Competition and poetry - After the eventful Coupe Crédit Mutuel Bretagne won by the Danish team headed by Jens Christensen—the head of North Sails, currently the leading manufacturer of racing sails—the Baie de Douarnenez went all out to inaugurate the Grand Prix Guyader Dragon. ‘The weather is wonderful,’ enthusiastically explained Jean Gabriel Le Cléac’h from the committee boat. ‘There’s wind, sun and beautiful colours. The conditions are ideal for sailing, and what’s more, they are all disciplined since there was only one individual recall (corrected) for this first race.’ The Grand Prix Guyader is exceptional: beyond the competition—which is obviously fierce seen the level of the sailors—all the competitors and organisers have let themselves be seduced by the poetry of the place. And this is how, as Erik Orsenna wrote: ‘Once again, this is where the magic lies. It is a vast expanse of water to the west of Europe. It looks like a lake because of the land that surrounds it, but it is the sea—the most beautiful and shifting one that exists. This is where the lights convene: it’s blue, it's grey, it's green, it's dark; it's the entire array constantly swept and reshuffled by the wind—like playing cards in a big game. This is where the boats convene: I mean not only from where we leave from but also our garden of returns. It is for our dreams, the most brotherly of mirrors, it’s... Douarnenez.’
First round - The Grand Prix Guyader Dragon 2012 has brought together the best contemporary competitors. This is the peak event in this series with the topmost 25 world-ranked contenders. There are 75 competitors and here, placing in the top 30 is challenging enough.
Only one race was started today at 12:10 PM. When the wind weakened mid-afternoon, Jean Coadou, president of the race committee, decided the conditions were no longer favourable for a new start.
In a 10 to 12 knot southerly wind, the fleet raced forward “like on parade,” described Gilbert Drean, for 6.5 nautical miles. Four boats quickly took the lead and ran the show until the end of the first leeward leg. Among them, DEN 405, the winner of the Coupe Crédit Mutuel Bretagne. But the Belgian team, skippered by Ben Van Cauwenbergh, on Blackout (BEL 80) overtook the quartet.
The top French boat is in 13th place with a crew from Cannes led by Gérard Blanc on Tsuica (FRA 409). Bruno Peyron, teamed up with Gwen Chapalain and Louis Urvois (son) on Ar Youleg II (FRA 365), crossed the line in 16th position after nicely gaining on the fleet. ‘I am delighted to be back here. It’s made me get out of the office and get some air. As usual, I trained a lot given that I haven’t been on a Dragon since the last Grand Prix Guyader...’ What an impressive return, Mr. Peyron!
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