Seychelles Regatta 2011-Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte opens two-point lead with win |27 May 2011

Michel Desjoyeaux’s Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte and Jérémie Beyou’s Hyundai are going head-to-head and it is very likely that the fight between the 2009 champion and last year’s winner will continue today and tomorrow.

And the crew on the two boats, skippered by two experienced Frenchmen who are ranked among the top sailors in the world, must be happy with their day’s work as they continued their domination of the fleet, coming in 17 seconds apart to take first and second places.

After winning Sunday’s first race, Desjoyeaux’s Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte got only their second victory in yesterday’s sixth race with a time of 1 hour 20 minutes 29 seconds (1h20:29) and trailing in second place by 17 seconds was Beyou’s Hyundai (1h20:46).

In yesterday’s sixth race sailed in good win condition of 16 knots and under sunny blue skies, the seven-boat flotilla left Ave Maria and sailed up north to La Digue, Ile Cocos and Ile Félicité before returning to La Digue where the race ended.

Fondéole Allianz, skippered by young Frenchman François Gabart, finished third with 1h21:45, while Samantha Davies’ and  Servane Escoffier’s Heineken was fourth with 1h22:45. In fifth position was Loïc Peyron’s Maia (1h24:11) and Romain Attanasio’s Tercognita again finished sixth with 1h25:06.

There was disappointment for Armel Le Cléac’h’s Bruno Aubriet Bâtiment boat whose top main sail was torn in the upwind just after the start of the race.

Going into the sixth day of racing today, the Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte boat, who amassed one point yesterday, remains in the lead with eight points – two less than Hyundai who have a Seychellois crew.

With young French skipper Gabart guiding its routes, Fondéole Allianz is third with 13 points, while two boats – Maia and Heineken – are locked on 23 points and are occupying fourth and fifth positions in the standings.

The Bruno Aubriet Bâtiment and Tercognita boats have 26 points apiece are ranked sixth and seventh.

Meanwhile, the organisers have said that instead of one, there will be two races today. The first will start at Ave Maria and the boats will go past La Digue and Ile Félicité before reaching the finish line at Ave Maria.

The day’s second race will also start at Ave Maria with the seven boats heading to the north of La Digue and Petite Soeur and back to Ile Chauve Souris – the main attraction in the Côte d’Or bay on Praslin.

G. G.