As the final dress rehearsal for Friday’s first points scoring inshore races of the Routes des Prince, two training races Thursday gave an immediate insight into how close the short, sharp round the buoys course racing will be. Two days of these inshore races, totaling up to six contests, are scheduled before the fleet leaves Sunday for Leg 1 from Valencia to Lisbon, Portugal. Honours, little as they may be worth, proved to be pretty even after the Route des Princes fleet took to Valencia’s waters off Malvarossa beach for the first skirmish in perfect conditions, 12-15knots of sea breeze and sunshine.
Media Day presented the opportunity for the Multi50’s and the MOD70’s to take part in two training races with VIP and media guests on board.
It was the newest MOD70, Jean Pierre Dick’s Virbac Paprec, which made the best start until Sébastien Josse’s crew on Edmond de Rothschild took over the lead. But they could not defend against the advances of Oman Air Musandam and it was Sidney Gavignet’s international crew which took the first winning gun with Spindrift in second and Edmond de Rothschild third. In the Multi 50’s it was Erwan Le Roux’s, FenêtréA-Cardinal which won the training race.
There was little change in the conditions for the second race and after Oman Air Musandam lead early on, this time it was Spindrift which triumphed while FenêtréA-Cardinal completed the double.
Revil will skipper Spindrift in Valencia and Lisbon
Skipper of the MultiOne Championship winning Spindrift will remain in Geneva Switzerland until just before Sunday’s start of Leg 1 as he is taking part in the Geneva Rolle Geneva race on the team’s D35. His place as skipper will be taken by Xavier Revil, who has joined the team this year from Foncia, winners of last year’s MOD70 European Tour. Revil, a past French Tornado Olympic campaigner who finished 15th in the 2008 Games in Qingdao will steer Spindrift on the inshore races in Valencia and also in Lisbon when Guichard will be competing in the Bol d’Or
