On July 3, after two days of navigation, the Class40 IBSA exited the St. Lawrence River having covered 500 miles and passed the first mark of the course, which effectively indicates the entrance into the Newfoundland Gulf, the second of the four phases of the regatta. Here the boats will sail with light winds, at least until Friday, July 5, when, with the entry into the ocean, the second phase of this exciting regatta should also end
Analysing what happened in the first days of the Transat Québec Saint-Malo is very complex: in the morning of July 3, the first ten boats were still less than 10 miles away from each other, with Alberto Bona and the Class40 IBSA in 4th position at the 11:00 am check, just under 4 miles from Ambrogio Beccaria, who was leading the fleet.
If along the St. Lawrence the two banks of the river defined the race course, in the Newfoundland Gulf the current is the new unknown, since the expected wind is light and on a beam reach, and finding the right route with a favourable current can make the difference.
“Everything is fine on board, the team is very close-knit”, reported Alberto. “I’m happy with our performance so far”.
“Navigating the St. Lawrence”, added Luca Rosetti, “was very nice and interesting; it was like finding yourself in a windward-leeward regatta in terms of intensity and tactics, but in reality the whole ocean still awaits us”.
Yesterday, July 3, Bona’s team waited patiently and sailed very slowly, choosing the best route and watching out for their direct opponents, represented by at least four boats.
“It was a long day, in which we managed the light wind, always in a downwind speed, choosing the route to exit the Gulf”, commented Alberto. “A lot of patience is needed in this phase, and it is important to be ready when the wind increases”.
Between July 3 and 4 the weather conditions in the Newfoundland Gulf literally blocked the fleet, which forcefully lowered their average speed. The first 15 crews were divided into two groups: those who strategically decided to stay further North and exited the Gulf closer to the coast took the lead in the race, while those – like Alberto – who preferred to stay further South found themselves about 20 miles behind. Now for them it’s time for the litmus test, which will decide whether the strategy they chose will give them an advantage in the next few hours.
Indeed, the next objective is the exit from the Gulf, with the possibility of hooking up with the carrier winds and then setting sail towards Europe. On board the Class40 IBSA there is no lack of determination and grit, but in this phase the best virtue was above all patience, which the team needed to cover around 100 miles in one day and wait for truly oceanic weather conditions.
