Mini 6.50: Lash finish off Les Sables

Weather forecaster Christian Dumard had predicted a victory "by a thread". And so it turned out! From Saturday until early Monday morning, the front runners in the prototype classification had to struggle with light winds - after the North Atlantic had previously ensured a wild ride for the mini-artists.

Caroline Boule seemed to be sitting on a comfortable cushion. Two days before she reached Les Sables, she had a lead of almost 30 nautical miles over Alexandre Demange, who is starting this season as a rookie for the German-Japanese DMG Mori team.

It was the famous ten per cent of the remaining distance that was often enough for victory in ocean races in the past. But not this time, not in the Bay of Biscay, which proved to be capricious. And not with Alexandre, who relied on his instinct and the versatility of his raison design.

On Sunday evening he saw Caro's "Nicomatic" on the AIS for the first time, later the skippers spoke via VHF marine radio. By two o'clock this morning, Demange had pulled so far ahead that he was on a par.

He was able to cross the finish line directly, while Caroline needed two more gybes on her Manuard design with hydrofoils in the current Imoca design - these ultimately decided the race, which seems almost cruel because so little was missing for the Polish-French skipper's first regatta victory.

I led this second stage for a long time and was therefore a little disappointed that I was overtaken at the end" Caroline Boule

As the Nicomatic skipper, who set a new 24-hour record for the Mini6.50 class on the first leg, said in an initial statement on the jetty in Les Sables d'Olonne, she had heard in the daily briefing by radio every morning that she was in the lead - "so of course I wanted to finish the job."

But that was difficult, especially because her only rival for victory is a light wind specialist. "In training, he's always the one who wins in these conditions. In the end, I'm very happy. To be honest, he deserved his win: he sailed really well," said Caroline Boule - and added: "We had a lot of fun in the Bay of Biscay!"

Even though her triumph failed to materialise, the young soloist, who is currently taking a break from her doctorate in engineering to pursue her sailing career, proved to be in strong form. This is all the more true because the conditions on the return leg from the Azores were tough at times. But that no longer frightens the "Nicomatic" skipper, who, together with her partner Benoit Marie, now has the foiling technique well under control.

All goals achieved at once" Alexandre Demange

For Alex Demange, the victory was like a celebration. He has been part of the DMG Mori Sailing Academy for two years. Nevertheless, this is his first season as a skipper and his first triumph. For a newcomer, the engineer, who comes from Olympic sailing, seems to be doing everything right. He has already shone in the first regattas of this season with very good placings. But the victory at the SAS tops everything.

"I'm at a loss for words. It's really hard for me to realise," he said overjoyed at the finish. "I'm very proud of what I've done - very, very proud. My goals for this Les Sables - Les Acores - Les Sables were first and foremost to learn and have fun. Performance came third. In the end, I achieved all my goals at once. You can hardly do better in a first season. That gives me a lot of confidence for the future, especially in terms of decision-making."

Demange needed 7 days, 11 hours, 6 minutes and 10 seconds for the second leg. He sailed 1,526.1 nautical miles and achieved a respectable average of 8.5 knots through the water - despite the flat phase at the end.

"I'm still struggling a bit to realise it all," he said, exhausted but happy. He had worked hard on the second stage. "I didn't want to have any regrets. I sailed without thinking about the placings, but only with the aim of doing my best. Everything was magical: the start, the strong wind, the flat finish, the finish...", he enthused, praising his narrowly beaten rival:

"Caroline also had a marvellous race. In the last two days, I had heard in the position announcements that I was gradually catching up with her, but as soon as there was a bit more wind, she increased her lead. Overall, we had very tough conditions, some heavy seas. I didn't think she would do so well with her boat. Congratulations to her!"

Alexandre Demange also attributed his success to excellent preparation. In fact, this is a success factor for the DMG-Mori team. Team boss Charles Euverte has been regarded as a master coach for future mini and Class 40 professionals for more than ten years. He is currently in charge of four campaigns: two Mini 6.50 skippers, Laure Galley's Figaro season and Kojiro Shiraishi's Vendée Globe project. Immediately after his arrival, Demange emphasised the part Charles Euverte played in his victory: "He was the one who trusted me and chose me. He always made sure that I had the best conditions for my success. I thank him from the bottom of my heart."

Felix Oberle in fourth place in the Protos, Joshua Schopfer wins the series classification

Romain Van Enis completed the prototype podium in the morning. The Belgian, who had won the first stage, crossed the finish line six hours after Alex Demange and Caro Boule, closely followed by Swiss driver Felix Oberle. The latter had an even more intense match race with Van Enis than the first two finishers. The positions changed constantly over the last 300 nautical miles, he said. "Sometimes his boat had the advantage, sometimes mine. That was cool". Oberle, already very strong in the series classification, has now firmly established himself in the top ranks of the Mini class.

And he is not the only Swiss to shine. Joshoua Schopfer, the Swiss man who steered Oberle's previous boat "Mingulay" - the Maxi 650 with sail number SUI 1028 - won the series minis.

The German Jan-Hendrik Lenz was still in 9th place among the series boats this afternoon, just 90 miles from Les Sables d'Olonne. He is expected to cross the finish line early Tuesday morning.

Here it goes to the SAS tracker!