Victory for the new JPK 1050!

First regatta and first victory in a major race, it's clear that the whole JPK team is happy and proud of the result!

To say that we arrived at the Spi Ouest France without any pressure would be a lie, because after 10 months of hard work and reflection at every level, the moment of truth really comes when we face up to our rivals in a regatta, and in particular the Pogo RC, which has also just been launched with a similar concept.

Round 1

The wind is well established at around 22/25 knots from the south, with a strong chop added to the swell and plenty of rain - long live spring! The 1st leg was upwind for 5/6 miles to "La Vieille" on Houat.

Alexis (Loison), who is at the helm for the weekend, got us off to a perfect start. In the lead at the clearing mark, we went on a short reaching leg under genoa with Pogo RC in 2nd position. On this tack, this new generation of boat quickly made a break with the rest of the fleet. We set off again for an hour of close-hauled sailing under J3 and a high mainsail, and the boat was doing really well. We passed La Vieille with a lead and in a mess, but it was hard to see our rivals behind the curtain of rain! The next leg was a reach at 80° to the wind, still in 25 knots. We decided to put the jib top-hooked, which turned out to be complicated to set up and not very profitable in terms of speed once established. We lost quite a bit of time in the operation, and we lost a lot of energy just when we needed to put back a code 0, because the wind was right for a 3-minute tack. We decide to tack under genoa and prepare the A5 for the next tack, when the Pogo attacks under code 0.

He came back and passed us before the gybe buoy, but we were ready to send the A5. At 120° to the wind, it's the right sail when he stays under code 0. And then the differential becomes enormous, we're 3 knots faster on the ideal angle of the boat and sail, at 15/16 knots of speed. The gap quickly widened and we won the race with a nice lead, even though the very last leg had to be sailed under A2. Wow! The machine works like a charm in a breeze!

Personally, I'm "burnt out", because it's hard to keep up the non-stop manoeuvres, especially after 60 years old! Alex is such a tyrant! Festa (SF 3300) and Abracadabra (JPK 1010) are in position, as is Hey Jude on J 120. The IRC rules are really well done!

Round 2

Change of scenery with a light SW breeze around 6 knots.

The start is downwind, directly under the spinnaker. In this type of start, the trap is to be unstuck on the line and not be able to free yourself from the wind afterwards. You decide to start at the top of the line, to be cautious, when the Pogo starts at the bottom of the line, which is more risky but pays off if you get out of the way quickly, as the angle of descent towards the new mark is then tighter.

At the leeward mark, he was ahead with his offset, and for the rest of the inshore, he was right on our tail until the last broad reach under spinnaker in 10 knots, when we managed to pass him upwind to attack the final close-hauled stretch in the lead and in a position to choose our tack.  Soon enough, we were pulling away with good speed, which made us smart!  Once again, we saved our rating on Pogo, of course, and on Lann Ael, but above all on the whole fleet. Clearly, sailing ahead with a fresh breeze helps to open up the gap.

In the meantime, we can see that the boat is performing well in both breezy and light airs, which is great!

Round 3

The 30-mile coastal race begins on an upwind leg to a clearing buoy, followed by a 10-mile downwind run to Belle-Île before returning to La Trinité via the Teignouse Passage.

The wind at the start of the race was around 10 knots, and within a minute of the start an SF 3200 got in our path and blocked us completely. Alex tried to find a way trough but it was impossible to get around it. We were boarded in the left-hand frame when it passed in the right-hand frame! We're 20/25th at the clearing buoy, which is a shame!  To follow a VMG tack in 10 knots over 5 miles towards the centre of the bay.  We clawed our way back and passed the fleet, but our serious rivals were well ahead, so we're going to have to dig deep!

5/6 miles from the 'galleys' and before passing the Béniguets, the wind refused and increased in strength. Our powerful hull had a real advantage and it was bombing along at 12/15 knots at an angle of 125° to the true wind and 20 knots of wind. It's impressive to see how the gaps are widening in the fleet, with the exception of Pogo and Lann Ael, who are ahead and also moving very fast. At the leeward mark, Aruba (the Pogo) was 1st ahead of Lann Ael, but Fred and Tanguy screwed up their lowering and trawled the spinnaker. They lost a huge amount of sail and we rounded the leeward mark in 2nd position.

The upwind to follow is rough at 20 knots on average with a high mainsail and J2 in a well-formed chop. We managed to get back past Lann Ael, and we sailed well at the end of the race to win our 3rd race in real time, and finally in compensated time, ahead of Ciao Ciao on the SF 3600 and Abracadabra (winner of the last Fastnet double-handed race) on the JPK 1010.

Round 4, the last one!

Alexis warned me at the start of the championship: "I've already finished 2nd in the Spi eight times, and I've never won it. This year, it's for me!

So today we're going to have to manage as best we can to avoid being trapped, because we've got quite a lead in the points. However, nothing can be taken for granted, because with a very high rating, all it takes is one 'shitty' run to finish above 20th place on corrected time. In this championship, every race counts and we have no right to make mistakes.

A downwind start under spinnaker, and once again we break away with Aruba to pass the leeward mark in the lead. Upwind sailing began and we put in some good tacks to keep ahead of Solenn (JPK 1050) and Lann Ael, but the sea was turning white, heralding a calm! It's not going to be an easy round, with the randomness of the shifts to deal with! After a few knots between the light airs, we finally arrived at Nord Quiberon with only Lann Ael ahead, and Ludo and Régis' other JPK 1050 stuck behind, so it felt good! A tack to follow under Code 0 then a final descent to Trého in VMG mode to the finish. The line is just crossed in layline, and it's a relief because the fleet is far behind. They could have come back after the wind shifted to the west, but fortunately the wind didn't return until after the race.

For Alex, it's a consolation of destiny, and for the site it's the success of a highly collective effort. There's a lot of work behind all this, but clearly Jacques Valer has pulled an exceptional boat out of his hat once again!