After taking an excellent third place on the westwards The Transat CIC from Lorient to New York just less than a month ago, British skipper Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) finished the New York Vendée Les Sables d’Olonne solo race back across the North Atlantic in sixth place this morning.
Image: Sam Davies © Olivier Blanchet/Alea/New York Vendée
She finished with a flourish, finally overtaking Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) – winner of the Transat CIC – in the final miles to steal sixth place.
The French based Brit proves she is in great shape ahead of the Vendée Globe which starts on 10th November with an accomplished result, crossing the finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne at 06:48:29hrs local time (04:48:29hrs UTC) setting an elapsed time of 12d 10h 48m 29s for the 3 200 nautical miles course.
HER RACE IN FIGURES
Finish time: 04:48:29 (UTC)
Elapsed time: 12d 10h 48min 29s
Delta to first: 2d 07h 03min 59s
Distance sailed: 4 260.27 miles
Average speed (on the great circle): 10.61 knots
SHE SAID:
" It was so good ! For two days, I had been gradually getting back at Yoann (Richomme). I was trying not to be too greedy but the boat was going really fast and I ended up overtaking him. I think he had a little problem this morning and I took advantage of it. I was waiting to get past him. I haven't slept much for several days. You had to trim constantly to keep the boat flying because the wind was really unstable. Our boats can be slow but you have to be on top of them so that they stay fast. Also, I didn't have AIS (collision avoidance system). As I slalomed a bit between the fishing boats, I had to stay even more attentive than usual at the end of the course. It was great to be in contact with other boats all the time, and not just any boats! It was perfect for improving my settings and also motivating yourself. When there are several of us, we all go faster. This transatlantic race did not go as it should have been on paper. We knew before we started that it would be a bit unusual and for my part I think it's good to have had a slightly longer race to get used to living on the boat, to be forced to get into a rhythm. Hats off to Charlie (Dalin) and Boris (Herrmann) for showing everyone how to do it. They are the only two to have managed to pass this front and it was wonderful to watch their trajectories. Boris especially showed boldness. It’s great to have dared to go north and to have remained committed to this option in the north. Behind, we were all in different groups but there has been a good fight in each of them. I'm really happy to have put together two Transats back to back like this. It gives me confidence for the Vendée Globe!”