The minis dragged themselves through the first night, sometimes travelling at only two or three knots. On the one hand, this gives the sailors the opportunity to slowly find their rhythm at sea. On the other hand, there is a lack of adrenalin and the feeling of making progress. The participants of the La Boulangère Mini Transat 2023 therefore started the first of two legs, which will take them over 1,350 nautical miles to La Palma in the Canary Islands, with mixed feelings.
The Swiss Felix Oberle (start number 1028) said before the start on Monday morning: "It's the big day and it brings a lot of emotions. We know that there will be many unforeseen events. We're trying to prepare for that, but it's not that simple. We'll see what happens over time."
Mini-Transat 2023: Postponement would probably not have been necessary
"The beginning, I think, is very clear to everyone. Then decisions have to be made as we approach Cape Finisterre. My main goal is still to arrive. That's the basis. If I also manage to compete with the others, that would of course be great, but at the moment I prefer not to put too much pressure on myself."
I stay focussed and try to remain calm, at least on the surface, because I admit that I'm seething inside!"
Yesterday started hazy off Les Sables-d'Olonne, famous as the home port of the Vendée Globe. But shortly before the start, the sun broke through more and more, only to give way to dense cloud cover again in the evening.
If the race had started on Sunday as originally planned, it would have been a picture-book start: The sun was shining and the wind was blowing at 15 to 18 knots, which is why around a dozen boats set off to produce action pictures for sponsors and the media. However, the race organisers had already rejected the option of a Sunday start during the night from Friday to Saturday because they did not want to expose the solo skippers to too much risk, which was welcomed by the vast majority.
Orcas could become a danger for the mini-sailors
The acid test will come tomorrow, on Wednesday, when the first minis approach Cape Finisterre. There they can expect a fresh, gusty wind from the south-west, i.e. directly against them - and the risk of encountering orcas just under land.
This worries Denis Hugues, the race director, almost more than the storm, as there have been an unusually high number of encounters between sailors and the killer whales over the past ten days, which would have an easy time with a Mini. The skippers are hoping that the swell and wind will distract the orcas or make them more favourable.
