The second stage of the Mini-Transat EuroChef is underway: Burke and Fink in the leading group, Kargl invests heavily

A successful start for Lennart Burke ("Vorpommern") and Melwin Fink ("SignForCom") in the second leg of the Mini-Transat EuroChef 2021: the two young German skippers initially started the race on 29 October off Santa Cruz de La Palma in the midfield, but then moved further and further ahead. By early Monday morning, Lennart Burke was in second place and Melwin Fink in seventh. The interim top ten positions show that the two German Pogo 3 boats between the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands have no lack of speed potential in the current moderate winds of around ten knots - they were sailing close together three days after the start. Leading the field at the time was Cécile Andrieu on "Groupe Adré". Frenchman Hugo Dhallenne, who was in second place behind leader Melwin Fink in the intermediate classification after the first leg, was tenth with around 2240 nautical miles to go to the finish off Guadeloupe.

In contrast, Christian Kargl, who was in third place after stage one, had an extreme start to the second stage of his second mini-transat. The Austrian chose a very southerly route and set himself well away from the field. The meteorological expert's bold investment meant that - far from the theoretical ideal line across the Atlantic to the finish harbour of Saint-François on Guadeloupe - he was initially only "chasing" 62nd and last place in the series boat field. The "All Hands On Deck" skipper is waiting for his chance to make up lost ground with more pressure in the south.

Kargl was not alone at the start of the week with his decision to go for the strong nerves: proto-sailors Arno Biston ("Bahia Express"), Irina Gracheva ("Path") and Romain Tellier ("Guenifey-Stid") had also decided to head south. Whether and when this strategic decision will pay off remains to be seen. So far, the main field has not had so much less wind to make the mile investment of the breakaways worthwhile. In a few days it will become clearer who can prevail in the battle of speed versus shortest course. In the proto fleet, Marc Siewert ("Absolute Sailing Team") was in 18th place on Monday morning.

By now, the majority of skippers at sea have probably found their own solo rhythm. For Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink, this ideally means a total of around five hours of sleep per day. Like the entire fleet, they hope to reach their destination in just under two and a half weeks. To be on the safe side, both have provisions for 20 days, including "rewards" according to personal taste. In addition to water, both have a few litres of cola on board. Fink has even bought them in small "aeroplane" cans. "You can take a few more with you," he said before the start and laughed.

While Burke relies on three warm meals a day and enjoys pistachios and other nut mixes or even a handful of Haribos, Melwin Fink cheers himself up with small salamis when needed. During the short sleep sessions of a maximum of 20 minutes, Fink lays his head on the survival suit - "a marvellous pillow!" - and has a children's sleeping mat with him. "It has a small hole somewhere, from which the air slowly escapes. When it's completely out, I wake up again," says the Benjamin of the fleet. Burke's back, on the other hand, has to make do without any support on the small boat. The same goes for Christian Kargl, because the Austrian has subjected his equipment to the harsh dictates of weight minimisation: "I don't have a mat or a sleeping bag with me. I'm well fed anyway." If Kargl wants to treat himself during the stage, he reaches for a chocolate biscuit from the Prinzenrolle.