How similar the pictures and the ranking are! Once again, the Proto designed by David Raison with bow number 1019, which had already carried Pierre Le Roy to the finish line in first place two years ago, came out on top. Once again, a mini with centreboards prevailed against two boats with foils.
For Federico "Fede" Waksman, the likeable skipper from Uruguay, a dream came true yesterday afternoon in the Caribbean. He was the first South American to triumph in the Mini-Transat, and only the seventh non-Frenchman to hold his own in this ocean classic on boats measuring just 6.50 metres.
His success is all the more remarkable because he had only finished ninth on stage 1 from Les Sables-d'Olonne to La Palma and was more than four hours behind the Spaniard Carlos Manera. However, Manera's cushion was not enough in the end - probably also because he took fewer risks than Fede Waksman in the first week of the second stage, which was initially characterised by extremely light winds.
On 1 November, day three, the courses of the two top favourites diverged: Manera stayed closer to the great circle course, Waksman jibed south. A good 30 hours later, there were already more than 180 nautical miles in a north-south direction between the two. As a result of his tactical swerve, Fede mathematically lost contact with the lead, which the Slovenian Uros Krasevac, who was sailing far to the north, had taken over in the meantime, and slipped to 15th place; Manera in the middle was in 10th place at the time.
The preliminary decision is already made on day three - with a tactical decision by Federico Waksman that is as clever as it is courageous
Waksman had seen or sensed earlier than anyone else that the trade winds in the south would be steadier and somewhat stronger. He had to sail low to take full advantage of it, and it was a big investment that could have cost him dearly. But his tactics paid off. By the late evening of 2 November, he had already taken the lead in the rankings and was consistently logging speeds of around 14 accounts - averaged over five minutes, mind you!
From then on, despite several jibes to keep him in the optimum wind window, his best marks for days were consistently around and beyond 250 nautical miles - over ground, not through the water! And Fede also caught the right moment to leave his southerly position again.
On 5 November, he turned to the northwest and thus onto the direct course to Gouadeloupe, once again "just in time". It was clear then that only an anomaly in the weather, technical failure or a gross blunder by the skipper could take the victory away from him. But Fede kept his nerve and stayed in control, even though he had lost the centre spinnaker at this point when a fitting on the bowsprit broke(see interview below).
He cried at the finish line, as he did two years ago when he only came 21st in the series classification, but this time he was happy and the enormous tension he had been under for a fortnight was finally gone. Surrounded by friends and fans, he let it be known how great the pressure of expectation was:
My results in the races during the season have earned me the status of favourite, but have also placed a certain burden on my shoulders. I tried to free myself from that, but it wasn't always easy."
It must have been a relief for him to sail towards the finish line, the main in the first reef, with the genoa and spinnaker max hard on the edge of the sun, the Caribbean sea blue, the sun as radiant as his face.
I set out with the clear goal of winning. I couldn't have wished for anything better. I am so happy, so happy!
Carlos Manera gave away a potential victory, but was still able to celebrate
Waksman's toughest rival also sailed a strong race - if you disregard his adherence to the direct course line, which in retrospect turned out to be a bad decision, but made perfect strategic sense because it meant he didn't let the group in the north get away completely.
The Spaniard, whose boat designed by Sam Manuard was only launched a year ago, was correspondingly serene. When he arrived in the dark, he seemed rather disappointed. Later, he began to celebrate his second place more and more.
To be on the podium is obviously great! I had a bit of damage, which quickly reminded me that you have to get to the other side of an Atlantic crossing before you can think about winning"
His Proto, which at 1081 has the highest construction number of all the boats competing in the Mini-Transat, certainly had the potential to win, as Manera proved with first place in the light wind finish of the opening leg. It was also often among the fastest across the Atlantic. Manera emphasised "that the boat can sail very fast". It took a lot of strength, both physically and mentally.
In fact, the effort involved in mini-sailing in the Passat remains enormous - especially on deep room sheet courses, where sun shots or patent jibes are the order of the day. Although he actually wanted to come first, the Spaniard says that second place in the overall standings is "still very satisfying".
I don't have much to criticise myself for. All in all, I drove cleanly"
He "didn't give up" until the end of the stage, said Manera. "I pushed, pushed, pushed! I could see that I had the pace and could take miles off Fede at times." Just how much pressure he put on Fede was evident when he crossed the finish line, as his "Xucla" sailed under code zero - completely under-rigged for the diminished wind.
The reason: "This morning I was really fast in the strong gusts of wind, but then my large spinnaker and then my medium spin broke. So I had to slow down a bit to make the last few nautical miles."
In the end, I have a positive feeling. It's not the most intense, because I would have liked to have won, but I'm still very happy"
Marie Gendron completes the podium 19 hours after Fede Waksman
As the fastest woman in the field, the skipper of the Raison design finished third, closely followed by Julien Letissier, who came third in the overall standings. Marie was one of the brave few who opted for a southerly course right from the start, like Laure Galley on "DMG Mori", who admittedly never managed to catch up with the leaders.
The first series boats are expected in the night from Saturday to Sunday German time. Luca Rosetti looks like the sure winner, followed by the fantastically sailing Swiss Felix Oberle. The overall standings are still open - there are only a few hours to go and at least two skippers apart from Luca Rosetti can still have hopes. We will also be reporting on this decision in detail.
Interview with Federico Waksman, overall winner of the Mini-Transat in the prototype classification
Here are excerpts from a conversation with the organisers shortly after the finish:
Federico, you took first place in this second stage and, thanks to the best combined time, you also won the Proto category of the La Boulangère Mini Transat. How do you feel?
"It's incredible. It's the result of hard work. Like all the other participants, I have built up this project over several years. It was a big investment and a big sacrifice. The Mini Transat is not just about sailing the boat, it's about so much more. After taking part in the race for the first time in 2021, I learnt a lot, both technically and in terms of the weather and many other things. I have developed and improved in many ways. I started with the clear goal of winning. I couldn't have wished for anything better. I am so happy, so happy! "
You started on the Canary Islands four hours and 14 minutes behind the leader Carlos Manera Pascual. How did you cope with the second stage?
"The gap was big and small at the same time in terms of a transatlantic race. I knew that I couldn't afford to make a mistake, especially because Carlos would definitely attack. I knew he wouldn't give up, and he didn't. To have any chance of winning, I not only had to finish ahead of him, I also had to put some distance between the two of us.
In the end, I was able to pull away and save a lead of 80 miles to the finish. It was funny, because during the race he and I communicated regularly via VHF marine radio. We discussed the race strategy, our decisions... I think we were both focussing on what was happening at the time without looking at the result too early or judging ourselves. The Mini-Transat is a long-distance race, both for the sailors and the boats, and you have to get there first if you want to win. "
During this stage, you set a fast pace and reached incredible average speeds. A tremendous achievement!
"Yes, I think we did everything right. For my part, I arrived safely. I gave it my all so that I wouldn't have any regrets at the finish. Of course, I also had some technical problems. On the windiest days, my bowsprit broke. My small spinnaker then fell into the water and got caught in the centreboard. I found a solution to repair the bowsprit, but then I had no choice but to sail with my big spinnaker, which perhaps helped me to be so fast in the end!" (laughs)
You had a remarkable 2023 season in which you finished on the podium in all the races you took part in. Now that you've won, the year has gone almost perfectly, hasn't it?
"Yes, it's crazy! My results in the races before the season earned me the status of favourite, but also put a certain weight on my shoulders. I tried to get rid of that, but it wasn't always easy. The whole last week of the race I was in the lead, but it wasn't until 250 miles from the finish in Guadeloupe that I realised that things were looking good and that if I did my part of the race well, I could take first place - both in the stage and in the overall standings. Of course, I'm also thinking of Carlos, who is my friend and whom I thank for being such a good opponent. "
Two years ago you came 21st in the series boats and were very disappointed. Is this a nice revenge today?
"Definitely. Two years ago, I cried at the finish. It was the same this time, but not for the same reason! I am so happy! So happy! This is a real success for me. The Mini-Transat is not just a race against others, but above all against yourself. You have to push yourself to your limits, perhaps more than ever. It fills me with a sense of pride to have successfully completed this project. "
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