80 is the number on the hull of Gitana

Loïck Peyron: «This is not the eightieth Gitana! The number is highly symbolic. The history of Gitana is not recent, as it dates back more than a century. We were up to Gitana 13 with the catamaran, aboard which Lionel has just set an amazing series of crewed records. The latest chapter in the epic story of Gitana has been written by Benjamin de Rothschild exclusively with multihulls. The fact that we are returning to monohulls offered us quite naturally an occasion to pay homage to the late Edmond de Rothschild, his father, who was the great monohull owner. When the boat was launched, Edmond would have been 80. That's why it's Gitana Eighty.»

62, the number on Brit’Air

Armel Le Cléac’h: «It doesn't really mean anything. We would have liked to have 29, as the Brit'Air HQ is in Morlaix (and 29 is the official number for the French department of Finistère - editor) , but that number was already taken. 62 was in fact the number of my Figaro, when I won the Transat AG2R alongside Nicolas Troussel. I have had this number for 4 years. At the time of the transatlantic race with Brit’Air, we spoke about flight 62 between Concarneau and St Barth’. Now, we're opening a new line between les Sables d’Olonne and les Sables d’Olonne...»

360, the number on Groupe Bel

Kito de Pavant: «If you think about it, as we're sailing around the world, the meaning of this number seems pretty clear, but people keep asking me that question… »

Some nice quiet weather this Tuesday with the sun likely to shine throughout the day offering rather mild temperatures for the season (17°C this afternoon). Skies will remain clear and the south-easterly wind this morning blowing at around 12 knots will ease off around lunchtime and back easterly at around ten knots, then north-easterly and increasing again to fifteen knots. The thundery low, which produced rain during the night is moving away and we can expect the fine weather to continue this evening, before things start to deteriorate again with a new low moving in from the Alps on Wednesday lunchtime.
 

Tide times
Tuesday 4th November: coefficient 46 - 42
High tide: 7h43 – 20h03
Low tide: 1h50 – 14h17
Wednesday 5th November: coefficient 37 - 34
High tide: 8h49 – 21h40
Low tide: 2h38 – 15h11

Today (Tuesday) with five days to go to the start, many skippers have requested permission to leave harbour on what will probably be their last trip before the start on Sunday 9th November. Thus, twelve boats are going to be missing from the pontoons for at least a part of the day:

Algimouss-Spirit of Canada : 05h00 – 10h00
BT : 05h00 – 10h30
Generali : 07h00 – 12h00
Maisonneuve : 08h00 – 10h00
Akena Vérandas : 09h00 – 18h00
Cheminées Poujoulat : 11h00 – 17h00
Fondation Ocean Vital : 09h00 – 18h00
Gitana Eighty : 10h00 – 17h00
Safran : 05h00 – 18 00
Temenos II : 10h00 – 17h00
Veolia Environnement : 10h00 – 17h00
VM Materiaux : 08h00 – 18h00

Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) back in Les Sables d’Olonne on Monday morning: «I didn't really do anything much: I was with the family away from all the fuss on the pontoons.  That meant I could get away from all that, but not completely away, as I continued to work on weather and software… as well as continuing my physical training!  There's nothing important left to do, but we need to keep an eye on the final touches, as if we keep saying "we're ready", that's when we tend to forget something.  But right now, I'm down to counting my spare tooth brushes and lip salve… We'll do one more final check, unfurl the sails one more time and do some changes of tack to ensure everything is just as we want.»

For Rich Wilson, the skipper of Great American III, there is another hot news story coinciding with this final week of preparations: the U.S presidential election, which takes place tomorrow (4th November).  Rich talked in French yesterday about his choice and desires for his country in a short interview, which you can listen to in the Media Library (audio).

 

Before the start: « The three-week time period in Les Sables d'Olonne is starting to drag on a bit. It’s a bit like going on holiday.  The more time you have to get ready, the more you keep adding to the suitcase!”  ».
His preparation: «To be honest I am definitely not as well prepared. I think we’d done more sailing before the last time round, and the time before, so consequently I felt more at home with the boat than I do right now.»
His 60-foot boat: «This boat has been a bit of a bugger since the beginning. Someone asked me the other day: do you treat your boat like a person or a tool? I had to admit it was more like a tool. This boat is definitely in the tool department but hopefully it will do a good job for me and I suppose I might grow to like it more as time goes on.  I don’t think I’ll ever fall in love with her but hopefully we can make friends. Right now we’re not hitting it off, at all »
An upwind start? «This, I have to say, I wouldn’t mind at all because I think we are quite well placed for those conditions and she’ll [Ecover] do a good job.  The strengths of the Owen Clark designs are upwind and downwind. Reaching is our weakest point of sailing so I know I’ll have to work hard to hold my own reaching, harder than others I think.»