Transat Jacques Vabre 2017: a 12th place for Newrest – Brioche Pasquier
Having set off from Le Havre on November 5th, Fabrice Amedeo and Giancarlo Pedote have cut this Wednesday, at 11h 16mn 16s (Paris time), in the heat of Brazil, the finish line of the Transat Jacques Vabre. Finishing in 12th place in the IMOCA category, the sailors of Newrest - Brioche Pasquier have spent 16 days 21h 41mn and 16s to scroll the 4 350 theoretical miles between Normandy and Salvador de Bahia. Happy to finish after a course led to a perfect agreement from start to finish, the duo does not hide the frustration of not being able to lead the machine to 100% of its potential following the loss of his spinnaker thus being deprived of the means to compete with the competition. Nevertheless, the experience is once again more than positive and tinged with a particular feeling for the navigator-journalist who disputed here the last race aboard his faithful mount which allowed him to finish the last Vendée Globe.
It is done ! After more than 16 days of an Atlantic navigation and a scenario rich in twists, Fabrice Amedeo and Giancarlo Pedote have joined Salvador de Bahia in 12th place in the Imoca monohulls. A result that was not necessarily the one expected from Le Havre and which gives the skipper of Newrest – Brioche Pasquier a shared feeling between disappointment and enrichment as he explained when he arrived in Brazil: “I am both frustrated and happy with this Transat Jacques Vabre. Frustrated at first, because from Cape Finisterre and the loss of our spinnaker, we knew we could not play with our designated competitors such as Yoann Richomme or Arnaud Boissières. Then there was the Doldrums which was severe for everyone but still allowed us to come back a little. But frustration is fortunately not the only feeling that dominates! I am also delighted to have shared this race with Giancarlo. Everything went extremely well between us. I learned a lot with him especially in the setting of flat sails, exercise in which he excels. More generally, I spent time at sea and it is always a happiness! “.
The smile from Le Havre to Salvador de Bahia
A contrasting balance totally shared by Giancarlo Pedote,Fabrice Amedeo’s co-skipper, who also returned to this first ocean experience aboard an Imoca; a test shot transformed for the one who aspire to be at the start of the next Vendée Globe in 2020: “We have experienced some disappointments out of the Channel, from a strategic point of view. But we have always tried to hang on to the package and come back. The explosion of our spinnaker at Cape Finisterre is a handicap that we paid dearly, especially between Cape Verde and the arrival in the Doldrums, but also on the last moments of the race. But I especially learned a lot about this first transat Imoca. The result is positive even if from a performance point of view we could have done something better. On the human side, everything went very well. Even without spinnakers, we have always managed to keep a smile on board. We have developed a good relationship with Fabrice. We had a good time on the water. All this gives me even more desire to be at the start of the next Vendée Globe. This Transat Jacques Vabre with Fabrice definitely gave me the Imoca virus! “.
A transition transat
Sportingly below expectations, this Transat Jacques Vabre is therefore a great success on the human level, an adventure faithful to the values of Fabrice Amedeo who also admitted that he did not necessarily start on November 5th in the best conditions. Divided among the pleasure of going back to sea and the concern to manage the evolution of his project as well as possible, especially the acquisition of a new frame with foils, he admitted: “It was a transition transat and I knew it. But it was sometimes difficult to live on the water, mainly because of not having the weapons to fight. When I left, I was aware that I still had the footsteps of my Vendée Globe and had, in recent months, put more emphasis on the entrepreneurial part of my project. Once on the water, it felt.”
Of this double race, the skipper of Newrest – Brioche Pasquier will however retain only the best and especially the happiness of having one last time crossed the Atlantic at the helm of a boat on board which he lived the most strong of his life as a sailor. In a few days, this faithful companion will continue his journey with Romain Attanasio, his new owner. Fabrice Amedeo, meanwhile, will take the plane to France and reunion with his family first … then, with this foiler that awaits him in a shipyard in Lorient and with which he will write very quickly a new beautiful chapter of its history with the sea, before starting the 40th anniversary of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe in November 2018.
The Newrest – Brioche Pasquier race in figures …
- Departure on November 5th, 2017 at 13:35
- Arriving on November 22th, 2017 at 11h 16mn 16s (french time) in 12th position in the Imoca category
- Race time: 16 days 21h 41mn and 16s
- Theoretical distance and velocity: 4,350 miles at 10.74 knots
- Actual distance and speed: 4,712 miles at 11.61 knots
- Distance to the first Imoca: 3 days 14h 04mn 30s.
Source : www.reportersdularge.com
