From Press release
It seems that circumstances conspired this morning to throw a spanner in the works of the Martinique Cata Raid’s well-oiled organisers. As soon as the competitors were on the water, the start procedure was delayed. The cause was the heavy conditions outside the bay, which made anchoring the markers tricky. With the fleet dismasting and returning to the club, the series has only just begun on a day full of pitfalls. A torn mainsail, a blown genoa sheet and a blown spinnaker pole for three of the race’s main protagonists… It’s clear that Tuesday will have given everyone a hard time!
Impossible this morning to get the competitors out of the Bay of Robert, as the wind and sea are so strong outside for this long distance race of around twenty miles. The course, which starts at 13h30, will take the 26 crews around the îlet aux Rats and the ilet à Eau. Nonetheless, the pressure is high on the line with an easterly flow of 25 knots.
Benoit Champanhac and Grégoire Courtel, who got off to a flying start, could only watch in disappointment as their mainsail was torn apart just a few lengths past the line. A huge disappointment shared by Nicolas Gillet and Nicolas Poix (Socoveam Anmizi), who were also forced to retire due to a broken genoa sheet. A few minutes later, it was the turn of Benoît Touchot and Pierre-Yves Durand to return to the club with a broken spinnaker pole! And that’s three serious contenders out of the race. The way was clear for the formidable Dutchmen Ad Noordzij/Bastiaan Tentij (HorseRidingSpain), who won their first race here in Martinique ahead of the Boulogne brothers Emmanuel and Vincent, and the Finns Slim Maival/ Anssi Muikku for a 100% Nordic podium!
