Fink accident: Total loss confirmed, new start in sight: Melwin Fink: "I'm definitely building a new Mini"

Melwin Fink will probably never forget the night of 1 to 2 April: During the transfer of his new Mini, which he had built himself with boat builder Markus Mehlen and sailing friend Marc Menzebach, from Barcelona to Mallorca, his boat lost its mast in the dark, stormy night. The crew on the Mini without an engine were rescued by the sea rescue service, and days later the Mini was washed up on Mallorca's rocky coast and badly damaged. An expert opinion from the insurer Pantaenius has now confirmed the total loss. To Fink's satisfaction, the reimbursement is fair and with only a few deductions. The 20-year-old can now make new plans with certainty.

"Pantaenius acted well. It all happened as quickly as possible. I'm definitely satisfied, it was very good," summarises Fink a good month after the accident. There will be no clear conclusions about the causes of the mast breakage because the crew had to cut the rig loose in the accident. The three metres of mast remaining on board are not enough to investigate the cause. "The expert found nothing specific. The most probable cause remains a broken spreader. This has already happened three times with the Maxis. But there are no clear findings that would lead us to blame anyone," says Fink.

The 2021 Mini Transat bronze medallist is already busy with new plans: "I will definitely build a new Mini." The build will once again take place at Yachtservice Stettin. Fink is currently waiting for the offer and hopes that construction can begin before the summer break. Fink is not ready to give up on his plan to take part in the Mini-Transat 2023, even if the hurdles are sobering. The biggest problem for him is the starting places at the regattas, which he needs as proof of qualification for the Mini-Transat start. In the Mini class, these are inextricably linked to the registered boat and not to the skipper. With the accident and the loss of the damaged boat, Fink has lost all his starting places. His application for special authorisation was rejected by the class association. In his case, Fink finds this difficult to understand: "It's a pretty bad feeling. Both the damaged boat and the next one are new builds. Nobody would be at a disadvantage. I was already there anyway." Now the young German skipper has to rely on the luck of the waiting list and consider whether and how he can provide the required regatta and mileage certificates for the next mini-transat with the second new build. "I want to try," says the unbreakable man.

Until the new building is completed, Fink wants to concentrate more on his law studies and move from Kiel University to Bielefeld. He also has his sights set on a few regatta starts, but these have not yet been finalised. The Fastnet Race and some Baltic Sea races, such as the Baltic 500, are being discussed, which he would like to take part in. He also still has some work to do with the wrecked Mini named after his grandma "Karin Monika". He has now brought it home from the shipyard in Sóller on Mallorca with the trailer, which was still in Barcelona. "I now have the scrap heap at home. There may still be some fittings to salvage, but not much more, because everything was flooded." This applies in particular to the electronics on board. Smaller pieces of equipment, such as the constrictor clamps, were also unfortunately cut through by the divers in order to get the lines out.

As a person and a sailor, Fink says he has been able to regenerate over the past few weeks. He remembers the minutes of the rescue the most: "The time from the jump into the water to the diver was the most intense. Once we reached the diver, it was clear that nothing more could happen because these teams are so good. The uncertainty of swimming along, the night-time scenario with all the flashing lights, the noise and the ricochet waves that repeatedly turned the boat completely on its side - that was really tough." In the meantime, however, Fink has already completed the transfer of a JPK from Lorient to Kiel with a friend and was reassured to realise: "It wasn't a problem at all. Not even at night and alone on watch." The 2023 mini-transat remains the medium-term goal, even if it is still difficult to achieve. "I'll see what I can do," says Fink with a fighting spirit. Giving up has never been his thing - see, among other things, the hussar ride at his Mini-Transat premiere in 2021.