Second night – Grand Passage
Press Release n°4 - Monday 16th June by night
Second Night of the Race: A Tough Transition on the Way Back to Nouméa
After an energetic start yesterday at 10 a.m., the yachts competing in the New Caledonia Groupama Race are heading into their second night at sea. Onboard, strategic decisions are becoming more important, minds are adjusting to the conditions, and the atmosphere is being forged to the rhythm of wind and waves.
Aboard Young Guns, spirits are high — and for good reason: tonight, the crew is celebrating Antoine’s birthday, followed tomorrow by François’. A great way to keep morale up, despite a slightly tricky first night, marked by the tearing of a heavy spinnaker after exiting Woodin.
“We switched to a lighter one — a bit slower, but it’s holding up!” says Timéo. With 20 knots of wind and a gentle swell — just enough to make one crew member seasick! On Guilty Pleasures, the mood is equally upbeat: “We’re exactly where we wanted to be — not far from Poulpito and BNC. Everyone’s feeling good, no one’s sick, we’re eating well, staying hydrated… all’s smooth sailing!”
Diverging Strategic Options
The Guilty – Speed Marine – Epureau crew was asked: why did they choose to sail offshore rather than take the Woodin route like Poulpito – MLS – FCD, even though both boats are similar?
“It’s true that on paper Guilty and Poulpito are the same boat, but we’ve got different sails,” explains Aurélien. “Going through Woodin wouldn’t have worked well for us — we opted to go offshore in search of more wind and more favorable angles.”
A winning move: “We made a few technical mistakes, but all things considered, we’re in a good place!” During the night, they found themselves sailing solo — “just when we needed to,” says Aurélien. “Poulpito stayed closer to shore, BNC – My::Net went further out, and we split the difference,” he adds. “We didn’t see much of them, which helped us focus on ourselves — our course and our trimming. By morning, we were back in the game — and that’s pretty cool!”
On Dove – Syrius Solar – Défi des filles, the night was eventful.
“We had between 17 and 20 knots of wind with some swell, so we chose to fly the smaller spinnaker overnight to avoid getting knocked around too much,” explains Céline. “We’re trying to bear away as much as possible, but it’s not easy with the waves.”
No damage onboard, no tears: “We’re being super careful with the gear. Yesterday we broached, gave ourselves a bit of a scare, but everything’s fine now.”
Despite the tricky conditions, the crew remains upbeat: “The weather’s beautiful, the stars are out — it’s lovely.” They found themselves a bit alone overnight, but caught up to the pack this afternoon, including Maluco, BCI Brer Fox, and IFP Patrimoine – Muleque, who they now have in sight, and will likely spend the night sailing alongside.
Australian Catamaran Leads the Fleet
Rushour has just crossed the Grand Passage: “It was pretty rough, lots of movement,” said Becky.
Nevertheless, they encountered no major issues. The passage itself went “pretty smoothly,” according to the crew.
For the next stage, they plan to maintain a steady pace of 8 to 10 knots as they beat upwind. The upwind leg will definitely be the least comfortable — especially if the sea isn’t flat. It’s likely they’ll consider entering the lagoon early (even if it means exiting again later) to find the most favorable conditions for their multihull.
At this stage, all boats have crossed the Balade checkpoint except Too Farr Out and Boudicea. As night falls, the fleet continues its progress towards the northeast of the territory — except for Rushour, which is already tackling the upwind leg back.
The tactical choices made in the last few hours may weigh heavily in tomorrow’s standings. Stay tuned…