Prologue cancelled: a sensible decision

After a short briefing with the skippers of the Transat Saint-Barth / Port-la-Forêt, Jacques Caraes, Race Director, has decided to cancel the tour of St Barths, which was originally due to serve as a prologue this Friday 4 December. He gives us the low-down…

“There are two main reasons that prompted us to take this decision in consultation with the racers. Firstly, due to the length of the delivery trips from France as well as Itajai, some boats have arrived in St Barths late in the day so the shore crews, even though they’re working flat out, are afraid that they won’t be able to carry out a thorough check procedure and complete the equipment upgrade required for a singlehanded transatlantic race, especially one that runs in the depths of winter.

Furthermore, the tradewinds are forecast to be particularly meaty this Friday. The aim of the prologue is to be able to have guests aboard the IMOCA60s. Not all the sailors are necessarily accomplished and the festivities could well turn into a chore in the announced sea and wind conditions.”

As a result, the boats will remain dockside in Gustavia. However, the skippers will be aboard their boats to greet visitors as well as the children from the island’s schools. A simple chat on the dock is sometimes better than a long wet beat, fully canted over.