After their initial victory in Corsica and third place in Brest, the Ocean Fifty Arkema and its crew skippered by Quentin Vlamynck have now won episode 3 of the Pro Sailing Tour 2022 in Cowes. Off to a good start with four wins and two second place spots in the coastal regattas launched last Friday and Saturday at Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Arkema kept up its momentum and on Tuesday 5 July crossed the Offshore Challenge finish line in second place, a few minutes only after Leyton. The consistent performance of Quentin Vlamynck and his crew made up of Etienne Carra and Mayeul Riffet is paying off, awarding them top spot in the provisional overall ranking, just before the Final Rush: a coefficient 2 course between the Isle of Wight and Roscoff!
Well conducted coastal races!
The interest of each Pro Sailing Tour episode consists in alternating between coastal and offshore racing, allowing the crews to clash in different race formats. Very forceful on the water, Quentin Vlamynck and his crew shone in Saint-Quay-Portrieux on Friday 1st and Saturday 2 July, winning in 6 of the 8 courses.
The crew worked extremely well. We’re getting to know our trimaran better and better, and we had perfect conditions."
"On the water, at times it could have swung either way…, which shows how high the standards of the Class are. It’s important to be consistent and not under-perform in one event. Which we managed really well in this case.”
In the lead for a long time in the Offshore Challenge
At 7 pm on Sunday 3 July, the 7 Ocean Fifty boats set off on their Offshore Challenge: a 515 nautical mile course between Saint-Brieuc and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Despite an average start, the Arkema Ocean Fifty quickly took the lead in crossing the Channel, heading for the south-west coast of England.
“We had very variable conditions on this course,” Quentin declared when he arrived this morning. “This required plenty of maneuvering to change sails, and investing time and effort to get the adjustments right. I'm happy with the course we followed to reach Wolf Rock. Mayeul did an excellent job in terms of sailing tactics and strategy, and Etienne kept well on top of all those adjustments.”
Crossing the finish line of this Offshore Challenge in second place, Arkema has won this 3rd episode ahead of Koesio and Leyton.
In the lead ahead of the final phase
In first place in the provisional overall ranking with a lead of just one point over the second boat, Quentin Vlamynck knows that everything is still to play for in the Final Rush due to get underway in Cowes tomorrow.
“We have a brief night on land here in Cowes before Etienne, Mayeul and I set off again for the Final Rush tomorrow evening. It’s quite unprecedented, I mean getting here, being at anchor for 24 hours, and the technical team not being allowed to work on the boat. The good thing is that the boat suffered no damage and is in excellent condition. We’re ready to go again!”
The seven crews will set off on the Final Rush at 7pm French time on Wednesday 6 July for a race over approximately two and a half days between the Isle of Wight, Ireland, Belle-Ile, and finally Roscoff, the final finish line of the Pro Sailing Tour 2022.
The Arkema crew in the 3rd episode of the Pro Sailing Tour
- Quentin Vlamynck: skipper-helmsman
- Raphaël Lutard: piano operator
- Pierre-Antoine Morvan: tactician
- Mayeul Riffet: winchman/tactician
- Etienne Carra: winchman