Panerai Transat Classique – GETTING INTO THE RHYTHM
Getting into the rhythm
First night at sea, first watches, first starry sky. After the excitement and the emotions of the start, the crews of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 have slipped comfortably into the rhythm of the race. On Croix des Gardes the crew have had to get used to some uncomfortable rolling, a queasy 10 to 15 degrees from one side to the other. Little Elizabeth, aged 7, was down in the dumps yesterday after the start but a passing school of dolphins briefly played around the bows and this perked her up. As for the crew of Red Hackle, they are finding it hard to swallow that they missed the last of the delicious breakfasts offered by Panerai, the race’s main sponsor, in the three days leading up to the start. However Jacques Caraës remains focused on the race: “Last night was easy with an 8 to 15 knot wind.We’re still flying our pink kite, still on starboard tack, and somewhat to the west of the shortest route. We’re doing our best to improve our southing. Let the gybe wars begin!” On White Dolphin, skipper Yann Delplace is bemoaning the loss of his big spinnaker (it got torn) which has slowed him down by 1 to 1.5 knots. At 15:00 hours The Blue Peter continued to lead the fleet both in real and corrected times, while Marie des Isles andGimcrack were bringing up the rear some 80 miles behind
