Fabrice Amedeo heads for Martinique!
Relive the highlights of the first 12 days of the Transat Jacques Vabre
On Sunday November 7, 89 boats set off from Le Havre for the famous Transat Jacques Vabre.
The duo sailors took to the coffee road, heading for Martinique, the race's finishing point.
Among the participants will be Fabrice Amedeo, whose commitment to ocean preservation Onet supports. Find out more about the highlights of the 2021 edition.
- - Onet
Sharing and conviviality around the Onet x Fabrice Amedeo partnership before setting sail
From October 29 to November 7, our employees visited the Transat Jacques Vabre starting village, historically located around the Bassin Paul-Vatine in Le Havre. They were able to visit the pontoon and Fabrice Amedeo's IMOCA boat.
Employees were mobilized throughout the week to live this unique experience, as well as on the day of the start with the Onet x Fabrice Amedeo tarpaulin in support of the navigator and his scientific project financed by Onet, for the protection of the oceans.
Visitors had the opportunity to climb aboard and discover how the boat works, the daily life of skippers during an ocean race, and the on-board sensors that collect precious data such as plastic pollution levels, CO2, salinity and water temperature. These measurements enable scientists to better understand the consequences of global warming and the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere.
At the same time, a large number of employees took part in the Onet x Fabrice Amedeo competition, predicting the date of our navigator's arrival in Martinique in order to win Fabrice's foulies, worn during the Transat Jacques Vabre. Over 220 predictions were received!
Watch Onet's video of the Transat Jacques Vabre village and Fabrice Amedeo's race start.
Logbook
Day1 - Enthusiastic start for Fabrice Amedeo and co-skipper Loïs Berrehar
A handful of meters from the long row of IMOCA boats, the crowd had gathered for the health pass. Fabrice Amedeo, with a confident look and a smile on his face, was preparing with serenity. At the start of the 17th transatlantic race of his career, he made no secret of his enthusiasm. See images from the start!
Day2 - Breton anticyclone
A complicated start to the Transat. Very soon after the start, the wind eased off and finally stopped blowing. A ridge of high pressure (a windless zone) blocked the route through the Bay of Biscay. On the bright side, the boat and its skippers are making a smooth start to this crossing.
Day3 - Flying boat
The start of the race tested the nerves of the competitors, but now the boat is flying and the sea is flat. The advantage is that the equipment hasn't been overstretched. The sailors have been lucky, sharing with us the magical moments offered by the open sea: "The dolphins that had been following us since yesterday morning have finally left us. But last night I could still hear them breathing around the boat".
Day4 - Witnessing global warming
"Are we witnessing global warming on this transatlantic race? Impossible to say, but we're certainly witnessing disruption: no scenario is being respected on this Jacques Vabre 2021." Fabrice Amedeo testifies.
Day 5 - Cruising pace
Ocean rhythms and playlists are the order of the day as the IMOCA glides towards the trade winds. The duo are in tune with their sailing objectives: to eventually stop using fossil fuels. "We're holding on thanks to our hydrogenerators, and as we approach the latitude of the Moroccan coast, our solar panels will become increasingly efficient," explains Fabrice Amedeo.
Day 6 - Focus on strategy
The duo had been losing ground on the frontrunners since Cape Finisterre, and decided to listen to their limits and the boat, and not to attack under spinnaker as soon as Portugal, so as not to lose a strategic sail for the rest of the race.
Day 7 - Adjustments
Adjusting the trajectory between Gran Canaria and Lanzarote to take advantage of the wind's channelling and accelerate in a calm zone. The foulies have been put away at the bottom of the bags and replaced by t-shirts and shorts, and the solar panels are starting to deliver crucial energy for the future, especially as the light wind is making our hydrogenerators less efficient.
" We're concentrating on our route and sail trimming, but enjoying every moment at sea, aware that we're very privileged". confided Fabrice Amedeo.
Day 8 - On the edge
IMOCA on the attack under full spinnaker! (the boat's largest headsail, measuring 380 m2) a few miles off the Moroccan coast. Our navigator had to contend with numerous cargo ships and a fishing boat with no AIS positioning system, and so was seen at the last moment. "Finishing remains our primary objective for this Transat Jacques Vabre, but we're increasingly letting ourselves set new goals as we gain power and improve our technical connivance on board," explains Fabrice Amedeo.
Day 9 - Change of scenery
After autumn in Le Havre: late summer in Madeira, summer in the Canaries and the summer heatwave as we reach the Doldrums. With each transatlantic crossing, our navigator has the impression of going back in time to that wonderful time of summer. The duo encountered numerous cargo ships along the African continent: fishing boats, but also many dangers floating between two waters. The port rudder hit several UFOs during the night, as Fabrice Amedeo explains: "This kind of mishap reminds us just how random our sport is, but also just how fragile and polluted our ocean is.
Day 10 - Wild slides
Fabrice Amedeo confides, "The boat spent part of the night sitting on a rail, pushed along by gusts of wind which made her take off on totally flat seas: she was a joy."
Following their misadventures, the duo set about repairing a rudder hook and a large gennaker.
Day 11 - En route to the Doldrums
After rounding the Cape Verde archipelago to the east, the duo headed south towards the Doldrums. This is a critical moment in the race: the inter-tropical convergence zone between the trade winds of the northern and southern hemispheres often produces very light winds, much to the chagrin of the sailors crossing it, punctuated by violent squalls under cumulonimbus clouds.
Day 12 - The challenge of a trajectory
The duo opted for a westerly trajectory in the final stretch before the inter-tropical convergence zone, gybing later than their rivals to the south of Cape Verde. This option brings more wind, and the boat should enter the Doldrums more gently than competitors positioned further east. After all, if the leaders have passed through unhindered, the Doldrums will build up again. These choices enabled Fabrice Amedeo's team to climb to 8th place on Friday November 19th.