Big day for woman sailors.
The biggest story of the day is the news that Anne Casaneuve ( 50 ft trimaran) has won the Rhum class by finishing today after 17 days at sea. She finished 600 nm ahead of her nearest competitor in the class Andrea Mura. Two days better than the defending champion, co-incidentally, Andrea Mura (2010 19d 09h )
Also good news for women sailors in that Miranda Marron; Campagne de France, in eight place in the Class 40 has less than 150 nm to go to make it two women finishing way up the list.
Not forgetting the third woman sailor; Juliette Petras in Eau et Patrimoine, sailing 17th in Class 40 with approx 500 nm to go to Guadeloupe. She leaves some 25 boats in her wake, not to mention over 20 abandons who scarcely left the French coast due bad weather in the first 48 hours.
La lanterne rouge:
Spare a thought for Vincent Lantin sailing Vanetys-le Slip Francais. He is lying 32nd in the Class 40 and last overall. He has over 2,000 nm to sail before he gets to Guadeloupe. Allez Vincent, je ne vous abandonera!
Finishers in Multi 50 class:
1. Erwan Le Roux: Fenetrea-Cardinal; 11 days.
2. Lalou Roucayrol: Arkima Region Aquitane; 11 days.
3. Gilles Lamiré: Rennes Metropole -Saint Malo Agglomeration: 12 days.
4. Yves Le Blevec : Actual; 12 days.
There is only one boat to finish:(The other six abandoned)
5. Etienne Hochede: PIR2 CCI Fecamp Bolbec (250 nm to finish line)
Finishers in Imoca class:
1. Team Plastique: Allesandra Di Benedetto; 16 days (Imoca)
3. Initiatives Coeur: Tanguy De Lamotte; 16 days (Imoca)
All seven boats in Imoca class now finished: There were two abandons in the early stages.
Finishers in Class 40:
1. TALES 2 Santander: Alex Pella; 16 days (Class 40)
2. Solitaires en Peloton: Thibaut Vauchel-camus; 17 days (Class 40)
3. Otio-Bastide Medical: Kito de Pavant; 17 days (Class 40)
4. Le Conservateur: Yannick Besthaven: 17 days (Class 40)
Finisher in Rhum class: six multihulls and 14 monohulls.(Only one so far and it is a woman sailor!!!)
1. ANNE CASANEUVE: Aneo: 17 days sailed 4740 miles at an average speed of 11.42 knots
About bill
Worked in the technical / engineering area as a Science Laboratory Technician and as an Aeronautics Engineer.
The artistic side involves writing under the nom de plume of Billy Olsenn, his recently written play 'A Case of Wine' was staged by the players group Straight Make-Up at the 2012 Birr one act drama festival. It's next staging was in the one act circuit is in Cavan, at Maudebawn on Sat 10 Nov 2012. Then it was performed in the Bray, Co.Wicklow at the very popular one act festival in January 2013.
Next play is FEAR. A dark tale about revenge on the cruel death of two pensioners by young thugs. Neighbours hatch a devious and dangerous plan to exact old-style revenge. Bill is a member of the Drama League of Ireland and his plays have been critically vetted and certified as original pieces of work by the DLI.
Another literary project is that of commemoration of an aircraft crash on Djouce mountain in Wicklow in 1946. Bill wrote articles for the 50th, 60th and most recently the 70th anniversary, (12 Aug
2016) all were published in the Wicklow Times and ensured the survivors of the crash, all French Girl Guides, were not forgotten. Articles reproduced on this website.
But mostly this site gives a more general European and specific French slant on popular and not so popular articles of French news, translated to English by the author. Each article is translated on a paragraph by paragraph basis so easy to read in either language and even possible to improve either language by comparison of the short English and French paragraphs. Amusez vous bien.
The author is currently writing an easy to read technical aviation book centered around the Fokker 50.
Another interest is that dealt with in another of Bill's websites www.realnamara.net, a Statue of the mother of God, Mary. It was erected in 1972 in Dublin, at the end of the Bull Wall near Clontarf, and my grandfather William Nelson, was the main instigator of that project. I give talks on the history of the statue and my grandfather's adventurous and dangerous life at sea.
Technical assistance with each website is by J O'N.
