The world's first-ever solo multihull race around the world, the Ultim Challenge-Brest, is set to kick off on Sunday from Brest, France. The six intrepid skippers are expecting light winds and some winter sunshine for their send-off, but the stress levels will be high from the start.
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The 24,220 nautical miles race will see the skippers head out onto a relatively benign Bay of Biscay, but a low-pressure trough with no wind at its centre is lurking off the Portuguese coast, presenting the first opportunities for a leader to jump ahead. However, any losses could have long-term effects, as the objective is first to the train of eastward-moving low-pressure systems in the Southern Ocean.
The six intrepid skippers who will compete in the first-ever solo multihull race around the world, the ARKÉA ULTIM CHALLENGE-Brest From left to right: Eric Peron, Anthony Marchand, Tom Laperche, Armel Le Cleac'h, Charles Caudrelier andThomas Coville Photo: Alexis Courcoux
Veteran weather router Marcel van Triest, who advises one of the favourites, Armel Le Cléach (Banque Populaire), has cautioned that it is pretty tricky to get down to the Cape Verdes due to the arrival of winter and a blocking situation with lots of low-pressure systems mid-Atlantic. The skippers must navigate their way through this difficult terrain, making sure that they are in the right carriage at the entrance to the Southern Ocean and not left behind.
The 32m x 23m flying multihulls will have to contend with modest winds and a much bigger low-pressure trough in the Atlantic that has broken up the prospects of any trade winds to take them south towards the Equator at high speeds. Any initial losses on these high-speed, giant ULTIMs can be problematic on this course, and skippers will have to be vigilant at all times.
