Scorching across the finish line (a safety gate offshore of Spain) at 2311hrs last night (2211GMT Wednesday December 14), François Gabart on Macif took victory in the 2011 Transat B to B. Gabart's race time is 09 days 09 hours 11 minutes 30 seconds. Along the theoretical course of 2,620 miles, Macif racked up an average speed of 11.635 knots.

Armel Le Cléac'h on Banque Populaire took second place just over two hours later and he was followed by Vincent Riou in PRB who finished a further four hours behind. British skipper Mike Golding on Gamesa finished in fourth place, just before 0900 GMT today, Thursday December 15, Marc Guillemot on Safran was lying fifth with Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss sixth ahead of Jean Pierre Dick.

Open 60 Macif

Shortened course for safety
Late yesterday the Race Management of the Transat B to B had announced that the weather safety gate was to become the finish line of the transatlantic race as the storm that Mike Golding described as 'exceptional', passed through the fleet. The new finish line was set at approximately 330 miles off the west coast of Spain.

Golding, who had just read the announcement from the Race Organisers, commented, "You do still gybe [once through the line] but what they are saying is that you can slow the boat right down through the bad bit and then start sailing again. That is what I'll do, I'll race through the line as quick as I can and then I'll let the mainsail down, kite down and just go with the headsail.

"I have never known this to happen before. At the end of the day, I sort of understand, when you race, with the pressure of the race, you might do things that you wouldn't normally do. This is an exceptional storm. I haven't seen many storms quite like this one. Anything that makes things safe is good by me, but from a sailor's perspective it is tough."

When pushed on whether the sailor's and boat's safety should be down to the teams themselves, rather than the race organisers, Golding agreed. "It is true that the bottom line for safety comes down to each skipper, but someone's desire to win will perhaps cause them to make a poor decision and in these sorts of conditions that would be a mistake."

Extreme weather
The Race Organisers have stated that the weather anticipated includes winds in excess of 50 knots, gusting to 60-70 knots, a 90 degree rotation from south west to north west in a matter of minutes and a backdrop of crossed seas with average waves of eight metres as the fleet approaches the continental shelf. Here, the seabed suddenly rises from 4,000 metres to 150 metres and causes even more chaotic seas than usual.