Race 3 took a while to get underway while they checked there were no missing people. EVERYONE has to sign out and sign back in again before and after the race, a way to keep track of everyone and make sure nobody is lost. Now 3 or 4 are missing, but thankfully it turns out they were on the beach grabbing a sandwich or beer!
Finally we get underway with the wind peaking towards 40 knots+ and nearly all the top guys reach for their smallest sails. My new strategy is to take advantage of the first 3-4km of each leg, as this is where I have full strength, so after the gybe I push as hard as I can to get ahead and then ease off a bit towards the end. It’s a strategy that seems to pay off checking those around me, but I end up in a similar position of 18th, so I’m not really sure if it was beneficial. One of the hardest things with the Défi is working out the good tactics. In slalom everyone is close and you can really see if heading upwind or downwind works. At the Défi you have no idea. I tried just about every different line between the buoys and honestly couldn’t work out which was the best.