Alberto Bona back to the Ocean: the Les Sable-Horta-Les Sable has started

The Les Sables-Horta-Les Sables – the fourth regatta of the season for the Class40 IBSA,with skipper Alberto Bona crewed with Pablo Santurde del Arco – started on Tuesday, June 27, at 1:02 pm. Divided into two 1,270-mile stages, the regatta includes a first leg from Les Sables d’Olonne to Horta, on the island of Faïal, in the Azores, and a second from Horta back to Les Sables d’Olonne, where, on July 16, the winner will be awarded.

The only Italian at the start among the 17 Class40s, Alberto Bona immediately positioned himself at the head of the fleet, rounding the first buoy first and leading the group along the dreaded Bay of Biscay. For the entire first night of navigation the high pressure kept the intensity of the wind low, with Bona always among the leaders and firmly ahead at the 9:30 am check on Wednesday 27.

“So far so good”, stated this morning Alberto. “We followed the plan we had in mind for the first 24 hours, finding a little more wind than expected. Basically, we almost always sailed with a spinnaker, and we tried to rest as much as possible at night, by working shifts: it is essential to arrive well rested to the next night, which won’t be as peaceful. We are happy to be leading the group, and in general with the position we are in: we have some boats trying to escape with a course further south, but we are alert and reactive. We know that in the next few hours we will have to deal with the drop in wind before catching the air from the north: here, the goal is to be in the best position to catch it first and speed up”.

In fact, once again Cape Finisterre will play a central role in the strategy of the first of the two stages of this regatta: after the point, in fact, the open Atlantic will provide more sustained winds, and the competing teams will have to decide whether to sail along Spain for the first stretch, thus ensuring a more sustained wind, or choose the more direct – but relatively less windy – route, risking losing speed and positions.

The arrival of the first skippers in Horta is expected from July 3; on July 8 the starting signal will be given for the second and final leg of the regatta, whose arrival is expected from July 12; finally, the race will be officially concluded with the awarding of the winner on Sunday, July 16.