BOM_2009

037
START POSTPONED BY ONE HOUR
with more wind?
Vincent Gillioz
By postponing the start of the Bol d’Or by one hour, the organizing committee will be correcting
an anomaly which crept in when summer time was introduced in 1981. The competitors will be
starting at 10am this year with, theoretically, more of a chance to find established winds.
A regatta that can adapt is a regatta that progresses and, although the Bol d’Or Mirabaud is a
vehicle for strong traditional values, it has always shown flexibility. Changing the starting time
is one of the brand new ideas for the 2009 regatta. The fleet will be setting sail at 10am instead
of 9am, to correspond to the pre-1981 solar starting time.
Explanation: In 1981 Switzerland introduced summer time, in the wake of other European countries
which had adopted it in 1976, shortly after the oil crisis. Why this historical reference when
talking about the Bol d’Or? Simply because the starting signal has continued to be given at
9am, resulting in the boats leaving one hour earlier vis-à-vis the sun. It is common knowledge
that the early morning is not really the best time for winds to start blowing: consequently,
the competitors were setting sail when there was potentially little chance of finding any.
So, the organizing committee wanted to correct this anomaly by putting the start back to the
pre-1981 solar time. Normally, or in any case statistically, the images of a fleet all lined up and
immobile when the starting signal is given should be relegated to history. The first breaths of
wind to push the boats towards Le Bouveret should already be established when the boats
present themselves at the SNG. In addition to the meteorological interest, this change will mean
that the crews coming from further afield will not have such an early morning rush. An extra
hour’s sleep before an event like the Bol d’Or Mirabaud is definitely a bonus.
NEW SAFETY MEASURES
A potentially windier start also calls for new safety measures that the organizers have carefully
assessed. The multihulls which leave upstream from the rest of the fleet are indeed more exposed,
particularly with regard to capsizing during pre-race manoeuvres. And especially if the winds
are established. Michel Glaus, chairman of the organizing committee is therefore keen to point
out that “All competitors must be aware that the start could be postponed, as in the case of any
regatta.” And adds, “All the race committee boats will be equipped with a signal flag which can be
hoisted during the procedure, accompanied by two sound signals.”
Should one or more crews be in danger, the red and white flag will be raised. The skippers are
requested to pay particular attention to the signalling, especially if there are pronounced winds.
Spectator boats will be banned from the start zone during the whole procedure. Friends, tenders
and other craft not directly involved in the organization must consequently keep their distance.