Transat Café l’Or: Class 40s restart, Maccaferri hunting for revenge. The story from La Coruna

Day seven of the Transat Café l’Or and new updates coming in from the Ocean, from Galicia to the Canary Islands, with the Italians involved in the Class 40 fleet now restarted from La Coruna, and Francesca Clapcich and Ambrogio Beccaria having just passed the Canary archipelago.

The first news concerns the Imoca Class itself, where we report a wild Francesca Clapcich, paired with Will Harris, who has increased to over 20 miles the lead over the now rather large chasing group. The Imoca 60s have finally found some Trade Winds, and are gybing repeatedly practically along the African coast, trying to thread the right trajectory in the headwinds. Decisive will be the choice of how far to push south in the strongest wind. Ambrogio Beccaria with Allagrande Mapei leads the chasers, and never has Italian sailing had two skippers in the leading positions, of the queen class in a transatlantic.

The focus today, however, shifts for us from the Imoca 60s to the Class 40s, which, as mentioned, have departed from La Coruna. Tough southwesterly seas, around 3 meters, and winds between 20 and 25 knots, for these first hours of sailing to pass Finisterre.

In La Coruna a few hours before the start was our reader Piero Maletta, who told us in the following lines about the atmosphere on the dock during the Class 40 pit stop. The fleet restarted at 12 noon today, and in the running for Italy are Luca Rosetti and Matteo Sericano on Maccaferri Futura (hunting for revenge after the first leg), Andrea Fornaro and Alessandro Torresani on Influence, 2, Pietro Luciani on Les Invincibile, and Alberto Riva on Ekinox. HERE we tell you about the ranking of the first stage.

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The Italians’ restart in the Class 40s, the story from La Coruna

“Pantalanes” in full swing, docks full of color and technology here A Coruna. The approaching gale, one of hundreds of Atlantic gales that sweep this corner of the land where I have lived for almost 20 years, finally brought happy news. The best Class40s in the world moored a stone’s throw from home. In what they call, not surprisingly, “the balcony over the Atlantic,” A Coruña.

In these late October days, saddened by the memory of the massacre that just a year ago tore the hearts of the Valencian community and an entire country, A Coruña wakes up to the tinkling of tops scrambled by 25-30 knot gusts. A double Leg was not on the agenda for this transat that was supposed to arrive in Martinique from Le Havre. Marina Coruña gave no thought to making the event visible, and just as it happened for the 2023 Global Solo Challenge with departure and arrival in the same marina, very few curious people can be seen strolling the docks, phones in hand, in order to see up close, these fantastic boats and meet some of its crews, authentic Astronauts of the Sea.

And so it happens that you meet Alberto Riva and Benoit Sineau, you can exchange a few impressions, and they give you a tour aboard their Ekinox . The movable bowsprit, the thousand maneuvers coming to the 2 central winches, the raised seats in the cockpit that allow you to steer without losing sight of sails and bow. The interior spartan and not at all comfortable, but they are astronauts.

They are happy with the boat; it was a tough 600 miles that could have done a lot more damage than they reported. “We took so many blows that I don’t know how everything didn’t break” – Alberto. They close the first LEG eighth, “it could have been better, come on!”. Thursday is repair day, everyone has something to repair/rethink. If you don’t break anything, you’re not racing. There are those who paste resin, those who replace rudders, those who go up to the masthead in gusts of surada (South Wind with many gusts in the 35-knot range) to check shrouds, halyards, and wind markers.

As we leave the marina, we are greeted by a “gentleman,” in his 60s, also French. Do you know who that is? Desjoyeaux – Alberto says. Everyone who passes by approaches his boat. New, a month or so old, however with a few touches that harken back to other eras. If it works well why change it. And then a few comfort details. “You have to be young to be on these boats,” enlightens the Professor.

Matthew, on the other hand, is on deck. They recently arrived, 36th after a technical pit stop in Cherbourg. The boat is great and he is crying his soul, by far the Italian crew (Luca Rosetti and Matteo Sericano) who saw it worst in this first Leg. An electrical failure, which could not be solved at sea, and so for more than 12 hours they were forced to stop at Cherbourg while others ran here.

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This second Coruñesa start for Luca, Matteo and Maccaferri smacks of a rematch. In fact, they want a rematch. They are fierce. Maccaferri Futura will give them a run for their money.

It’s Friday, now we’re down to the finishing touches, folding sails, going back up masthead to reposition wind markers and anemometers, filling water bins (a given on dry land).

Leg2, which will take them to Martinique via the Azores, will also be no picnic. Formed sea with a 3-meter wave and SO wind passing to O on 20 knots, what awaits them once they pass by the “chino” (green buoy of the harbor entrance channel). To then find themselves, upwind, a front that will touch the Azores. And then, Matteo Sericano points out, there will be no trade winds.

But that will be another story they can tell to another freaky of the sea waiting for them on the docks in Martinique. To these astronauts of the sea, on smaller and less powerful boats than an Imoca, Ocean Fifty or Ultim, but much tougher, it only remains to wish them Happy Wind & Buena Proa, Spanish style.

by Piero Maletta

Edited by Mauro Giuffrè