Between 8 and 9 a.m., a cloak of almost complete unavailability descends inexorably behind the participants of the mini-transat. While stressed managers go into a monastery of silence or choose other forms of "digital detox", it is the class rules for the solo skippers that bring them forced telecommunicative detoxification for around two weeks.
Away with the smartphone! No more distractions, but also the blessings it brings. From then on, only marine radio and a short-wave radio remain to communicate and get the latest weather information.
The latter in particular will be tough. As on the first stage from Les Sables-d'Olonne to La Palma, the second, the queen stage to Guadeloupe, promises to be tactically demanding - not only, but especially at the start.
This also has to do with two waypoints that significantly limit the options for the minists. They were announced on Thursday, presumably to keep the field together.
Firstly, the Canary Island of El Hiero to the south of La Palma had to be left to starboard. This caused grumbling among many of the remaining 87 of the original 90 skippers, as they had favoured a route that would have led north first.
A second, purely virtual waypoint lies at 35° north and 34° west, i.e. around 800 nautical miles to the west, roughly halfway between the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. It also forces the field onto a southerly route.
Until yesterday, the credo was to sail fast around El Hiero and then immediately head north or north-west again to avoid a weak wind zone south of the Canary Islands. In the meantime, however, it looks as if the detour is not worth it. The north-easterly trade wind seems to be establishing itself in the south, promising a fast ride to the west.
The only question is: when to turn off and head for the second waypoint? Rather earlier, with a shorter route, but with the risk of finding patchy conditions. Or later, with more pressure but a longer route. It will be exciting for fans and tricky for the sailors. According to the latest forecasts, no major breakaways are to be expected, as the waypoints act like crash barriers and keep the field in check during the first few days.
How the Mini-Transat sailors in the prototype classification prepared for stage two
Unlike the series boats, the gaps between the Protos are quite narrow. There were only around four hours between P1 and P9 at the end of stage 1. This means that anyone in the top group can still win anything.
The initially light-winded weather will hardly allow the two foilers of Carlos Manera (P1) and Caroline Boule (P20) to pull away. And even in the trade winds, their hydrofoils offer hardly any significant advantages on the expected low courses. The scenario of the first leg could repeat itself here.
However, Caroline Boule wants to put the disappointing start for her and the potential of her "Nicomatic" behind her and attack. As she explained to YACHT online, she was not only behind in the end due to the conditions, but above all due to the lack of power supply.
"From Cape Finisterre to La Palma, my solar cells barely managed to fill the battery," she said. "I had to steer by hand almost non-stop for days on end." More than two or three hours under autopilot were not possible, and only during the day in full sunshine. The French-Polish deep-sea novice has since fixed the problem and installed new controls.
And she also has a solution for the expected VMG downwind courses in the Passat, albeit one that has not yet been tried and tested: "Caro", as her friends call her, wants to use both foils at the same time after consulting her designer Sam Manuard, which produces more lift. She consciously accepts the slightly lower speed due to the increased drag, as she should still be the fastest Mini in the field - just not with quite as much distance to the others as on a wing.
She is still convinced of the concept of her boat. In La Palma, it was clear to her how hard she had to bear with her result. She still seemed very depressed days after her arrival, but has since regained her confidence and distance. As in the interview almost a year ago, she believes in the success of foiling minis on the high seas. "We haven't yet seen what the boats are really capable of," says the engineer, who discovered her passion for flying in the Moth class and has currently put her ongoing doctorate at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris on hold in order to find enough time for her Mini-Transat project.
She is not the only one in the Proto classification who has set her sights high. Victor Mathieu (967, P2), only just beaten into second place on stage 1, is undoubtedly one of the candidates for victory in view of the forecasts, as is Carlos Manera (1081, P1), of course. And actually all the others in the top 9.
Uros Krasevac should also be on your radar. He is an excellent sailor, has already impressed with the Silverrudder and is currently the best skipper with a boat built before 2010. The Slovenian worked at Seascape in the summer, was allowed to modify his Mini there and received support from one of his boatbuilding colleagues in La Palma. He wants to be on the podium.
This could well succeed, because based on the waypoints and the wind forecasts, it does not look as if the scow minis have a compelling advantage, at least in the first week. On the contrary - the routings tend to favour the all-rounders.
This was already the case on stage one, where the older and more conservative Pogo 3 ranked ahead of David Raison's flat-bottomed Maxi 6.50 in the series classification for the first time in a long time.
"All in" for Lisa Berger at the series minis
The only German-speaking starter in this race is expecting "a very special mini-transat". On the one hand because of the race committee's decision in favour of the waypoints, and on the other because of the limited tactical options.
The 31-year-old from Attersee seemed both liberated and highly focussed yesterday. She had already overcome the malaise with the torn waterstay of her maxi "Dimension Polyant", which she also calls "Mojo" because she feels so comfortable on it, halfway through stage one, as well as the frustration of a seemingly endless lull within sight of the finish line. That speaks for her tenacity, her maturity and the good preparation by her mental coaches from OneDay, who also work for Boris Herrmann's team Malizia.
On Tuesday, she met with the members of her mini-training group from La Rochelle, whose coach had travelled there especially for the event. On Wednesday and yesterday evening, there were detailed weather briefings from Christian Dumard, one of the best meteorologists and regatta forecasters in the world. Since Tuesday, Lisa Berger has been refurbishing her boat and, above all, replacing the water stay, which had only been repaired in a makeshift manner. "Nothing stresses me out anymore," she said in an interview with YACHT online yesterday lunchtime.
She is sticking to her goal of a top 10 finish. This will be difficult in the overall standings, as she is a hefty 38 hours behind winner Michael Gendebien from stage one in 44th place. "But all that matters to me now is the next stage anyway. That's the real Transat, that's what we're all here for."
With a grin, she degrades the start to a mere "transfer". Because the boat is now here in one piece, she will give it her all from the start, unlike in the preparatory regattas, where she was always worried about meeting the qualification requirements.
On Friday, she stowed fresh provisions on board: "Apples, bananas, mandarins, as well as dark wholemeal bread from Austria and various spreads". But she also likes freeze-dried food and sometimes eats savoury instead of sweet for breakfast. Let's see where her experience, her perseverance and the support of friends and family will take her.
Incidentally, the likeable Upper Austrian has found her two biggest sponsors in Germany: In addition to Dimension-Polyant, the world market leader for sailcloth, the Trans-Ocean association is also on board Lisa Berger's AUT 980.
Her mentor, Wolfgang Quix, was himself a participant in the very first Mini-Transat in 1977; he started on a Waarschip 570 because the Mini class didn't even exist at the time. Quix is now a cheerful 86 years old and is still something like the sporting soul of the TO. He came to Les Sables in person to see Lisa off. This is how volunteering works!
The start of the second leg will be broadcast live on Facebook and the event homepage. On YACHT online we will keep you up to date on all the important events during the race.
Go to the GPS tracker here.
