Mini Transat – Start Postponed
The Mini Transat goes to Code Green

• A start early this week is confirmed
• Competitors mobilised on Sunday
• Taking maximum profit from the northwesterly regime

Paradoxically, it is at the moment that the storm will be at its strongest as it sweeps the tip of Brittany that the competitors of the Mini Transat will gather to prepare for their departure once the bad weather passes. The start is scheduled for Tuesday morning or Monday night if conditions permit.

The traditional 18.00 weather briefing was charged with electricity on Sunday evening. Because, obviously, the time has finally come for the Minis go stretch their keels and head southwest to Lanzarote. The first hours of the race should take place in a strong wind from the northwest, which will allow the singlhanders to quickly eat through the first few miles of the race. Then the wind will in fact ease, before an expected return to a stronger southwesterly regim as they round Cape Finisterre in the afternoon of Friday, November 1. Hence the desire of the organisers to start the race as soon as possible, in order to minimise the impact of this transition on the sailors.

It is therefore possible that the fleet will leave Port Rhu on Monday late morning to regroup at Treboul, ready to be operational at the earliest opportunity. So the orange code just went green code.

The Mini Transat returns to Code Red

• No start tomorrow, Friday
• Management is optimistic for a race start early next week

The scenario proposed yesterday by the Race Director, to start the 84 strong Mini Tansat fleet on Friday with a stopover in Gijon, has ultimately has not been chosen. The option of a start early next week seems to be confirmed.

The window of opportunity to start the fleet tomorrow, Friday, is closed. The Race Director and meteorologists have identified that the weather window is too short and does not allow the entire fleet to reach the Spanish coast before the arrival of very strong winds coupled with a large swell (35 knots, 6m swell) .

However, scenario number 2 – a start early next week – is it still viewed with optimism. The weather window seems to be confirmed, suggesting an opportunity to send the fleet on the direct route to Lanzarote on Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

The Mini Transat therefore returns to Code Red – no planned departure within 36 hours. To recap, the color code is visible on the homepage of the Mini Transat website.

Code Orange for the Mini Transat

• A start possible in 36 hours
• Two scenarios envisaged
• A final decision on Thursday evening

The Mini Transat race organisers have decided to switch to Code Orange as of Wednesday, October 23 at 18:00. This means that the race can be started on Friday 25 from 06:00. For now the race is still considering two possible assumptions depending on the evolution of the weather.

The Mini Transat is in motion. In agreement with the organisers, Denis Hughes, the Race Director of the Mini, has decided to switch to code orange and call the competitors who had gone home back to Douarnenez . However, the weather situation is relatively complex. The powerful storm system that has been sweeping the Bay of Biscay seems to be evolving with a switch to the north west on Monday that suggests two possible outcomes at the same time.

• First scenario : a start on Friday and a stopover in Gijon. Weather files allow a clear opening a window for about 48 hours from Friday. This is enough time to rally the fleet on the northern coast of Spain, but does not allow for a safe crossing of Cape Finisterre . The first leg would be cut into two sections with a fresh start in Gijon on Tuesday 29 October. In this case, it will be a transition to code green tomorrow.
• Second scenario: a weather window glimpsed in the forecast for next Monday is confirmed to be large enough to allow a period of three days in which the whole Mini fleet can cross the Bay of Biscay. This solution is obviously easier for the competitors and organisation alike. But confirmation is needed that this weather window will not close as quickly as it has opened. In the case of a start on Monday, the fleet would return to a code red on Thursday.

PFB

They said :

Denis Hughes, Race Director

“The situation is moving and could you go into more manageable conditions. Nevertheless , we must explore all opportunities and know the options. That is why we are working on two assumptions. The simplest course would be to send the fleet on a single leg. But today we do not have sufficient clarity about next week to put all our eggs in one basket . That is why we have decided to mobilize the competitors around a possible departure on Friday. If we are certain that the window on Monday is good, then we will leave on Monday. When in doubt, we leave Friday. At least we are making steps forward on the road … “

Mini Transat : start postponed
Awaiting a turning point

• Success for the Mini Transat Race Village
• Prologue and parade have delighted audiences
• Still no weather window opening to cross the Bay of Biscay

On Monday morning, a number of the competitors have returned to the village of the Mini Transat to watch over their boats and learn about the general mood of the race … A small minority chose to remain on site over the weekend, dividing their time between tourist visits around the area and physical activity to maintain their fitness.

Douarnenez Courses has taken advantage of this waiting time to review the activities of the ten days before the theoretical start date of October 13. It is estimated that more than 25,000 visitors came to the village to honour the competitors, the event partners and the Mini Class, there were over thirty exhibitors on the 3000 m2 site, and the installation of the Mini Transat in Port Rhu has been declared a success. To this must be added the interest aroused by the exhibition organised within the Port Musée, the strong mobilisation of volunteers and all the primary school classes that came to the village to visit the sailors as part of Operation Label Bleue.

Killing time
It is now a week since the Mini fleet began to pace the docks of Port Rhu. Overall, the sailors are coping well and are in good heart despite being faced with exceptional weather conditions. To stay in the game, many competitors have not hesitated to take up various physical exercises such as jogging and stretching; anything to keep themselves in good shape. Others took the opportunity to finish a few things. Aboard Pas de Futur sans Numérique, Ian Lipinski took delivery of some additional electronic equipment that he has been able to add to his instrument panel. This is also the time for fairing: compressed air bottles are shared and the sandpaper is at the ready, the aim being to remain mobilised without consuming too much energy.

Door closed at Cape Finisterre
The days go by and everyone looks to the Bay of Biscay. The entire fleet is watching for the winds to switch to the west or northwest. But the center of the low pressure remains positioned to the south and this is generating very strong southwest winds from the tip of Spain to the tip of Galicia. Yesterday evening, the files suggested a possible way out for next weekend, but the latest forecasts do not encourage optimism. Competitors still in Douarnenez can at least happily rely on the solidarity of the people and the Cornouaillais traders. For example sailors with no where to stay were spontaneously offered free homestays with local residents, and those who spend their morning in the race center waiting for news can at least enjoy free croissants kindly provided by a baker in the city. Several companies have also offered tours and tastings of local produce. It is these little touches that are part of the seduction of the Douarnenez venue. Now all everyone can do is wait for the next weather files, knowing that the situation may change rapidly, given the instability of this type of weather phenomena. For now, Code Red still prevails.

They said :
David Genest ( http://www.diffuselec.com)
“We enjoy the small activities offered by Douarnenez Courses, and we like to go walking. The other day, we went diving just off the Pointe du Raz . In any case, one is better off here than if we were at sea and a fortnight stopover in Douarnenez is really not so bad, there is so much to discover in the area. In the evenings we put the world to rights, it was even suggested that one day the Mini will start from the Mediterranean!”

Ian Lipinski (Pas de Futur sans Numérique)
“I stayed in Douarnenez. I did not want to leave the atmosphere of the race. My girlfriend came to spend a few days … Then we occupied ourselves picking mushrooms (except that I do not know the good places around here), doing some sport, fairing the boats. I think the decision is good. Just think what it would be like if we were at sea now. So, we wait, and we savor the situation as best we can … “