He has been the form sailor of the season Armel Le Cléac'h, winning both AG2R and dominating the Figaro du Solitaire which he won for the second time….conclusively. That Le Cléac’h finished second overall in the highly competitive, evenly matched IMOCA Open 60 fleet which contested this ninth edition of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale today speaks volumes for the clinical execution of Roland Jourdain’s second consecutive victory.
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Two in a row On 14/11/2010

Two in a row

The familiar megawatt smile lit up the darkness on a still Caribbean night as Roland Jourdain and his Veolia Environnement finally ghosted to a halt in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe as the charismatic skipper wrote himself further into the history of the Route du Rhum as the first sailor to win the monoholl division twice in consecutive editions.
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With a little help from the wind. Jourdain should finish this evening. On 13/11/2010

With a little help from the wind. Jourdain should finish this evening.

At 1600hrs (CET/Paris) this afternoon Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) was working slowly but steadily in the light and very fickle 6 kts SEly breeze and looked to have built himself enough of a margin to account for some of the evening shut down, but bearing in mind the Farr designed IMOCA Open 60 has shown speeds of between 1 knot and 10 knots today, it may will still be a long night. It would mark a well earned honours for both the popular skipper and the boat. Since his 2006 win, Jourdain had to abandon when leading the final stages of the Vendée Globe and also when he was dismasted in the 2007 Barcelona World Race.
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Nerves of steel for Jourdain, is 'the Troussel' paying? On 13/11/2010

Nerves of steel for Jourdain, is 'the Troussel' paying?

Win, lose or draw the final 95 miles of this ninth edition of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale will be the worst for Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement.). This is simply the time for nerves of steel rather than any inspired strategies. Some 45 miles now off the NW corner of Guadeloupe’s Basse Terre, Jourdain is ghosting along less than 2 knots at times, knowing only that at the moment the second placed pursuer Armel Le Cléac'h on Brit Air has not been getting any closer to him. In the Multi 50 Class Lionel Lemonchois (Prince de Bretagme) has strengthened his lead over night over Lalou Roucayrol (Région Aquitaine – Port Médoc). Lemonchois was 483 miles off the lead last Sunday after his main halyard problem but this morning had a lead of nearly 65 miles, doubling it since yesterday evening and going quicker this morning.
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Two Double Rhums in the cocktail shaker? On 12/11/2010

Two Double Rhums in the cocktail shaker?

Two Rhum Doubles in the Cocktail Shaker It is potent cocktail which is on the menu for the weekend in Point-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, what is just not sure is who or when the leading Multi 50 and IMOCA Open 60’s will reach the finish line of this enthralling ninth edition of the Route du Rhum-La Banque Postale. But, were both of tonight’s class leaders hold their leads to the finish, then it would mark a wonderful double as 2006 winners Roland Jourdain and Lionel Lemonchois lead their respective fleets.
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Gitana 11 in fourth, IMOCA and Multi 50's cocktail for the weekend On 12/11/2010

Gitana 11 in fourth, IMOCA and Multi 50's cocktail for the weekend

Last night at a little before one in the morning (Paris), mid evening local time, Yann Guichard was visibly relieved to bring Gitana 11 across the finish line, ending a four day period over which he suffered with a lack of wind making very slow progress.
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Gitana due shortly, 2006 IMOCA winner Jourdain in good shape On 11/11/2010

Gitana due shortly, 2006 IMOCA winner Jourdain in good shape

While the fourth placed Ultime finisher is expected the evening, (CET), Yann Guichard on the route record holding Gitana XI, in the IMOCA Open 60’s class it’s a tactical battle which is at times painfully slow, testing skippers’ patience and durability, but the for the moment it remains Roland Jourdain who is in control of the IMOCA Class, consolidating his position neatly with an advance of 76 miles on Armel Le Cléac'h (Brit Air). The main group are dealing with the equivalent of a meteorological marsh, a barometric bog which traps the unwary or unlucky for hours in sticky pools of calm. (details under news sections)

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In brief...

On 15/11/2010 à 10:40:00 Riou fifth
On 15/11/2010 à 04:42:00 Dick takes fourth IMOCA Open 60.
On 14/11/2010 à 22:23:00 Christopher Pratt suffers electrical problems on DCNS 1000
All the news in brief >>