After detailed weather analysys and consultation Jean Maurel, the race director, has announced that the start of the tenth edition of theTransat Jacques Vabre will be Wednesday, November 2 at 1500hrs CET/Local Le Havre.

On Wednesday, the worst of the violent low pressure which forced the organization of the Transat Jacques Vabre to postpone the start of the double handed race from Le Havre to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica will have dissipated. Even so the first hours of the race,  from Le Havre out of the Channel will still be quite tough with the wind south-southwest 15-20 knots strengthening with gusts in big squalls and a heavy swell after the front. After the frontal passage associated with depression, the wind will switch to the northwest.
The boats will then be able to reach faster, driven by a wind from the west-northwest. The early stages of the race are likely to be fast.

Time-line Wednesday (all CET/Local)
1130hrs: Weather Briefing for skippers
1300hrs : boats dock out from the  Paul Vatine Basin
1500hrs: start of the 10th Transat Jacques Vabre
After they cross the start line, the 35 competitors will turn at the General Metzinger buoy, 4 miles north-west of the line, leaving it to port.
Then head for Costa Rica.

The course
For monohulls (IMOCA and Class 40): 4730 miles
LDominican Republic to starboard and arrived in Puerto Limon
For Multi50: 5323 miles
Saint Barts to port and Barbados to starboard finish in Puerto Limon

Skipper comments:

Bruno Dubois (BEL/CAN), co-skipper Gamesa, "The reason that Race Director Jean Maurel has made this call is that we will still have a strong southerly on Wednesday, but the thing is we keep some wind reaching across the Bay of Biscay, then it is light, then suddenly we'll have a good north westerly to exit the Bay of Biscay which will allow us to go South."
"Just for one day, we'll have unseasonably strong winds, but by Thursday it should be fine."
"I am just relaxing today, tomorrow back on the boat checking and making sure that everything is fine and getting ready for Wednesday. It's almost tomorrow now so better get packing again!"

Yann Régniau, Groupe Bel: "I'm happy to leave Wednesday because later, for me, it would have been difficult in my head. Already, it is a bit mixed up. Conditions, we know they will not be easy but it will be much more manageable than what was expected so I'm pretty good. For two days we have left on land I go to sleep, maybe play a little squash with my friend Arnaud Boissières and then look at the weather, we put patterns and images in our head so we know exactly what it'll be like in the first three days of racing. "

Arnaud Boissières skipper (Akena Vérandas): “I have not really looked at the weather. I expected the decision of the race director. It does no good to worry over the start and the conditions until you are sure of the start time. This afternoon, I have a friend who is a pilot in Le Havre who invited me to come back with him on a cargo ship into the harbor. It will change my ideas, and that is cool, these big machines when you sail near them are incredible and so it's going to be great to be on the other side. Gerald (Véniard) will have looked at the routings and we will already have an idea of what is happening. "