Mini-Transat: Light wind start on Saturday - Minis before Atlantic adventure

The second stage of the Mini-Transat from La Palma to Gudeloupe starts on Saturday at 4pm German time. Will the jump across the Atlantic make up for the cancelled first stage? The German challengers Hendrik Lenz, Victor David and Thiemo Huuk are also counting on it.

The big jump of the small boats across the Atlantic begins on Saturday. The starting signal for stage two of the La Boulangère Mini-Transat will be given at 4pm off Santa Cruz de La Palma. There are 2700 Atlantic nautical miles to cover to the destination harbour of Saint-François on Guadeloupe. All mini-transaters are hungry to continue, after the first stage was cancelled without scoring due to stormy conditions.

Of the original 90 starters in the two divisions of prototypes and production boats, 89 are still taking part in mini-transat stage two. Only Hajime Kokumai ("DMG Mori Sailing Academy I") has already returned to Japan. He was rescued by the crew of a freighter on leg one in the Bay of Biscay after his boat collided with an unknown object and sprung a leak, and the skipper triggered his EPIRB emergency signal.

Mini-Transat: Damage in the top ten, but not for Lenz

After a three-week break, during which all skippers had the opportunity to repair their sails and boats damaged by the challenging start, eyes and thoughts are now focussed on the great Atlantic crossing. The Mini-Transat soloists in particular had major structural problems to rectify during the preparations. Just like Amaury Guérin on his "Groupe Satov" and many other skippers whose boats were damaged by the strong waves in the Bay of Biscay.

The same applied to Turkey's Deniz Bagci ("Sonmez Gobal"), who was well positioned in the leading group in the opening phase. "All the boats in the top five suffered damage. We did well. The vacuum pump is still running on board to complete a final lamination," the Istanbul native told us at the beginning of the week.

However, he was not quite right with his theory about the damaged top five of the series boats, because Düsseldorf's Hendrik Lenz - strong third place at the time of the cancellation after a furious opening stage - had no structural damage and no other major problems on his Vector. He said: "I think I was the only boat in the top ten that didn't have any delamination."

How much can you ask of a mini transat boat?

Lenz continued: "Deniz Bagci had breakage in the crash box, as did Nico Gamenara. Almost all the Maxis, on the other hand, had delamination on the bow. I was the blessed one, because Vector boats also broke." Vector designer Etienne Bertrand, who had watched the race from an accompanying boat, visited the Minis after the cancellation and was impressed by the Lenz-Vector "Monoka". "He confirmed to me that everything was fine," says Hendrik Lenz.

Whether he owes the excellent condition of his boat to good preparation or his own sailing style? "Both, I think," says Lenz, "I sailed carefully at the beginning, sometimes taking the sails down. I found an attitude where you don't break much. It also has a lot to do with the feeling for it: How much can you demand of the boat? But the breakage phenomenon won't be as bad on leg two because there will be less wind."

After the disappointing cancellation of the first stage, the second mini-Transat stage - now the only one in this edition - could start with very light winds. That was the forecast the day before the start. The German-Frenchman Victor David reported on Friday: "The start could be really tough with very, very, very light winds. A wedge of high pressure has settled nicely on the Canary Islands and won't go away."

Waypoint forces mini-Transat fleet southwards

The waypoint positioned by the race organisers around 150 nautical miles south of the start line is also causing headaches for the mini-sailors. "Last week it still seemed relevant in view of a nasty depression in the north, which has since weakened. But after leg one, the organisers were worried that something could happen. Now the first 24 to 48 hours could be tough on the nerves. And even the trade winds look light so far, more like 12 to 15 knots and not 20 knots," says Victor David.

It could lead to a scenario in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." Victor David

The waypoint to be passed will be particularly challenging for the maxis among the series boats. "They'll have to tack pretty hard to get good speed. With my Pogo 3, I can sail quite deep in a good VMG and go relatively straight down," says Victor David, who also sees an opportunity in the light wind scenario at the start of the second leg of the mini-transat. After three years with a lot of reaching in the mini regattas, the conditions could suit David's ambitious goal of a top 15 finish in the Atlantic challenge.

What will the German sailors take with them from the cancelled first Mini-Transat leg for the giant leap across the Atlantic? "I will definitely take away the fact that I was so good in the wind. That I can be fast, even in 18, 19, 20 knots at the end. I'm taking the best mindset I've ever had with me. And the mantra: just sail!" says Hendrik Lenz.

I'm not going to set myself the goal of getting back to three. But I will listen to the gut feeling that got me there again." Hendrik Lenz

Lenz continued: "I was on a podcast last week with Felix Oberle (editor: top Swiss player in the Proto division). We were both a bit of the 'cheated third' when the first stage was cancelled. And we were both a bit sad about it. At first I thought it wouldn't affect me that much, but the longer I thought about it, the harder it became."

Comparable opponents as motivation in the mini-transat

In the meantime, however, the cancellation has been dealt with. All energy is focussed on stage two, which will exclusively decide the final results in the Mini-Transat this year. Discussions are continuing in the Mini scene about taking into account performances up to a possible cancellation of a stage in future editions. This year, the invitation to tender did not allow for this possibility.

On the strategy for the Transat, Hendrik Lenz said: "The northern route pretty much died with the waypoint." Victor David, team-mate in the training group in La Rochelle, is also taking some lessons learnt from the aborted stage into the first Atlantic crossing in the Mini: "For me, it was a good sign that I really warmed up after a few days on stage one and only thought about the boat."

In terms of speed, Victor David can compare his pogo "Ich bin en Solitaire", which runs best at 15 to 20 knots and long waves, with very similar boats such as the Verdier design "Douze Étoiles - Sos Demoides" (ex-boat of Lennart Burke) by Victor Le Roy or the pogo by Pierric Evenou. "Those two are always travelling fast. I often have them on the AIS. But I'm usually close behind them," says Victor David, describing this additional motivation.

With fresh mangoes and avocados on the Atlantic

The German-Frenchman also has a cheerful additional note to report: "Until recently, Victor Le Roy's boat also had Sparkasse Vorpommern written on it. Maybe he's taken that off now." The bank was Lennart Burke's sponsor in the 2021 Mini-Transat.

The stopover in Santa Cruz de La Palma, where the classic parade of the Minis took place in the middle of the weekhas given the budding Atlantic conquerors plenty of time for repairs and preparations, but also other pleasant side effects. Like Victor David, many others also take fresh Spanish provisions with them on the Transat, for which the routings of the series boat sailors recently predicted a race duration of 15 or 16 days.

After the start on 25 October at 4 p.m., you can go here for tracking.

"I take mangoes and avocado with me. I've hung a net on the ceiling for this. Plus serrano and the freeze-dried stuff from my sponsor Travellunch. But the smaller portions, because it will be very warm and on stage one I sometimes had the feeling that the large 1000-calorie portions were too much. I try to avoid anything containing potatoes and now have more Asian food with me. Plus a little olive oil and hot sauce," says Victor David.

Step on the gas with Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries

Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming second Mini-Transat stage, he already knows one thing: "I've never learnt as much in my life as I have in these last three Mini years." Once the race has started after Saturday's start and the soloists have settled into their routines, music will come into play for one or two of them.

Hendrik Lenz, for example, has several playlists for different moods. One is called "Super Hype", has nine tracks and includes Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries alongside metal sounds and Kiss power. It fits in well with the XL Atlantic project. And perhaps also to the Gala that everyone expects from the big proto-favourite Benoït Marie.