Mini-Transat 2021: Tanguy Bouroullec wins first stage in the Proto classification
Kristina Müller
· 04.10.2021
After a thrilling finish, the winner of the first stage in the Proto classification has been decided: Tanguy Bouroullec crossed the finish line off the Canary Island of La Palma late on Monday afternoon.
The 27-year-old Frenchman needed 7 days, 12 minutes and 30 seconds to cover the 1350 miles of the first stage on his Verdier Proto. The fourth-placed rider overall in the 2019 Mini-Transat thus fulfilled his dream of winning a stage in the field of 25 Protos.
He was followed by compatriot Fabio Muzzolini with a gap of one hour and almost four minutes.
Just five minutes after him, Pierre Le Roy crossed the finish line in third place.
The Russian skipper Irina Gracheva, currently fourth in the Proto ranking, has now also passed the gate and has only a few miles to go to the finish line.
The quartet at the head of the fleet had like Melwin Fink did not call at a harbour of refuge and the race went ahead. When the race committee's warning of the heavy front went out, the four were already in a far southerly position and had already passed a large part of the Portuguese coast.
Close finish
On Monday morning, Fabio Muzzolini was the first to pass the virtual gate north of La Palma, just ahead of Tanguy Bouroullec. Pierre Le Roy had to change his course in order not to miss the gate and pass it in third place. Previously, Bouroullec and Le Roy had repeatedly alternated in the lead. However, Muzzolini was able to make up a lot of ground in the last 24 hours. Positioned further east than his competitors, he sailed at an average speed in double figures on Sunday night, while the other two had 7 to 9 knots on their logs.
Cards reshuffled
The four proto-sailors had pulled away from the field with their sprint to the south. The next to reach La Palma after them - if all goes well - will be Melwin Fink. The 19-year-old is currently leading the field of series boats with a lead of 94 nautical miles over second-placed Christian Kargl ("All Hands on Deck"). The majority of the fleet, which still consists of 88 boats, is currently sailing off the Portuguese Atlantic coast between Porto and Lisbon.
Lennart Burke ("Vorpommern") has been doing much better since his restart from Goyanes and is currently in 9th place in the classification. Apparently he was able to repair the damage to his boat during his stay in the harbour.
Lina Rixgens used her stopover in the harbour of Camarinas west of A Coruña to repair her autopilot and is currently in 20th place in the Proto ranking. Marc Eric Siewert - now with a functioning tracker again - was one of the last Mini participants to enter a harbour of refuge. After his stopover in A Coruña, he is currently in 24th position.
Collision with fishing boat
At around midday, serial boat sailor Victor d'Ersu ("Babouchka") collided with a fishing boat around 30 miles off the Portuguese coast. According to the organiser, he is fine, but apparently a spreader and the gennaker pole are damaged. The 28-year-old from Lorient is trying to repair the damage so that he can continue sailing.
