Almost abreast in to Brest!

The outcome of the final stage of the Istanbul Europa Race was in doubt until the end, but as Michel Desjoyeaux and his Foncia crew clinched the overall victory by winning the final stage from Barcelona to Brest, the fact there was hope until the end for his pursuers left them all the more drained in the end.

But for the victor Desjoyeaux, his crew and those who turned out and waited in Brest for the finish of a cliff hanger of a finale, it was a memorable night.
 
Until the beginning of the afternoon the gains into the narrow channel off Brest looked set to continue, until the breeze all but deserted the scene, halting the action in the strong contrary currents.
And so in the end it was the sheer patience and determination rather than winds which willed Veolia Environnement (Roland Jourdain), Paprec-Virbac 2 (Jean-Pierre Dick) and Group Beautiful (Kito de Pavant) to the finish line in Breton waters, and in the blink of an eye the end of the European tour, from the Bosphorous to the Atlantic in conditions more reminiscent of the Mediterranean.
 
Even the final day was one of high tension, a reminder to the finish of all the difficulties and challenges which have prevailed almost all the way through this three leg course.
But in the end, all of the teams are  unanimous in their appreciation of the race, and the course, right to the finish line.

The winds and currents set the challenges through the final hours, dragging out the last miles, completing the East to West route, which links the historic idyll of the east and west, joined by a great sailing race. Tired out by the final leg, finishing in the calms, enveloping the cape of Brittany, it was a final twist in the tale.
It has proven a race which has no comparison on the IMOCA Open 60 calendar, crossing Europe's traditional sea routes, through the Mediterreanean in all its states, from east to west,  fully crewed, into the Atlantic and the English Channel.

WHAT THEY SAID

Roland Jourdain – Veolia Environnement, second into Brest

"It's a great course, a super crew...” "Like any race in any boat, when it stops it's always good. Especially when it proved so long in the end. Other than a technical stop off Cape Horn I had never had tried out anchoring before in a race on Veolia Environnement. Here we did it, anchoring down and up, restarting, and the others coming up behind. S
However it is a bit of a disappointment again not to finish closer to Foncia but that is not to take away from their great racing. It went down to half an hour in the end. Right to the wire but we could be happier. The tour of Europe is great race. We struggled a little in the Med without so much success, a small speed disadvantage under certain conditions which make it difficult. But the course, from the perspective of history as well as simple geography, is just great. I have a great crew which makes it a great experience too. We always learn from new experiences, sailing, even solo, is a team sport, but to spread the load, to share the sail changes, the strategic decision making, doing things together, and sharing the agonies and the ecstasy is all a great, different dimension. From a competitive viewpoint we are not disappointed with this first edition at all. And I really hope we are joined by more teams on the next edition.”

Jean-Pierre Dick - Paprec-Virbac 2, 3rd in Brest

"It's a feeling of great pleasure but mixed emotions, my last race with this boat on which I won the Barcelona World Race. We also completed the objective, to perform as a team with a mixed crew which did not know each other, even if we remain a bit frustrated to have seen Foncia and Veolia Environnement get away.  We take a lot of pleasure from this last stage. Last night we took a different chance to pass Groupe Bel, but to make 20 miles is such hard work. The Volvo Ocean Race experience of Pepe Ribes and Damian Foxall set a new level for us, higher than solo or two up. The work passed easier for sure. I think this race has a bright future. Its key feature is the passage across my native Mediterranean, through the Greek Islands which I experienced at 18 – 20 years old, and even the light of Wolf Rock was superb.

 Kito de Pavant - Beautiful Group, 4th in Brest

 "Happy with the race, yes, but the Cow did not lauch much on this stage. We had a few technical problems which hampered us a bit. We were struck by lightning on the first night in the Mediterranean which meant some damage, especially to the keel system. And so we had to cant it by hand, even if, in the end that started to feel normal! It also influenced our strategic choices a bit. But we also made some mistakes, especially off Gibraltar where we made a bad choice which was cost us. After that it was a leaders' race. We took some punishment last night even if I had said Brittany was always magic. I am happy with our crew. Everyone worked hard and well together. And overall, well it is Michel Desjoyeaux who beat us. And I am very pleased with the boat, Groupe Bel, which is quick. For me this has been a great race, and I am pleased to have participated. As a sailor it is great to go new places, and it is always pleasing to pioneer something new, a race formula which needed to convince people. With second overall I am quite pleased. We worked hard in the winter after that terrible Vendée Globe. We experienced interesting things and last night especially when anything could have happened. I'll be back again, with pleasure.

Still the race carries on. Estrella Damm-1876 (Guillermo Altadill) and DCNS (Marc Thiercelin) are still progressing across the Bay of Biscay, and so the overall rankings are still open until they finish. But provisionally, the first two overall are
Michel Desjoyeaux (2nd, 2nd, 1st) on Foncia and runner up Kito de Pavant (3rd, 1st, 4th) on board Groupe Bel. But as for third, that will have to be decided when the Spanish crew arrive. With 340 miles to go, passing the Vendée they were making 8.8 knots, but DCNS has reduced their lead of 90 miles, to 60 miles en route to Brest via Wolf Rock.  

Time of race on the Barcelona-Brest stage
Foncia - Michel Desjoyeaux: 7d 15:50 min 56s
Veolia Environnement - Roland Jourdain: 7d 22:11 min 29
Paprec Virbac 2 - Jean-Pierre Dick: 7d 23:05 min 59s
Groupe Bel - Kito de Pavant: 8d 01:26 min 53s

Source : www.istanbuleuroparace.com