Multi Cup 60: Golding's garçons racing fit

Those French racy-looking bods we saw in London over the weekend? Golding's lads, didn't you know? Or rather a bunch of top-drawer French sailors at the start of the very first 60-foot trimaran dash from London to Nice, thanks to months of hard work by Mike for the honour of getting them here and then to to see them safely on their way.

Send-off in the rain

So what's happening out there? Anybody's guess in the first few hours, with winds every which way at every kind of speed, followed by headwinds from early evening. Yes, well, after departing from London in typical downpour mode, what would you expect? Throw in your average heavy flow of commercial shipping, like the odd bulk carrier or high speed ferry, add a few sandbanks and you'll pretty much get the idea how busy they are, changing tack head to wind in squalls and other odd sleight-of-hand stuff that champion yachtsmen like these have been doing since childhood. Tough but absolutely normal, the Golding effect you see?

Quick going

Out front at last report is the green and orange blur of Groupama (Franck Cammas) going fast despite the unusual light winds. Three miles astern as if glued there is the very quick and battle-proved Géant skippered by Michel Desjoyeaux, determined not to let them out of his sight.