Since the start of the second Mini-Transat leg on Wednesday, the single-handed skippers have been making up miles to the south and are almost halfway to Cape Verde. A few hours before the start of the race, the race organisers announced that all sailors would have to take the route between the Cape Verdean islands of São Antão and São Vicente. For safety reasons, this gate was set up to take the sailors in their small offshore racers on a southerly course and thus away from the predicted storm on the more northerly route. Safety first is the motto for the Mini-Transat.
Light wind start
In light wind conditions at the start off Las Palmas on Wednesday, Ian Lipinski and Erwan Le Mené did particularly well among the prototypes, but Jörg Riechers on his "Lilienthal" was also able to keep up. However, he is currently 25 miles behind proto favourite Ian Lipinski, who also won the first stage from La Rochelle to Gran Canaria.
As expected, the best German in the series boat ranking with his Pogo 3 is currently Oliver Tessloff in 18th place, Andreas Deubel is in 28th place and Lina Rixgens is in 35th place. They are all sailing in the still relatively dense field of boats along the Moroccan coast heading south-west towards Cape Verde.
Mast breakage and rudder damage
Some of the sailors will have to make a pit stop here or on the African mainland before they can set course west behind the northernmost Cape Verde island of São Antão. The reason for this is rudder damage that cannot all be repaired on board, according to the Classe Mini class association. Arthur Léopold-Léger, for example, runner-up in the Proto on the first leg and participant in the 2013 Mini-Transat, wants to repair his rudder in Mindelo, Erwan Le Mené (2nd place in the Proto on the first leg) in Dakar. Timothée Bonavita also has problems with his rudder, but is trying to get it under control with on-board equipment en route.
Proto sailor Dorel Nacou, whose mast broke at the top, was hit harder. He sailed to the Moroccan coast under emergency rigging in order to repair his rig as quickly as possible. Let's hope that he makes it back to the field soon and that the 80 or so other single-handed sailors are spared such setbacks. But the race across the Atlantic has only just begun.
And the German mini-sailors are also represented in the TV programme: ZDF was on site in Gran Canaria and the short report will be broadcast on Sunday 5 November in the sports programme between 17:10 and 18:00.
