Rock hopping in the Atlantic

Oman Sail Renaissance back up to 5th in the Tour de Voile á la France 2010.

The first big offshore for the Tour was the 200 mile, Dieppe to Pleneuf-Val-Andre, around the Cherbourg peninsular. Conditions were light to moderate and there was plenty of rock hopping up the shore, to get out of the tide which at times was running at six knots. It was a really difficult race tactically and our overall strategy was to stay in the same water as the boats that are leading overall.

We made one little mistake which cost us dearly; we got caught in a tidal whirlpool and never made up the ground we lost, to come sixteenth which was disappointing. However, we bounced back to score a bullet inshore which has put us back in the hunt and we are currently lying 5th.

Next up, Oman Sail Renaissance have another 200 mile offshore race to L’Orient. Overall, it is looking like it will be a long light-airs race, we should get some sea breeze in the afternoon and perhaps some very light wind at night off the land. It seems that we will have another game of cat and mouse!

Oman Sail Renaissance are in great spirits but we are a bit tired, however this is the last long offshore race of the Tour and we are determined to do better than our last excursion on the Atlantic coast.

A bit tired but still having fun!

Robert