They were ninth on Sunday, but "SignForCom" skipper Melwin Fink and his new co-skipper Estelle Greck started the week in sixth place after a tough night. The experienced Class 40 sailor from Lorient had come on board for the second leg of the double-handed regatta as a replacement for the injured Lennart Burke. Now the Franco-German duo on the Pogo 40 S4 is getting better and better, having already moved up to sixth place on Monday morning.
Life on board is hard. We alternate between steering and sleeping every two hours" (Melwin Fink)
Melwin Fink was still describing the challenging conditions on the Les Sables-d'Olonne course late on Sunday evening: "Everything is OK on board. The conditions are very tough. 25 knots of wind, sharp downwind under medium spi. Life on board is tough. We switch between steering and sleeping every two hours. But we're doing very well and we're coping well. Our performance doesn't make us so happy yet. There is a very nasty wave. The boat is constantly submerging completely. Everything is very, very wet."
In the meantime, however, the "SignForCom" are progressing increasingly quickly and successfully. 21-year-old Melwin Fink and 32-year-old Estelle Greck seem to have found their rhythm. Lennart Burke, who injured his back after a fall, is watching his team from shore. A medical examination has now revealed that he still has to fight an inflammation in his back after the fall on board on stage one, but should be fit again for the upcoming highlights of the season - the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Transat Jacques Vabre. "That's what I promised myself," said the man from Stralsund with a little melancholy in his voice.
Estelle Greck: Spontaneous deployment on "SignForCom" before her own boat is ready
Burke met his replacement, Estelle Greck, who had spontaneously flown to Horta and is now contesting part two of the Les Sables-Horta-Les Sables with Melwin Fink, before the start of the second leg in Horta. "She is a totally lovely woman, pithy and super well-trained, certainly a sought-after co-sailor." Estelle Greck is currently building a new Class 40 herself, getting the last Mach 5 from Sam Manuard before the Mach 6 takes over.
Lennart Burke is very satisfied with his own boat so far, despite a broken rudder and a lightning repair in Porto on leg one: "The 'SignForCom' arrived in Horta in great condition. There was only the rudder problem. We had the boat ready to race in Horta within two days." Lennart Burke expects his team to cross the finish line on leg two on the night of 13 July and says: "I'll be there."
Melwin can definitely sail fast. He is a good trimmer" (Lennart Burke)
The task for Melwin Fink and Estelle Greck is similar to stage one, says Burke: "Speed, speed, speed. They left the island well and entered the low pressure area on Sunday. I think they all have the spinnaker up and are stepping on the gas towards Les Sables-d'Olonne. If they're lucky and the downwind stays at 15 to 20 knots, those are definitely pogo conditions. And Melwin can definitely sail fast. He's a good trimmer." Burke is sad that he won't be able to take part in the return leg himself: "I would love to be on board, especially in these conditions!"
The 24-year-old from Stralsund, who lives in Hamburg, is already thinking about his comeback and looking ahead to the two-handed highlight, which will be the Transat Jacques Vabre in autumn: "We're really looking forward to it. It's a great and fascinating race. It will also be exciting to see how the new Class 40 boats perform compared to the Imocas. They can definitely be faster than some of the Imocas over long distances. And of course it will be cool to see Boris in the Transat Jacques Vabre."
We can grow and position ourselves well in Class 40" (Lennart Burke)
Lennart Burke feels that the career path he has embarked on together with Melwin Fink in the Class 40 for the new season is exactly right: "We are taking it step by step. The Class 40 is a very professionally managed class. We see ourselves here as the Next Generation Sailing Team for quite a while. We can grow and position ourselves well." Lennart Burke describes a great sailor like three-time Transat Jacques Vabre winner Antoine Carpentier as inspiring: "He has won ten Fastnet races and has been sailing Class 40 for 20 years. He says that single-handed sailing is not his thing and that he prefers to compete in double-handed races."
