PANERAI TRANSAT CLASSIQUE 2012
PANERAI TRANSAT CLASSIQUE 2012: A legendary race is born
Billed as one of the major events of the classic yachting calendar, the first leg of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 kept its promises to produce a nail-biting denouement as the skilled crews of these historic vessels battled it out right up to the finishing line.
If an event is to be judged on the intensity of its closing moments, then the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 has undoubtedly become the stuff of legends. The contestants showed unflinching courage as they spurred their charges on with every drop energy they could muster. After six days at sea, victory in the first leg seemed to be a mere formality for the Italian crew aboard Emeraude who had accomplished a faultless, or nearly faultless, run from Douarnenez Bay. But that was without counting on the fickleness of the wind, much to the disappointment of her owner Vittorio Cavazzana: “I’ve done a lot of sailing, but I’ve never been in such a slow race. We had a good run across the Bay of Biscay, notching up 11 knots with the spinnaker some nights. The first half of the race took a little over two days while the remainder of the run to Cascais took us another four. We watched helplessly as the other contestants closed the gap.” Despite her bad luck in the closing hours of the race, Emeraude was a worthy victor in real time.
The smaller vessels had nothing to complain about, indeed, if anything their enthusiasm redoubled at the news of the leader’s woes and they were determined to create an upset. In difficult conditions, characterized by a lack of wind, long periods of fog and violent thunderstorms, the competitors focused all their efforts on making headway. It is never easy finding the right balance between speed and endurance, especially when your vehicle is over 60 years old, and the mariners in this first leg showed what could be done with determination and experience. The most outstanding of these historic thoroughbreds was Persephone, owned by Yves Lambert, as she secured victory in corrected time and undoubtedly gained a psychological advantage over her opponents prior to the “great crossing” from Cascais to Barbados in December. For much of the early part of the race Lambert and his crew, including the veteran navigator Pierre Follenfant, entertained little hope of victory but when chance swung their way, they seized it with both hands, squeezing every last knot of speed out of the 1969 Dick Carter design.
Mowgli and Gweneven came in second and third respectively to complete the podium despite the pack chasing in their wake, piling on the pressure. A special mention must go to Valteam, the superb yawl designed by the Italian architect Renato Levi, which made what all agree to be the most spectacular finish. Vagabundo II, designed by Argentine architect German Frers in 1945, can lay claim to the youngest and most high-spirited crew… and the hungriest as they sailed into Portugal with nothing but crumbs in the food locker! In terms of heritage and tradition, the prize must go to the legendary Pen Duick II which French sailing icon Eric Tabarly sailed to victory in the 1964 single-handed transatlantic race.
An incredible human adventure at sea, this first leg of the Panerai Transat Classique 2012 proves, if proof were needed, that classic yachts are guardians of such noble virtues as solidarity, tenacity and generosity. The second leg, starting 25 October 2012, will see another fleet of classic racers setting out to do battle, but this time from Saint-Tropez. They will cross the unpredictable Mediterranean to fetch Cascais from where, on 2 December, the assembled fleet will take on the mighty Atlantic Ocean as they race to the beautiful island of Barbados, pearl of the Caribbean.
