Shortly after 2 o’clock on Thursday 24th November, (02 hours 6 minutes and 33 seconds French time to be exact), Thierry Duprey du Vorsent and Erwan Le Roux sailed their steed into Bahia for a race time of 17 days 11 hours 06 minutes and 33 seconds, thus three days, nine hours, twenty minutes and four seconds after the winner. Ups and downs of daily life on board for the duo on Gitana X. Satisfied on the one hand to have completed the course of the Transat Jacques Vabre fourth in the ORMA trimaran fleet, but disappointed on the other hand not to have run the race in alongside the rest of the fleet as they twice had to stop due to technical problems. Along with the joys of gliding downwind in trade winds of more than 20 knots, the difficulty of avoiding being stuck going nowhere fast when the wind dropped altogether for hours on end. But Thierry Duprey du Vorsent and Erwan Le Roux recall more easily the best moments in the 5 190 mile passage covered at an average speed of more than twelve knots. This fourth place in the Transat Jacques Vabre also enables them to take fifth place in the ORMA Multihull Championship 2005.
Thierry Duprey du Vorsent:
« It was actually tougher mentally than out on the water! We were shaken off when there were still 400 miles to go. No-one in front, no-one behind – and these boats are not made for cruising. When we made our second pitstop in Lanzarote we really asked ourselves the question of whether it was worth continuing or not. Groupama-2 had capsized just beforehand – it makes you think twice!
We end up finishing very late of course but we really did clock up a whole host of problems. Nothing to do with the boat’s level of preparation which was spot on. Everything that happened was unforeseeable. In fact we’re really proud of the whole team, always there when we needed them, ready and willing – and efficient with it. It’s rare to have a team support you to such an extent when you are really down in the dumps. Bravo and thank you once again to the Gitana Team.
Bahia is a great place to finish – music, noise, the people. We haven’t seen any of that for days! Pure magic. And as we haven’t got a radio on board, we haven’t heard a sound for ten days. It’s brilliant! »
Erwan Le Roux:
« Finishing the course in stormy squalls, wind, no wind, and wind again… Fifteen knots then nothing and then gusting. Trying mentally! But in the end, we were lucky compared to those who had to retire. We asked ourselves all sorts of questions after our rudder broke and then mainsail tearing. But it’s great to get into Bahia even if it is after everybody else. You have to look ahead. We’ll be back in 2007. Also, when you look back over the course we sailed, coming out of the front two days after the start from Le Havre, we weren’t that badly placed at all. We were in a good position, under the fleet, nicely placed to join the front runners without forcing. But of course we lost a lot of time with the torn mainsail, not to mention the loss of distance and heading. After that it was just one thing after another. And yet here we are and everything’s fine! It’s great to have seen this race through to the end, to have sailed the boat to the finish and in good condition in spite of it all. Gitana X suffered so did we. But we’re over the moon to be here. »
Rankings – Transat Jacques Vabre 2005 :
1-Banque Populaire
(Pascal Bidégorry & Lionel Lemonchois) in 14 days 01 hour 46 minutes 29 seconds, average speed of 15.37 knots.
2-Gitana 11
(Frédéric Le Peutrec & Yann Guichard) in 14 days 04 hours 50 minutes 15 seconds, average speed of 15.23 knots, 3 hours 03 minutes 46 seconds behind the leader.
3-Géant
(Michel Desjoyeaux & Hugues Destremau) in 14 days 05 hours 27 minutes 44 seconds, at an average speed of 15.20 knots, 3 hours 41 minutes 15 seconds behind the leader.
4-Gitana X
(Thierry Duprey du Vorsent & Erwan Le Roux) in 17 days 11 hours 06 minutes 33 seconds, at an average speed of 12.38 knots, 3 days 09 hours 20 minutes 04 seconds behind the leader.
ORMA Multihull Championship 2005 :
1-Pascal Bidégorry (Banque Populaire) 16 points
2-Frédéric Le Peutrec (Gitana 11) 35 ½ points
3-Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) 39 ½ points
4-Franck Cammas (Groupama-2) 61 points
5-Thierry Duprey du Vorsent (Gitana X) 63 ½ points
6-Armel Le Cléac’h (Foncia) 76 points
7-Giovanni Soldini (TIM-Progetto Italia) 157 points
8ex-Thomas Coville (Sodebo) 187 points
8ex-Yvan Bourgnon (Brossard) 187 points