The Minis are off again! Following the half-time break in the Mini Atlantique at the stage port of Horta in the Azores – which felt longer to some and shorter to others – the race organisers sent the seven Protos and 49 production boats on their return journey to the start and finish port of Les Sables-d’Olonne.
Out of caution regarding orcas: change of course in the Mini Atlantique
Ahead of the second half of the race, the race committee had previously adjusted the course once again to keep the fleet further away from the Iberian coast. This is intended to minimise the risk of encounters with orcas. Following the change, the course now runs significantly further north initially, without the total distance of around 1,300 nautical miles being significantly altered. During the first leg, Guillaume Wehrlen had been rammed by Orcas whilst riding his Verdier-Pogo “Pogolab 1”.
The early frontrunner of the first stage has shot straight out of the blocks: Julien Letissier was already leading the field after the first few hours, with a lead of almost four nautical miles over his compatriot Thomas Jouans (“Minimoana – Demain sera non fumeur”) and the Japanese sailor Koki Sawada on “DMG Mori Sailing Academy 2”.
Carla Hénon-Steck, who having only just arrived at the port of call during the night of 4 August was able to get her boat to the starting line in time, thanks to plenty of helping hands. Following the 12 noon start on Wednesday, the 18-year-old German-French sailor was a good eleven nautical miles behind the leader by the afternoon. The fleet had made a magnificent start to the second leg of the Mini Atlantique under spinnaker, against the picture-postcard backdrop of the Azores and the cloud-shrouded peak of Monte Pico.
Mini Atlantique: an early start and thunderstorms ahead
Dutch sailor Nienke Mullink suffered a major setback right at the start of the “Dutchsail”. The top-placed woman in the first leg (4th in the half-way standings for production boats) was penalised for a frustrating false start. The penalty for this in the Mini Atlantique is six hours. The solo sailors expect the second half of the race, covering a further 1,300 nautical miles or so, to take around a week. Conditions are expected to be very rough in places.
In the Atlantic, the Mini sailors will face some severe thunderstorms in the first 24 to 36 hours. Their primary aim will be to weather the passage of the low-pressure system without sustaining any damage to their boats. The fast and turbulent start is likely to be followed by a rather complicated final stage. Julien Letissier said before the start: “As we approach the Bay of Biscay, we’ll probably be tearing our hair out a bit: the fleet is likely to regroup. There could be a fresh start in five or six days.”
Tom Wehde also predicted this, although he expects the return leg of the Mini Atlantique to be potentially longer: “To start with, we’ll be sailing through a low-pressure system. After that, the forecast quickly becomes very unclear. Depending on the weather model, we’re currently looking at anything between six and eleven days at sea. This makes route planning extremely challenging, and there could be significantly more upwind sailing than on the first leg. Our limited weather information is therefore all the more important.”
“Osterrath” skipper Tom Wehde: harbour manoeuvres first, then a fighting spirit
Ninth place on the Hine stage said Tom Wehde, who came out on top in a talent competition in the winter of 2024 and having taken charge of the mini-project with the Next Generation Sailing team had given him a fair bit of confidence for the return leg. The “Osterrath” solo sailor wasn’t under any illusions, though: “It’ll be a completely different experience to the outward journey. Now we’re heading north for a change, not south. Different conditions, new decisions – I’m looking forward to it.”
Tom Wehde, too, had previously followed a tradition in Horta. For many decades, Atlantic sailors have regularly left their mark there by painting their own designs on the harbour wall. Together with the Mini-Atlantique fleet, Wehde also left his own greeting.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter