Wednesday 15 May 2013

Cool Runnings wins Tour Belle Ille in spectacular fashion

The Open 7.50 "Cool Runnings", skippered by Thorkild Juncker and with Jochem Visser on tactics, surprised friend and foe in the predominantly light Tour de belle Ille.
The French equivalent of the Round the Island Race attracts one of te most spectacular fleets ranging from the small, but fast and furious, Open 7.50 to the impressive MOD 70 trimaran’s. The race is held every year in May from the town of La Trinite Sur Mer, a village which has been connected with a long history of sailing.
Cool Runnings managed to make their race winning move when most of the fleet struggled to get through the narrow passage, which leads the Quiberon bay in to more open water. In adverse tide conditions the crew of Cool Runnings took a bolt move to use a rocky island, which forms the base for a lighthouse, to shelter from the strong currents.  Finding a rare back eddy they managed to slingshot themselves around the cardinal mark in 2nd place on the water, well applauded and cheered on by the spectators,  in the primarily bigger fleet. Leaving all the MOD 70’s and the rest of the fleet behind. The tactics paid off well and propelled the British based team into a comfortable lead to win their class easily.