The trade wind chase has begun in the Mini-Transat. After days of light wind torment since the start on 25 October off Les Sables-Dd'Olonne, the Mini-Transat is now gradually picking up speed. 32 proto soloists and 57 series boat sailors finally have pressure in their sails again and can put the pedal to the metal on leg two. The total distance from Les Sables-d'Olonne to Guadeloupe is 2700 nautical miles.
"Super-Foiler" Benoît Marie leads in the mini-transat
After the first Mini-Transat leg was cancelled due to stormy conditions, it is now this one giant set across the Atlantic that will decide the winners and placings in the 25th edition of the big race for the small boats. The 89 skippers had to wait almost three days at sea before they could feel the harbingers of the trade winds.
After the start in very light windsAfter a few days of sailing, sometimes even on glassy seas in calm conditions, fresh pressure finally inflated the spinnakers on Tuesday. The fastest boats have already reached the trade winds, as the boat speeds in the tracking for the mini-transat on 28 October show. No surprise: with still 2300 nautical miles to go to the finish "Super-Foiler" and top favourite Benoît Marie on "Nicomatic - Petit Bateau" led the proto field on Tuesday evening with around 20 nautical miles ahead of equally well-known power players such as Alexandre Demange ("DMG Mori Sailing Academy 2") and Mathis Bourgnon ("Assomast").
Swiss podium contender Felix Oberle on "Big Bounce - Beltrona" fell back a little, sailing into the night in tenth place, around 65 nautical miles behind Benoît Marie. Thais Le Cam was the best proto sailor with her "Frerots Ad" in seventh place. Click here for tracking for Protos and series boats.
Mini-Transat premiere: Hendrik Lenz strong
Most of the co-favourites were also ahead in the series boats after a constantly changing classification at the beginning. Paul Cousin was in the lead late in the evening of 28 October, twelve nautical miles ahead of Quentin Mocudet on "Saveurs et Delices" and Antonin Chapot on "Espérance Banlieurs". All three series boats in the lead are Raison-Maxis.
Fourth place was also taken by Hendrik Lenz from Düsseldorf at the start of the fourth mini-transat day. His Vector mastered the tense phase of calm winds as well as the skipper himself. The 31-year-old Lenz had recently tended to position himself on the western flank of the peloton and was well in the mix when the winds slowly picked up. As the first non-maxi sailor, the current conditions should also suit Lenz after his focussed performance at the start.
His "Monoka" with hull number 1085 will be even more fun when the winds pick up to over 20 knots. Before the start of the race, Lenz once said of his Bertrand Vector 650: "From 24, 25 knots, we'll blow everything." By the time the first leg was unfortunately cancelled, he had already discovered that his boat can also be very fast in medium winds.
The German pursuers fight
The first-time participant must have done a lot right in the first 72 flat hours of the Mini-Transat, because: His training mate, friend and Vector soloist Niccolo Gamenara initially only found himself in 23rd place with his Vector in freshening winds. The German-Frenchman Victor David was also not yet where he would like to be in 35th place.
Victor Davin had deliberately set himself a very ambitious target of finishing in the top 20 before the start of the race, but his Verdier-Pogo's time may yet come. Thiemo Huuk was the third German miniist to finish in 47th place with his Bertrand Vector "Europe" after the doldrums.
Roland Welzig's Vector "Platypus", which the current Globe40 sailors Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink had helped with upgrades at their shipyard Next Generation Boating before the mini-transat, brought up the rear in the field of production boats for the time being. While the fleet struggled on its course to Saint-François, sad news reached the Mini community ashore.
Solidarity of the mini-community after fire in the harbour of destination
The Saint-François marina was hit by a serious fire in the morning. The race organisers expressed their solidarity with the town and the people in the harbour.
Mini Transat organising director Emmanuel Versace explained: "The Saint-François marina has been the venue for the Boulangère Mini Transat since 2021. We have therefore received the news with great sadness. VSM and the entire race organisation stand by the people of Saint-François and Mayor Jean-Luc Perian at this difficult time." The organisers also stated in a press release that "fortunately there were no casualties" in the fire, which is why the impact on the arrival of the participants will be moderate.
