On May 23, 1964, Eric Tabarly set sail from Plymouth to participate in the second edition of the English Transat. The rules were simple: to link the United States (Newport) from England in real time. The first one to arrive won!
In the first edition 4 years ago, it was Francis Chichester who won on Gipsy Moth III in 40 days. This legendary British sailor hopes to take less than 30 days on the same boat for this edition. This will be without counting on the young Frenchman Eric Tabarly who had a brand new boat built for this edition.
The downwind start from Plymouth at 3:00 pm, saw the competitors set off. Tarbarly immediately got into competition mode and set the spinnaker. Not having yet invented the sock, he used strands of wool to fully hoist the canvas before it inflated. On Pen Duick II, the spinnaker measures 82 m2. As soon as the evening fell, while the competitors lost sight of each other, Tabarly was in the lead.
The first week was marked by downwind conditions, which led the French sailor to believe that the multihull competitors should have the upper hand. Indeed, Tabarly is already aware that, even if they are hard to sail single-handed to avoid turning over, these machines offer good performances as soon as the wind gets loose. But the British transatlantic race is normally a race in which the sailors encounter 75% upwind conditions. That's why Tabarly asked Gilles Constantini to design an upwind boat for him. And it will serve him well..
On Sunday, May 31, 7 days after the start, in very calm weather, Tabarly realized that the shovel of his autopilot was missing. He had a spare one, but could not get the shaft out of the old one, which had broken inside. At this point, the race could have been over, but the sailor realized that he had been sailing without a pilot for several hours. That this one must have broken in the previous gale. He discovered that Pen Duick II was particularly stable even with the helm moored. He therefore decided to continue the route, even though in his mind he could no longer claim victory, as he was about a third of the way through the course.
A late launch
If Eric Tabarly has so little experience on his boat, it is because Pen Duick II was launched only 10 days before the start of the race. And that the only adjustment was made during the delivery from La Trinité to Plymouth. The sailor realized that the boat could evolve with a moored helm, especially upwind. On the beam, he invented a system by bringing back the staysail sheet to the wind on the helm to bring down in the reefs, a Sandow ensuring the luff. And it worked. Tabarly could continue to take a rest. Fortunately, he had provided a compass on the chart table, in addition to the outside compass, and even a third one hanging from the ceiling of his bunk. So wherever he was, he could check that the boat was on the right course.
A difficult race
The race was marked by numerous wind variations that forced the sailor to maneuver a lot. His headsail combination (Yankee, Jib 1, Jib 2, staysail and forestay sail) forced him to make many sail changes to cope with the changing weather.
Moreover, on this boat, Tabarly had the choice of not having a deckhouse to protect the cockpit. Indeed, as an aesthete, Eric Tabarly did not find a prominent deckhouse attractive. He felt that he only went into his cabin to sit or sleep. The height under the barrots inside Pen Duick II is only 1.50 m. No need to stand!
Above the chart table, Tabarly had a bubble installed that allowed him to keep an eye on the outside while remaining dry. Resulting from his experiences as an aviator, this bubble was later used on many sailboats.
Sleeping in pajamas
For Tabarly, sleep is very important. However, he slept badly in his wet foulies. The sailor did not hesitate to undress and put on his pyjamas when he returned to his bunk! If today sailors do not leave their foulies for several days, we have to admit that the clothes of the time are not very similar. There was no question of a breathable jacket or warm fleece. The wool sweater and the jacket are enough in good weather and the yellow PVC raincoat does not breathe. A terry towel is even added to make the collar waterproof!
A triumphant arrival
It was only when he was about to cross the line that the sailor heard (without really being sure): "You are the first!" Tabarly will have taken 27 days and will be ahead of all his competitors, including Francis Chischester who came second in just under 30 days (3 minutes before 30 days!).
In his book Victoire en Solitaire, published by Arthaud, Éric Tabarly analyzed the routes of his competitors and detailed his choices. In particular, the design of Pen Duick II, a plywood sailboat that was very light for the time and designed to sail well upwind. Even if he tried other rigs on this same boat later, he was happy with his choice of ketch, a little under canvas which made it easy to handle by a single man.
However, the sailor was certain that to win the race, he had to start with a boat designed for the event. This is what he did afterwards by imagining the Pen Duick IV trimaran, even if he was unable to prove the validity of his idea.
This race and the victory of the Frenchman will mark the yachting. It will have a national echo and will sound the flood of yachtsmen towards this sport. Sailing will be a passion and the English will always be a little frustrated by the ease of the sailor. He will remain frozen in front of this craze, remaining discreet and continuing his path as a sailor that he will trace.
