The wind gods only partially delivered for the NY-Vendee fleet competing in the Vendee Liberty exhibition speed trials on upper New York Harbour on Friday with puffs of breeze deciding the fortunes of the fleet.
Battling north and south winds gave the 60-foot IMOCA sailboats some opportunities to lay down their rails and charge along the one-mile course in front of the Governor’s Island audience while others ran out of luck and slid along at sometimes pedestrian speeds.
Romain Attanasio, Fortinet/Best Western, from the first heat of the day, sailed up towards the Statue of Liberty, then foamed off in a big blast of breeze to capture the fastest run of five minutes and 55 seconds.
Even though the sailors are preparing for next Wednesday’s NY-Vendee transatlantic race and are maxed out with sponsor obligations and boat repairs, they see this day with friends and VIPs as a time to enjoy this moment in their careers and bathe in the Big Apple atmosphere.
“It’s like a dream, you take a five-minute ferry here and just a dinghy ride from madame Liberty,” said Louis Burton of Bureau Vallee whose daughter was trotting at his side today, a big smile peaking from beneath the brim of a familiar dark blue baseball cap with the curvy “NY” logo of the New York Yankees baseball team. “This time in my life to do that, I don’t know if will ever come back here like this. To live that with my team, partners and family, that’s incredible.”
The IMOCA class is building on the success of transatlantic and other ocean races originating from the U.S. East Coast by inviting the latest American talent to join the NY-Vendee. Rising ocean sailing star and social media phenom Cole Brauer, the first American woman to complete a solo around the world race this year. Brauer teamed up this week with Malizia skipper Boris Hermann. Her efforts to do the 2028 Vendee Globe is expected to raise the profile of this sailing discipline in the States.