OUT95 scoops third in class in the mighty Bol d’Or
The Bol d’Or is the
premier event in the Swiss racing Calendar. An 80-mile race starting
from Geneva running the length of Lac Leman it attracts 600
competitors, including the British OUT95 ‘Eris’. Neal
Pawson tells the story from a race that featured vicious squalls as
well as completely drifting conditions over the course of their 22-hour
marathon.
After a week of preparation in brilliant sunshine following the
Geneve-Rolle-Geneve, still with a monstrous list of “to do”
jobs, then having a crew member refused exit from the UK and thus
having to find a last minute replacement, we were towed out to join 600
boats on the start line of the 68th Bol d’Or on an overcast
morning. With the start line divided up, with the faster monohulls
sandwiched between the multihulls and a large number of smaller boats,
tactical options were limited as we pulled away from the start on port
tack in 2-3 knots of wind that built to a steady 5-6 knot easterly.
After initially taking a route down the center to gain clear air we
worked the band of pressure down the French shore to Yvoire. Exiting
the Petit Lac the wind dropped below 5 knots and the code 0 was hoisted
as we fetched across the bay of Thornon in a small band of pressure. On
passing Evian the wind became increasingly fickle and we again headed
for the shore to make use of the local wind on the beach.
Whilst we played the highly variable wind the clouds started to build
behind and we spotted the flashing warning lights that are dotted
around the lake to warn mariners of impeding storms. We donned
waterproofs and tried to anticipate the direction. Looking behind we
saw spinnakers being hoisted as the wind switched to the west and built
rapidly to 20+ knots. With masthead kite and full main we shot off in
flat water towards the turning mark at Bouveret with the Silva
instruments locked in with a constant 20 knots boatspeed. We sped past
the leading boats who having already rounded the mark were struggling
with reefs and headsail changes on an upwind course. After two smaller
hiccups our sleigh ride was bought to a close by a vicious gust down
the vertical cliff face above Bouveret, which required the kite halyard
to be blown to get us back on our feet. Approaching the mark in pouring
rain, the wind became increasingly unstable with bigger gusts and lulls
alternatively demanding multiple reefs or full sail. The drama was not
over yet, as we rounded under headsail alone with broken rigs around us
and the mark only a few hundred meters off a leeshore that had already
claimed one boat, a competitor sailing bare-headed directly ahead
suddenly lost its mainsail as the halyard broke. Staring at a rapidly
approaching transom and insufficient water to sail through to leeward
our only option was to gybe out and tack round to clear past the big
steel barge recording the competitors as they rounded. The wind at the
same time started to drop as rapidly as it had built and clock round to
the south. We re-hoisted our main and added our code 0 as we headed
back down the lake to the finish.
We quickly returned to sub 6 knots windspeed and from the adrenaline
pumping events earlier our bodies suffered from a lack of stimulant and
we were left bemoaning our forgotten supply of caffeine stimulant
drinks with only bananas and chocolate to jumpstart our bodies and
minds. Across the bay of Evian as dusk settled into night the wind
became increasingly patchy and required repeated changes from spinnaker
to code 0 and back. We worked hard to stay in the wind bands only to be
frustrated as the lake gods seemed to deal out an equal number of
jokers to our competitors.
Re-entering the Petit Lac with the moon high in the sky the wind
disappeared completely until the faintest zephyrs brought the boatspeed
into the 0.5-2 knots range. With exhausted bodies strewn above and
below decks and tired minds fighting to stay focused, small maneuvers
became highlights of excitement from the monotony of creeping along in
such light breeze. As dawn approached we jousted with a number of
groups of boats that materialized from navigation lights including an
F28 trimaran and a number of the local Toucan class of long narrow
boats that feature huge overlapping headsails. Picking our way past
boats left and right, all the way up to the line, we finally squeezed
over the line at 6hr50 in the morning, 12h hours after we rounded
Bouveret.
After a restorative sleep and a wonderful meal of Boeuf Bourguignon,
kindly provided by our Swiss sponsors “Wings Project Art
Space”, we were pleasantly shocked after all the adventures of
the race to discover at the prize giving that we had finished 31st
monohull from over 540 competitors and be called up to the podium to
collect a trophy for 3rd in class!
Results Monohulls Class 1: 1st Tilt, Schneiter/Firmenich; 2nd Taillevent 2, Engel; 3rd Full Pelt, Fein. Class 2: 1st Miss Tfy, Valiton; 2nd Cornaline, Della Casa; 3rd Kick Asso, Syfrig. Class L: 1st Move Your Image, Schiller; 2nd Coriace, Rousselle; 3rd Eris OUT95, Preston. Multihulls M1 class: 1st Banque Gonet, Coutts; 2nd Julius Bar, Cardis; 3rd Okalis, Grange. M2 class: 1st Team New Wave, Geiser/Stamm; 2nd Tilt, Schneiter; 3rd DFI-CQFD, Association
ENDS
Notes for editors:
The OUT95 is designed by Neal Pawson and built by Out and Out
Solutions, a partnership between Neal and the boat’s build
manager Alex Ashworth Briggs. Inspired by Pacific Proas (narrow
single-hulled craft with an outrigger to windward), and built fully of
carbon, the Out 95 is rather like a catamaran with one hull and a deep
bulb keel, while buoyant ‘wings’ providing a wide platform
for the crew to keep the boat sailing flat. The rig is a rotating
carbon spar supported by Navtec rigging.
For more information on the OUT95 see www.out95.com contact Neal Pawson
on +44(0)79688 48340 or Alex Ashworth-Briggs on +44(0)7770 608287. High
resolution photos available on request or from www.out95.com/photos_2006.html