General Situation:
This Sunday, anticyclonic edge situation with a ridge stretching from the Azores to Germany. Moderate to sustained southwesterly flow in the Channel.
Monday, moderate southwesterly flow in the Channel, on the edge of an anticyclone centered in the Baltic Sea.
Tuesday, sustained southerly flow leaving the Channel ahead of a cold front stretching from the Azores to Scotland.
Weather conditions in Le Havre
Weather conditions for departure from Le Havre this Sunday, August 25 at 3 p.m.
After having delivered from Rouen to Le Havre this Friday, August 23, the skippers will set sail from the Bay of Seine this Sunday, August 25 at 3 p.m. The average conditions will accompany this departure with a moderate west-southwest flow of 12 to 15 knots. The weather will remain changeable with clear spells and a risk of light showers. The conditions for this departure will therefore be ideal despite the instability which could produce some gusts of around twenty knots. The sea will remain calm during the first hours of this stage and will come from the west.
Sea conditions this Sunday August 25 and following night
As the fleet progresses towards the west in the late afternoon, the southwesterly flow will tend to strengthen, around 20-25 knots, allowing them to advance with good speeds when reaching. Some game options should already be decided based on a passage to the north or south of the DST (Traffic Separation Scheme) "casquets". For those who have opted for a passage to the south, they will reach the Cap de la Hague in the middle of the night. They will have to face strong tidal currents and a sustained southwesterly flow of 20-25 knots with possible gusts of nearly 35 knots. The other sailors, having chosen the northern option, will sail under a sustained southwesterly flow of 20-25 knots, with gusts of nearly 30 knots. The sea will become rough with waves between 1.5 and 2 m for the entire fleet.
Sea conditions this Monday, August 26
On Monday morning, after the passage of the DST, the flow will take a little to the right to settle to the west, while weakening to between 15 and 20 knots. The skippers will begin their ascent of the Channel, towards Cornwall. The sea will remain rough with waves of 1.5 to 2 meters. In the afternoon, they will come under the influence of a new disturbance in the Irish Sea. The flow will pick up, settling to the southwest at around 15 knots, then south in the evening at between 15 and 20 knots. They will progress reaching to the south of the English coast and will reach the Wolf Rock mark in the second part of the night.
Sea conditions this Tuesday, August 27
On Tuesday morning, they will begin their descent towards the Bay of Biscay under a sustained southerly flow, which will force them to tack and extend their route. They will then have two options, either heading west under windier conditions and more sea or further east under more average conditions. On a westerly route, the sailors will progress close-hauled under a sustained southerly flow of 20-25 knots with gusts of nearly 30 knots and rough seas (waves of 2 to 2.5 metres) and disorderly. On the more easterly route, the southerly flow will be weaker and less well established and with less rough sea conditions. The fleet having taken the westerly option will see the flow shift to the northwest during the night behind the front. The wind will drop significantly, to around 10 knots and the sea will become slightly rough with waves of 1 to 1.5 m.
Sea conditions this Wednesday, August 28
On the descent of the Bay of Biscay, the skippers will benefit from a moderate northwesterly flow of 10-15 knots, turning west and weakening in the afternoon, around ten knots. Those who have taken a more easterly option will progress more slowly under a weak northwesterly flow of 5-10 knots and a calm sea. For all the sailors, the conditions will remain weak in these last 24 hours of racing, under the influence of a ridge of high pressure in southern Biscay, which could play spoilsport and cause fairly random winds on the race course, which could shake up the fleet rankings.