General Situation:
This Saturday, weak northeast flow between a depression over central Spain at 1013 hPa and an anticyclonic axis stretching from the south of the Azores towards the British Isles.
Sunday, weak wind conditions due to a ridge settling over the southern part of the Bay of Biscay, ahead of a disturbed regime over the near Atlantic with a cold front circulating at the 12°W meridian.
Monday, sustained northerly regime over the western Bay of Biscay and the near Atlantic on the edge of an anticyclone at 1033 hPa centered northwest of the Azores archipelago.
Weather conditions in Gijon
Saturday August 31:
Clouds dominate the clearings and the weather becomes more unstable with a risk of showers that could take on a stormy character at the end of the day.
Wind: northeast 5 to 15 km/h, gusts 25-30 km/h possible in storms.
Temperatures: 20 to 22°C
Risk of precipitation: 60%
Sunday, September 1st
Cloudy and foggy weather in the morning with patches of mist and a little drizzle. Clearings return from midday with dry weather in the afternoon.
Wind: variable light in the morning, north to northwest trend 5 to 15 km/h in the afternoon
Temperatures: 19 to 22°C
Risk of precipitation: 30%
Weather conditions for the start of the race in Gijon this Sunday, September 1st at 2 p.m.
Light wind conditions await the Figaro fleet for the start of this second stage which will take them from Gijon to Royan via Cape Finisterre. The reliability is good (90%) regarding these weak starting wind conditions. At 2 p.m., an irregular northerly wind of 4 to 7 knots is expected on the Gijon waters. The risk of temporary calm is not totally excluded at the beginning of the afternoon, which could play spoilsport. This light weather will be accompanied by a cloudy sky with clear spells. The sea will be calm with a small northwest swell of around 50 cm.
Weather conditions at sea Sunday, September 1 at 2 p.m.
The start of this second stage promises to be very sluggish and complicated for the sailors due to the weak and irregular winds under the effect of a high pressure ridge along the Cantabrian coast in the afternoon and the first part of the night from Sunday to Monday. They will therefore begin their race in light, irregular north to northwesterly airs, forcing them to sail close-hauled with numerous manoeuvres and sail adjustments to make. Early in the evening, in the heart of the ridge, the risk of calm (absence of wind) is significant. They will find themselves stuck on the water and will have to be patient to watch for the slightest gust that will allow them to progress on the water. In the middle of the night, the wind conditions will remain light but the flow will take on a south-southwest component ahead of a cold front that will sweep the fleet around 4-5am, bringing rain and a sudden strengthening of the wind with a veering to the northwest. This will be a relief for the Figaro sailors who will finally find good sailing speeds by taking a course to the southwest, towards the northwest tip of Spain.
Weather conditions at sea Monday 2nd September
On the morning of this Monday, the sailors will progress reaching in a northwesterly wind of around fifteen knots and the sailors will be able to relax a little after this complicated start to the leg. A speed race will begin between the skippers to reach Cape Finisterre as quickly as possible. The gaps could already be significant after several hours of very irregular wind. In the afternoon of this Monday, the wind will turn from the right and strengthen, on the descent towards the Finisterre mark. The sailors will accelerate in a northerly flow reaching 17 to 20 knots. The sea will become rough to strong and a little unruly with waves of more than 2 metres. In these more muscular conditions, the skippers will have to be very vigilant and not let up. It is early in the night from Monday to Tuesday that the first skippers should round the Finisterre mark in a northerly wind of close to 20 knots with gusts of 25 to 28 knots.
Weather conditions at sea Tuesday 3 September
After having started to sail up the Spanish coast during the night from Monday to Tuesday, the sailors will be sailing off the northwest corner of Spain in a northerly flow of 15 to 18 knots which will force them to tack and increase the number of manoeuvres and sail adjustments in a sea that will remain rough to rough with 2 m to 2.5 m waves coming from the port side. A not very comfortable situation when approaching the Bay of Biscay. In the afternoon of this Tuesday, they will continue their sailing close-hauled in medium wind conditions. The north-northeast flow will force them to continue tacking to approach the Bay of Biscay on the evening of this Tuesday.