MÉTÉO CONSULT Weather Forecast - Friday 25th of april

General Situation Weather Conditions at Sea for the Transat Paprec

As of 7 a.m. on Friday, the entire fleet was sailing on a long starboard tack toward Madeira, under a Portuguese trade wind from the north, fluctuating between 15 and 17 knots on average. The duo Martin Le Pape/Mathilde Géron, in the lead for over 24 hours, made a strong move by extending their lead over their two closest rivals: David Beaudart/Julie Simon on Hellowork, and Laure Galley/Kevin Bloch on DMG Mori Academy, trailing 5 and 8 nautical miles behind, respectively. While wind conditions are not entirely consistent across the course, route choices are also diverging within the fleet, resulting in slightly wider gaps between competitors. Still, most of the fleet remains within 50 miles of the leading duo. Meanwhile, after a rudder failure and a stop in Cascais on Thursday, the duo Lola Billy/Corentin Horeau on Région Bretagne - CMB Océane is trailing at 129 miles behind the leaders.

Friday, April 25On Friday morning, the sailors continue speeding along on a starboard tack between Portugal and Madeira, under a north wind fluctuating between 17 and 20 knots on average across the fleet. It’s like a true highway, with long surfs under spinnaker where each sailor must stay sharp to maintain their position.With a rough sea and waves over 2.5 meters coming from starboard, it could be quite a bumpy ride and somewhat hinder the progression of the boats. Despite the solid wind enabling good speed, conditions onboard are far from comfortable, with constant spray and waves breaking over the deck. The sailors will need to remain highly focused and take care of their boats.As they approach Madeira later in the day, with the wind veering slightly right to settle north-northeast, they’ll need to correct their course southward to avoid drifting too far from the direct route to La Palma. The first skippers are expected to reach the latitude of Madeira late Friday evening.

Saturday, April 26After a few gybes overnight from Friday to Saturday, as they pass southeast of Madeira, the leading boats will begin a final leg toward La Palma. They will benefit from a strengthening northeasterly breeze, averaging 20 to 22 knots, allowing them to progress on port tack at speeds of 12–13 knots.This speed boost will also be due to calmer seas, with waves now coming from behind the boats—unlike the previous day when they were slamming from the side.In the afternoon, during the descent from Madeira to the Canaries, the trade winds will become more unstable and irregular, which may shake up the rankings. Some teams may catch slightly stronger winds depending on their position on the water.Nevertheless, the speed race will continue in a still-rough but more organized sea state.The first skippers are expected in La Palma on Saturday evening, a little over 6 days after the start of the Transat Paprec from Concarneau. The boats at the back of the fleet will continue heading toward La Palma overnight from Saturday to Sunday, under northeasterly winds of around 20 knots. Their arrival is expected in the early hours of Sunday.

Sunday, April 27By Sunday morning, the fleet will have started their Atlantic crossing under northeasterly trade winds of around 20 knots, allowing for fast west-southwest progress.The sailors will need to plan their route carefully to anticipate changes in wind speed and direction, as the trade wind is not expected to be entirely stable...Later in the morning, the wind will ease slightly and veer left, becoming north-northeasterly and blowing at around 17–18 knots.Note that the trade wind will be slightly stronger south of the rhumb line than to the north, which could influence tactical decisions.In the afternoon, with a ridge establishing further north, the trade wind will continue to weaken from the north, dropping to just 15 knots. This will slow down a large part of the fleet, while wind will remain slightly stronger in the southern part of the course.

Monday, April 28On Monday, sailors will find more pressure along the route, as the trade wind strengthens again from the north of the course area.Those who chose a northern route and were penalized the day before could be the first to benefit from this return of stronger air and may hope to catch up. In the afternoon, with a 20-knot north-northeasterly breeze, they’ll sail on a port tack at 11–12 knots, following a course close to the direct route to the West Indies. It’s worth noting that sailors will need to carefully strategize to optimize their trajectory in anticipation of a weakening trade wind forecast later in the week.

— Cyrille DUCHESNE, METEO CONSULT Full weather bulletin : https://marine.meteoconsult.fr/