General Situation :
This Tuesday, moderate and irregular north to northwest flow over the southern part of the Bay of Biscay, on the edge of an anticyclone at 1033 hPa centered at 44Ā°N and 31Ā°W.
Wednesday, moderate northwesterly regime over the Bay of Biscay, on the edge of a vast 1034 hPa anticyclone centered at 46Ā°N and 27Ā°W.
Thursday, moderate west to northwest flow under the influence of a relative depression installed in the vicinity of Brittany.
Weather conditions at sea Tuesday September 3
This Tuesday early morning, the entire fleet was sailing in the south-western part of the Bay of Biscay. Tom Dolan on Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan and Alexis Thomas on Wings of Ocean were still neck and neck to lead the race. Gaston Morvan on RƩgion Bretagne-CMB Performance and Charlotte Yven on Skipper Macif 2023 were sailing less than 10 miles behind the 2 leaders. Within the fleet, the gaps widened because the tail of the fleet was penalised by a zone of light wind that settled in late at night in the vicinity of Cap Ortegal. Anthony Quentin on JPS ContrƓle brought up the rear, 63 miles behind the race leader.
On Tuesday morning, the Figaro sailors are making progress on the port tack with a trajectory close to the direct route that takes them to Royan. With the effects of a ridge of high pressure over the southern part of the Bay of Biscay, the north to northwest wind is expected to be moderate and irregular in strength and direction with oscillations requiring numerous manoeuvres and sail adjustments. They are therefore making progress a little less quickly than the day before with gaps that are likely to widen further in connection with the irregularity of the wind. The sea remains rough to strong with the persistence of a northwest swell of 2 m to 2.5 m, which is slowing down the progress of the sailboats and remains uncomfortable for the sailors. In the afternoon, the wind will still be irregular, oscillating between the northwest and the north over the southern part of the Bay of Biscay with intensities that can vary from 7 to 13 knots. This situation will remain conducive to a spread of the fleet with gaps depending on the route options chosen and positions on the water. In the evening and night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the north to northwest wind will continue to be irregular which will put the skippers to the test because this situation will offer them little respite as the sail adjustments and maneuvers are likely to be frequent.
Weather conditions at sea Wednesday September 4
On Wednesday morning, the wind will become a little more regular and will pick up a little strength with the Azores high rising towards the north. The wind established in the north-northwest will blow between 10 and 15 knots and will allow close-hauled sailing at good speed towards the Charente coast. The sea will start to calm down with a northwest swell between 1.5 m and 1.8 m. The skippers will have to refine their racing strategy to arrive with the best possible trajectory in Royan. On Wednesday afternoon, the wind will tend to take a little left for the last tens of miles to cover. It is a northwest wind of 10 to 15 knots which will establish itself off the Charente coast, allowing the first sailors to cross the finish line in the middle of the afternoon. A beautiful spectacle in perspective with these good medium wind conditions and the expected beautiful weather conditions. The rest of the fleet will continue sailing on port tack under a northwesterly flow of around ten knots. The majority of the fleet should arrive between the evening and early night from Wednesday to Thursday.
Weather conditions in Royan
Thursday September 5th
Very cloudy in the morning with a risk of showers. More changeable skies in the afternoon with cloudy passages and more or less wide clearings.
Wind: west to northwest 10 to 15 km/h, gusts 25-30 km/h
Temperatures: 14 to 19Ā°C
Risk of precipitation: 40%
Friday September 6th
Very cloudy skies with some clear spells during the day. The most threatening clouds can cause showers.
Wind: east 10 to 20 km/h
Temperatures: 14 to 21Ā°C
Risk of precipitation: 50%
Saturday September 7th
Disturbed weather. Clouds dominate and are temporarily accompanied by rain or showers.
Wind: east 10 to 20 km/h in the morning, veering southwest 15 to 25 km/h in the afternoon
Temperatures: 15 to 21Ā°C
Chance of precipitation: 80%
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