Mini Transat – Douarnenez to Pointe-a-Pitre

Decison Time

• Trade winds very well south
• Another 12 boats stop in Lanzarote
• First strategic skirmishes

Magic weather reports. One only had to observe the trajectory of the leaders at the noon update, or rather just after the official radio report when they were proided with the forecast, to see that many competitors had chosen their camp, the road to the south. Nevertheless, there are still some resistant freethinkers among the leaders.

They are still twelve boats working to finish repairs in Lanzarote before returning to sea*. For two of them, the adventure of the Mini Transat stops there. Stan Maslard (Sefico Group) and David Genest (Bingo) will not leave. For Stan, the accumulation of minor technical glitches have got the better of his desire to return to sea, especially as he came with the goal of a podium finish. David’s broken mast means there is no hope that he can leave on time. As his race must end there, he has offered Jerome Lecuna, who has major power problems, his generator. In the world of the Ministes solidarity continues to take precedence over the competition …

For other competitors, it’s a case of rehabilitating their steeds who have suffered during the voyage. For many, these are problems of power, autopilots and often damaged rudders. This area seems to be a weak point as soon as conditions become windy.

The first strategic choice

In the prototypes, the first three seem to have made the same choice: to quickly make their way south. Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) and Benoit Marie (benoitmarie.com) were just waiting for the reading of the daily weather report, issued by SSB, to make their routing decision. They were followed a few hours later by Rémi Fermin (Boreal). It is less clear for Bruno Garcia ( Sampaquita ) who could procrastinate a little longer before making his decision.

However, Bertrand Delesne (TeamWork Proto) has apparently decided to bet everything on a route close to the great circle,a choice which seems to have given Jean- Baptiste Lemaire (L’œuvre du Marin Breton) a solid fourth in the series boats . Their route, if it is confirmed, is audacious, but it could pay off over time. Indeed, the arrival of a cold front at 40° W should cause a break in the trades and generate light winds for several hours. If those to the south are able to get far enough away to escape the influence of this front, they will keep the established trade winds established and far outweigh those on the direct route. However, if everyone finds themself in the same boat, those who have chosen to sail the shortest route will make the gains. Ahead of Jean- Baptiste, the leading three have clearly chosen the southern route. So this may be the best card to play for the navigator who dares to take radical options. He already proved, in last year’s Les Sables – Azores, that counting on a very northly option for the run to Les Sables d’ Olonne can bring success. Regardless, the battle for second place between Simon Koster (Go 4 it) and Justine Mettraux (TeamWork) promises to be fierce.

No soul searching for the pack

Behind the leaders, for the main body of the pack, it’s about escaping the lights airs that extend around the Canaries. The anticyclone is growing and the primary objective is to avoid getting caught in its nets. Eric Cochet (Abers & Co) , Tanguy Le Turquais (Terréal Rêve d‘enfance), like Damien Audrain (Gerinter) or Jerome d’ Aboville (Bel) have significantly adjusted their route. Alberto Bona (onelinesim.it) will not follow immediately, as he is the victim of a technical problem. The Italian skipper has activated his ” on board ” button several times, which means it is not asking for assistance and is trying to solve the problem himself. At the 16.00 update, only two competitors, Louis Segre (Roll my Chicken) and Julien Pulvé (MEXT – ICA ) showed speeds of greater than ten knots on a clearly southerly route. It is still very early in the great crossing for anyone to play their cards openly.

* The situation of the twelve soloists still racing but in Lanzarote

• Richard Hewson (RG650.com) repairing an aerial problem
• Hugues Cholet (Pour le Bel Espoir) had planned to stop at the outset
• Jerome Lecuna (I Feel Good) departure imminent departure
• Marc Dubos (CEPAT), leaving tomorrow morning
• Nolwen de Carlan (Reality), leaving tomorrow morning
• Eric Jezegou (Déphémérides – AM2I), waiting for a chain plate
• Charles Boulanger (Foksamouille) has not clarified his intentions
• Axel Tréhin (Ty Startigenn) departure imminent departure
• Federico Cuciuc (Your Sail) has not clarified his intentions
• Thomas Guilbaud (Technip Planète Urgence), has not clarified his intentions
• Robin Marsh (Marcel for Ever) departure imminent
• Jean-Marie Oger (Acebi) – Last minute news: Jean-Marie just called the Race Direction to signal its retirement (a problem with his navigation system)

Yslab Ranking (series boats) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Aymeric Belloir (810 – Tout le Monde chante contre le Cancer) with 2177.9 nm to the finish
2. Simon Koster (819 – Go 4 it) + 58.2 nm
3. Justine Mettraux (824 – TeamWork) + 63.4 nm
4. Jean-Baptiste Lemaire (607 – Œuvre du Marin Breton) + 83.7 nm
5. Eric Cochet (Abers & Co) + 163.4 nm

Cegelec / Eurovia Ranking (prototupe ) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Giancarlo Pedote (747 – Prysmian) with 2049.8 nm to the finish
2. Benoit Marie (667 – benoitmarie.com) + 11.1 nm
3. Rémi Fermin (741 – Boréal) + 85.9 nm
4. Bruno Garcia (240 – Sampaquita) + 147.2 nm
5. Bertrand Delesne (754 – TeamWork Proto) + 178.4 nm

The full rankings can be found online here.

Mini Transat – Douarnenez to Pointe-a-Pitre

A little sunshine in a brutal world

• The wind drops down a notch and the sea calms
• Comings and goings in Lanzarote
• Ludovic Méchin (Paris Texas) and Louis Mauffret (Solidaires) have returned to sea

There’s a holiday atmosphere in the fleet, the wind has finally eased in the race area and the Ministes can bring out their summer wardrobe at last. As the sailors reduce the number of clothes they wear, so they can increase the amount of canvas they hoist. In the race everyone is gradually wending their way south. The main objective is to escape the northern latitudes where the wind continues to go light.

It’s been a successful move for Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) and Aymeric Belloir (Tout le Monde Chante contre le Cancer). They were the first to lead the way in the great movement towards a southerly route, and they are now being joined by the vast majority of the fleet. Benoît Marie (benoitmarie.com) still hangs on by six short miles, but as he alters course and moves away from the great circle he should quickly hand the leadership over to the Italian navigator. In the series boats, Simon Koster (Go 4 It) has stalled and is now over 50 miles behind the leader. For the time being Justine Mettraux (TeamWork) is keeping close to the great circle route. It is a big gamble for the Swiss sailor when you take into account that the weather forecasts anticipate a drop in the trade winds at the latitude of the Canaries.

Puerto Calero, the port of miracles
In Puerto Calero, the port has now emptied of its first occupants to make room for newcomers. Nicolas Boidevezi (Nature Addicts), Julien Pulvé (MEXT – ICA) and Louis Segre (Roll my Chicken) set off in unison. There’s nothing like having some immediate competition to improve your performance. We can expect these three to engage in a race within a race for the greater benefit of the trio. There are still five prototypes in Lanzarote Axel Tréhin (Ty Startigenn), Eric Jézégou (Déphémérides), Stan Maslard (Sefico Group), Thomas Guilbaud (Planète urgence) and Robin Marsh (Marcel for Ever) who are in isolation in the marina at Arrecife.

In the series boats, Renaud Mary (www.runo.fr) has the bit between his teeth, imitated by Pierre-François Dargnies (We-Van.com) who made an express stop of the regulation 12 hours to strenghten his rudder fittings. Others are still tinkering with the hope of returning to sea quickly. Some, like Raphaela Le Gouvello (respectocean.com) have clearly announced their intention to leave, others, burned out by the first stage, are not as emphatically decided. Puerto Calero is a kind of fountain of miracles where the walking wounded from the run down the Portugese coast can come to recuperate and rebuild their moral. But it is also a potential trap where ones energy can be sapped, stepping away from the race can put a big dent in one’s determination.

From Rabat to Madeira
Others do not have such qualms. Louis Mauffret (Solidaires) left Madeira hoping to have solved his power problems. The Brest navigator does not intend to throw in the towel, even if he has to do another express stop at Puerto Calero. Ludovic Méchin (Paris Texas), experienced a brief slump when he first stopped in Rabat, but he was met by such a chain of incredible solidarity that it convinced him to fix everything quickly and put to sea again, so that his Finot and the colors the Fondation Valerio Bruni-Tedeschi will cross the Atlantic with head held high. Behind them Diane Reid (One Girl’s Ocean Challenge) has left Cascais with her ever-present smile still firmly in place.

All these pit stops mean good business for some competitors who did not expect to find such a feast. Annabelle Boudinot (Agro 650) can proudly claim 7th place in the prototypes, just behind Michelle Zambelli (Fontanot) who will not hesitate, if the opportunity presents itself, to take advantage. All in good humor, as it should be.

PFB

Cegelec / Eurovia Ranking (prototypes) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Benoit Marie (667 – benoitmarie.com) with 2256.9 nm to the finish
2. Giancarlo Pedote (747 – Prysmian) + 6 nm
3. Rémi Fermin (741 – Boréal) + 72.4 nm
4. Bruno Garcia (240 – Sampaquita) + 138.5 nm
5. Bertrand Delesne (754 – TeamWork Proto) + 186.6 nm

Yslab Ranking (series boats) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Aymeric Belloir (810 – Tout le Monde chante contre le Cancer) with 2255.9 nm to the finish
2. Justine Mettraux (824 – TeamWork) + 5.9 nm
3. Simon Koster (819 – Go 4 it) + 58 nm
4. Jean-Baptiste Lemaire (607 – Œuvre du Marin Breton) + 79 nm
5. Tanguy Le Turquais (599 – Terréal – Rêve d’enfance) + 145.7 nm

The full rankings can be found online here.

Mini Transat – Douarnenez to Pointe-a-Pitre

ERRATUM – The conquest of the west

• The leaders have left the Canaries behind
• Nearly two weeks on the high seas ahead of them
• Aron Meder and Arnaud Gentien David Genest under jury rig

Its a grand parade in front of Puerto Calero. One after the other, the Minis tumble along the coast of Lanzarote before making their final choice of route across the Canary Islands. Head south as soon as possible like Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) and Aymeric Belloir (Tout le Monde Chante contre le Cancer) or stick with the rhumb line like Benoit Marie (benoitmarie.com) and Justine Mettraux (TeamWork). Although the two leaders, in prototypes and series boats, are securely established, behind them the battle is raging.

As he passed Lanzarote, Aymeric Belloir had the chance chat on the VHF with friends who are on the island. The leader of the fleet confirmed what we expected : the guy is on the attack, he’s in great shape on a boat that has apparently survived the bad weather unscathed. But Aymeric knows only two well that he has two keen customers snapping at his heels and neither Justine Mettraux (Teamwork) nor Simon Koster (Go 4 it) will give up. In the prototypes, the road ahead opens up even further for Giancarlo Pedote with the pit stop of Bertrand Delesne (TeamWork Proto), who has been forced to stop following the malfunction of his fuel cell after the start from Sada. Bertrand had to economise on the autopilot and spent most of his time at the helm, which makes his performance even more outstanding as he was second to pass the Lanzarote gate. The stop by Bertrand Delesne in La Palma, as well as some of the favorites in Lanzarote, means a change in situation for other sailors who now see new perspectives opening up before them. Benoît Marie now finds himself installed in second place. Two other sailors who are collecting dividends from a well managed first part of the race are Remi Fermin (Boréal) on the prototype he built and designed himself, and Catalan Bruno Garcia (Sampaquita) who is sailing a prototype built for Lionel Lemonchois in 1999. They are on course for an amazing race.

Series – a menage a trois
The threesome of Aymeric Belloir, Justine Mettraux and Simon Koster now have a relatively comfortable lead over their immediate pursuers Jean-Baptiste Lemaire (L’œuvre du Marin Breton), the race veteran Robert Rosen Jacobson (Postillion Hotels), always one to watch, Tanguy Le Turquais (Terréal Rêves d’Enfance), Eric Cochet (Abers & Co) and Alberto Bona (Onelinesim.it). Leader Belloir has headed south quickly and seems to be making gains, while his two rivals have not yet openly committed to their route. In the relative short-term, this can yield very significant lateral deviation. However, monitoring of your competition is almost impossible on the Mini Transat since the positions of the boats are not revealed to the competitors and only their ranking in terms of distance to the finish is provided during the official reports.

Technical stops necessary but demotivating?
In Puerto Calero, the walking wounded of the first leg are hard at work. All have expressed their intention to return to sea as soon as possible, even though it will not be easy for everyone. Even Stan Maslard’s brand new prototype (Sefico Group) has not been spared as a result of the broach from hell. The boat remained on her side for tens of minutes and the final toll was heavy: a lost gennaker, a cut halyard, the front pulpit damaged … There is a lot of work to restore order. For others, the problems to be solved are more typical : power problems for Louis Segre (Roll my Chicken) and Renaud Mary (www.runo.fr), a bowsprit to rebuild for Nicolas Boidevezi (Nature Addicts). Everything must be done quickly and well. The danger of these stops is the slow erosion of the determination of both an individual and the group. You can quickly feel out of the race, or at least, out of the race as you imagined it, and as time passes it becomes increasingly difficult to find the motivation that will enable you to recover in the race. This was well understood by Bertrand Delesne and Louis Mauffret (Solidaires), who were both victims of power problems. One in La Palma and the other in Madeira, they kept their stops to the minimum of 12 hours imposed by the regulations. Others do not worry about these problems. Today one of the escort boats went to rendezvous with Aron Meder ( Felicity 2 ), who is under jury rig but has lost none of his love of life, even taking some pictures of the escort boat as it came to check in with him. He expects to arrive in the port of Safi within three days. In the meantime, he enjoys the pleasure of being at sea – sometimes happiness lies in simple things.

Yslab Ranking (series boats) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Aymeric Belloir (810 – Tout le Monde chante contre le Cancer) with 2534.7 nm to the finish
2. Justine Mettraux (824 – TeamWork) + 10 nm
3. Simon Koster (819 – Go 4 it) + 18.8 nm
4. Jean-Baptiste Lemaire (607 – Œuvre du Marin Breton) + 66 nm
5. Robert Rosen Jacobson (602 – Postillion Hotels) + 140.7 nm

Cegelec / Eurovia Ranking (prototypes) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Giancarlo Pedote (747 – Prysmian) with 2489,2 nm to the finish
2. Benoit Marie (667 – benoitmarie.com) + 3.9 nm
3. Bertrand Delesne (754 – TeamWork Proto) + 34.8 nm
4. Rémi Fermin (741 – Boréal) + 47.1 nm
5. Bruno Garcia (240 – Sampaquita) +101.5 nm

The full rankings can be found online here.

Mini Transat – Douarnenez to Pointe-a-Pitre

The conquest of the west

• The leaders have left the Canaries behind
• Nearly two weeks on the high seas ahead of them
• Aron Meder and Arnaud Gentien under jury rig

Its a grand parade in front of Puerto Calero. One after the other, the Minis tumble along the coast of Lanzarote before making their final choice of route across the Canary Islands. Head south as soon as possible like Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) and Aymeric Belloir (Tout le Monde Chante contre le Cancer) or stick with the rhumb line like Benoit Marie (benoitmarie.com) and Justine Mettraux (TeamWork). Although the two leaders, in prototypes and series boats, are securely established, behind them the battle is raging.

As he passed Lanzarote, Aymeric Belloir had the chance chat on the VHF with friends who are on the island. The leader of the fleet confirmed what we expected : the guy is on the attack, he’s in great shape on a boat that has apparently survived the bad weather unscathed. But Aymeric knows only two well that he has two keen customers snapping at his heels and neither Justine Mettraux (Teamwork) nor Simon Koster (Go 4 it) will give up. In the prototypes, the road ahead opens up even further for Giancarlo Pedote with the pit stop of Bertrand Delesne (TeamWork Proto), who has been forced to stop following the malfunction of his fuel cell after the start from Sada. Bertrand had to economise on the autopilot and spent most of his time at the helm, which makes his performance even more outstanding as he was second to pass the Lanzarote gate. The stop by Bertrand Delesne in La Palma, as well as some of the favorites in Lanzarote, means a change in situation for other sailors who now see new perspectives opening up before them. Benoît Marie now finds himself installed in second place. Two other sailors who are collecting dividends from a well managed first part of the race are Remi Fermin (Boréal) on the prototype he built and designed himself, and Catalan Bruno Garcia (Sampaquita) who is sailing a prototype built for Lionel Lemonchois in 1999. They are on course for an amazing race.

Series – a menage a trois
The threesome of Aymeric Belloir, Justine Mettraux and Simon Koster now have a relatively comfortable lead over their immediate pursuers Jean-Baptiste Lemaire (L’œuvre du Marin Breton), the race veteran Robert Rosen Jacobson (Postillion Hotels), always one to watch, Tanguy Le Turquais (Terréal Rêves d’Enfance), Eric Cochet (Abers & Co) and Alberto Bona (Onelinesim.it). Leader Belloir has headed south quickly and seems to be making gains, while his two rivals have not yet openly committed to their route. In the relative short-term, this can yield very significant lateral deviation. However, monitoring of your competition is almost impossible on the Mini Transat since the positions of the boats are not revealed to the competitors and only their ranking in terms of distance to the finish is provided during the official reports.

Technical stops necessary but demotivating?
In Puerto Calero, the walking wounded of the first leg are hard at work. All have expressed their intention to return to sea as soon as possible, even though it will not be easy for everyone. Even Stan Maslard’s brand new prototype (Sefico Group) has not been spared as a result of the broach from hell. The boat remained on her side for tens of minutes and the final toll was heavy: a lost gennaker, a cut halyard, the front pulpit damaged … There is a lot of work to restore order. For others, the problems to be solved are more typical : power problems for Louis Segre (Roll my Chicken) and Renaud Mary (www.runo.fr), a bowsprit to rebuild for Nicolas Boidevezi (Nature Addicts). Everything must be done quickly and well. The danger of these stops is the slow erosion of the determination of both an individual and the group. You can quickly feel out of the race, or at least, out of the race as you imagined it, and as time passes it becomes increasingly difficult to find the motivation that will enable you to recover in the race. This was well understood by Bertrand Delesne and Louis Mauffret (Solidaires), who were both victims of power problems. One in La Palma and the other in Madeira, they kept their stops to the minimum of 12 hours imposed by the regulations. Others do not worry about these problems. Today one of the escort boats went to rendezvous with Aron Meder ( Felicity 2 ), who is under jury rig but has lost none of his love of life, even taking some pictures of the escort boat as it came to check in with him. He expects to arrive in the port of Safi within three days. In the meantime, he enjoys the pleasure of being at sea – sometimes happiness lies in simple things.

Yslab Ranking (series boats) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Aymeric Belloir (810 – Tout le Monde chante contre le Cancer) with 2534.7 nm to the finish
2. Justine Mettraux (824 – TeamWork) + 10 nm
3. Simon Koster (819 – Go 4 it) + 18.8 nm
4. Jean-Baptiste Lemaire (607 – Œuvre du Marin Breton) + 66 nm
5. Robert Rosen Jacobson (602 – Postillion Hotels) + 140.7 nm

Cegelec / Eurovia Ranking (prototypes) at 16.00 (GMT +1)
1. Giancarlo Pedote (747 – Prysmian) with 2489,2 nm to the finish
2. Benoit Marie (667 – benoitmarie.com) + 3.9 nm
3. Bertrand Delesne (754 – TeamWork Proto) + 34.8 nm
4. Rémi Fermin (741 – Boréal) + 47.1 nm
5. Bruno Garcia (240 – Sampaquita) +101.5 nm

The full rankings can be found online here.