Spi Ouest France - Intermarché : Dunkerque en Bretagne pour le Spi Ouest France

Courrier Dunkerque 3 M34. Image copyright JM Liot/ASO

par Tanguy Blondel

Huit voiliers battant le pavillon de la Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque se présenteront, du 17 au 21 avril, au Spi Ouest France Intermarché de la Trinité-sur-Mer, le grand rassemblement de voile habitable du début de saison.

« Courrier Dunkerque 3 » pour défendre son titre

Le bateau armé par le club « Dunkerque Plaisance » et mené par Daniel Souben vient d’en terminer avec un nouveau stage d’entraînement à l’Ecole Nationale de Quiberon. Les marins professionnels dunkerquois ont enchaîné depuis le début de l’année de large session de préparation à bord du M34 mais aussi d’autres supports. « Nous nous sommes appliqués durant l’hiver à se concentrer sur la communication à bord et sur les nouvelles règles de la jauge M34 à savoir des voiles monotypes et un équipier de moins embarqué en M34 » indique Daniel Souben, toujours autant attaché à la performance. « Puis, nous avons navigué contre l’équipe de « Groupama » ce qui nous a permis de progresser encore et toujours. Nous nous présentons clairement sur le Spi Ouest France avec l’intention de garder notre titre et de devancer l’ensemble de nos concurrents. Nous connaissons parfaitement cette épreuve et notre groupe, qui n’a quasi pas changé depuis 2006 et est plus que jamais très motivé.  »

Les jeunes sur le pont

Une grande délégation de jeunes dunkerquois, issus de clubs comme « Dunkerque Plaisance », le Yacht Club de la Mer du Nord, Dunkerque Yacht Club…  sera sur les lignes de départ du Spi Ouest France qui se court en baie de Quiberon. Voile Ambition Dunkerque, centre d’excellence régional,  soutenu par la Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque, la Ligue de Voile du Nord-Pas-de-Calais et la Fédération Française de Voile sera chargé d’encadrer les jeunes coureurs des clubs nordistes lors de cette compétition. Sept équipages feront le déplacement, trois en J80 et quatre en Open 5.70. Les espoirs dunkerquois et nordistes ont beaucoup navigué depuis le début de saison avec des entraînements qui ont débuté à la mi-janvier sur le plan d’eau des bancs de Flandre. « Le Spi Ouest France est l’événement qui permet de débuter notre année en course » déclare Vincent Graveleau, l’entraîneur en chef de « Voile Ambition Dunkerque ».« Cela ne sera pas l’objectif principal car nous visons surtout le Grand Prix de l’Ecole navale, le Championnat de France des monotypes, le Championnat d’Europe J80 à Barcelone, et le Championnat de France Espoir de Martigues mais c’est un bon moyen de savoir où nous en sommes ». En J80, les équipes menées par Alexis Henry et Clément Meister, Rémi Hurdiel et l’université du littoral de la Côte d’Opale seront les plus grandes chances de belles performances pour ce pôle de haut niveau. Du côté des Open 5.70, Damien Seeten et ses équipiers ne cessent de progresser et peuvent espérer une place dans le top 5. Les autres teams seront vraiment en Bretagne pour apprendre la course au contact autour de nombreux monotypes.

Le programme du team Courrier Dunkerque en 2014

18 au 21 avril : Spi Ouest France La Trinité-sur-Mer en M34

8 au 11 mai : Grand Prix Guyader à Douarnenez en M34

29 mai au 1 juin : Grand Prix de l’Ecole navale en J80

10 au 15 juin : Normandy Sailing Week en M34

4 au 27 juillet : Tour de France à la Voile en M34

Départ à la Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque

Arrivée à Nice

30 octobre au 2 novembre : National J80 à la Rochelle

L’équipage du M34 « Courrier Dunkerque 3 » : Daniel Souben, Pierre Antoine Morvan, Erwan Le Roux, Antoine Carpentier, Steven Liorzou, Mathieu Renault, Bertrand Castelnerac

Préparation bateau:Vincent Vandekerkhove

Préparation météo: Hervé Gautier

Suivi Ostéo: Guillaume Rospabe

Les équipages de Voile Ambition Dunkerque :

 

J80 VADK ONE FRA 1289 : Alexis Henry(cnvva), Anthony De Mola (Dunkerque Plaisance), Pauline Bryère, Clément Meister(Dunkerque Plaisance)

J80 Made In Dunkerque / ULCO FRA 846 : Joffrey Davroux, Nicolas

Manac'h, Anaïs David, Pierre Noesmoen, Rémy Hurdiel (Dunkerque Yacht Club)

J80 VADK TWO FRA 1290 : Aymeric Decroocq (Dunkerque Plaisance); Julie Vandenberghe, Noé , Léo Paul Géneau, Timothée Watier

Open 5.70 FRA 289 Albane Dubot, Carla Gillon, Louis Marie Badou (YC Calaisis)

Open 5.70 FRA 291     Guillaume Storme, Hugues Renard, Charles Bauzerand (Yacht Club de la Mer du Nord)

Open 5.70 FRA 292     Julien Falempin, Yasmine Chentouf, Damien Seeten (Dunkerque Plaisance) 

Open 5.70 FRA 293     Colin Kermarec( SR Rochelaise), PA Delahaye, Guillaume Guédon

Dunkerque Nautisme

Spi Ouest

Spi Ouest France - Intermarché : Oman Sail with an M34 and two J80s

Oman Sail M34. Image copyright Oman Sail/Lloyd Images

by Oman Sail media

Oman Sail’s multinational race squad, skippered by Sidney Gavignet and tasked with racing the M34 in the Tour de France a la Voile and the Sultanate of Oman’s flagship MOD70 this season, will line up on the start line of Spi Ouest France Intermarché on Thursday for a weekend of racing on the M34 and J80 in La Trinite-sur-Mer.

Sidney will skipper the Oman Sail M34 for its first outing this season and will call tactics, while fellow Frenchman Damien Iehl will helm, Shane Hughes (IRL) will trim the mainsail, Gilles Favennec (FRA) will be on headsail duty, Mohammed Al Mujaini (OMA) will run the pit, Sebastien Rogues (FRA) will trim the spinnaker and Thomas Ruyant (FRA) will do bow.

The event will be a good shakedown for the new crew and a first opportunity to race against 10 of the M34s currently being campaigned, including 2013 Spi Ouest winner, Communauté Urbaine de Dunkerque (Daniel Souben), Groupama (Fabien Henry, who has also won Spi Ouest) and Bretagne Crédit Mutuel (Nicolas Troussel).

Sidney Gavignet. Image copyright Oman Sail/Lloyd Images

“Our goal with Spi Ouest is to train for the Tour de France a la Voile,” explained Sidney. “One of the main focuses will be for Damien Iehl and I to work on our communication. We do not have a performance target for this event as it is too soon for that so our main objectives are to focus on working together, boat handling and close quarters racing – Spi Ouest is an ideal platform for that.”

The M34 circuit is a key training platform for the Oman Sail development programme and this year the pioneering national initiative that uses the power of sport to contribute to the development of the Omani people has taken a further step and will be campaigning a J80 for Spi Ouest crewed by a 100% Omani team.

“We have broad objectives for the wider race squad for 2014, and those crewmembers that aren’t racing the M34 for Spi Ouest, are racing a J80 as part of a 100% Omani crew, helmed by Fahad Al Hasni who usually trims the headsail on the M34 and has also crewed the MOD70. Taking on this role will teach him about the volume of information that the helmsman needs from the trimmers for example and will give him a good grounding of information to take forward for the rest of the season.

“The Omani crew members sailing on the M34 and J80 at Spi Ouest are amongst some of the best sailors from the Oman Sail project and we will be running a crew rotation policy on the M34 and MOD70 throughout the season in order to grow their ability further. We also aim to strengthen this team outside of sailing, we will train together as a squad every morning and after racing each day at Spi Ouest the two crews will debrief and discuss boat handling, tactics and the weather – this is when they learn the most” said Sidney.

Mohammed Al Mujaini, crew on board the M34 for Spi Ouest has been sailing the boat for two years and has raced Sailing Arabia-The Tour and Tour de France a la Voile – he is a fast learner and the more he learns the greater his ambitions: “Racing alongside such experienced professional sailors is a huge challenge and a learning curve for us, but it is also a real source of inspiration for the young Omanis back home to see us evolve and grow in experience through racing against teams like Groupama and Dunkerque,” he explained. “This year we have a new crew configuration on the M34 and have had just two weeks before Spi Ouest, we will be working hard on training towards the Tour de France a la Voile and hoping to do well.”

The Oman Sail J80 crew are equally motivated ahead of their first European regatta as an all-Omani team – they will be racing in the biggest fleet of the event with over a hundred boats expected on the start line. Nasser Al Mashari, who races on the Oman Sail Extreme Sailing defending champion The Wave, Muscat – recent winner of Act 2 in Muscat, will be trimming the mainsail and calling tactics on the J80: “It’s my first time on these boats, but I am learning quickly,” he said. “After a week’s training we are communicating well onboard – we speak a mixture of Arabic and English, but it is going well! It’s a huge opportunity for us to race this boat and it will be my first time racing in such a big fleet. I am excited to be taking such a big step forward in my career thanks to Oman Sail and to be demonstrating to the young sailors in Oman that if you work hard, you can achieve – especially this year as we will be rotating onto different boats in the Oman Sail fleet and will learn to perform whatever the platform. It’s very motivating.”

Oman Sail's female M34 team. Image copyright Oman Sail/Lloyd Images

One J80 will stand out from the 100-strong fleet in La Trinite: Al Thuraya Bank Muscat, the Oman Sail all-female campaign is returning to Europe for its second year and includes British Olympic sailor Mary Rook and four sailors from the fledgling Oman Sail Women’s Sailing Programme (WSP), including Raiya Al Habsi, Rajaa Al Uwaisi, Ibtisam Al Salmi and Nashwa Al Kindi. The WSP was created in 2011 to offer equal opportunity to Omani women in sailing and in the short period since its inception, Raiya Al Habsi has experienced sailing a MOD70 in the Fastnet, Rajaa has skippered a boat for two seasons and Nashwa who is one of the sailing school instructors became the first Arab woman to sail an Ocean passage alongside Hilary Lister from India to Oman. Rajaa Al Uwaisi, skipper and helmswoman, and an inaugural member of the WSP comments on the upcoming event: “My overall goal is to grow as a sailor, to keep learning and to become more rounded and my immediate goal at Spi Ouest is to improve my tactical ability. This will be my second Spi Ouest and I am tremendously proud to represent my country – we have been training on dinghies in Oman and working on our physical strength ahead of the European circuit. It is a huge opportunity to be able to compete in Europe again and I hope we will set a good example to young Omani girls who want to sail.” 

Oman Sail Elite Sailing Squad Summer Programme 2014

MOD70 programme

• 2-5 May: Grand Prix Guyader, Douarnenez, France
• 30 May-1 June: Armen Race, La Trinite sur Mer, France
• 21-29 June: Kiel Week, Germany
• 2-9 August: Artemis Challenge, Cowes Week, UK
• 10-14 August: Seven Star Round Britain and Ireland Race

M34 programme

• 17-21 April: Spi Ouest, France
• 8-11 May: Grand Prix Guyader, Douarnenez, France
• 9-15 June: Normandy Sailing Week, France
• 4-28 July: Tour de France a la Voile 

J80 programme

• 17-21 April: Spi Ouest, France
• 28-31 May: Grand Prix Ecole Navale, France
• 9-15 June: Normandy Sailing Week, France
• 27 June-4 July: J80 European Championships, Spain (TBC)

Oman Sail race squad for Spi Ouest

M34 – Spi Ouest

• Sidney Gavignet (FRA)
• Damien Iehl (FRA)
• Shane Hughes (IRL)
• Gilles Favennec (FRA)
• Mohammed Al Mujaini (OMA)
• Sebastien Rogues (FRA)
• Thomas Ruyant (FRA)

J80 – male – Spi Ouest

• Fahad Al Hasni (OMA)
• Nasser Al Mashari (OMA)
• Ali Al Balushi (OMA)
• Sami Al Shukily (OMA)

J80 – female – Spi Ouest

• Rajaa Al Uwaisi (OMA)
• Mary Rook (GBR)
• Raiya Al Habsi (OMA)
• Ibtisam Al Salmi (OMA)
• Nashwa Al Kindi (OMA)

Oman Sail

Spi Ouest

Spi Ouest France - Intermarché : Safran out in force for the Spi Ouest-France Intermarché

Safran at Spi-Ouest with Marc Guillemot's Open 7.50. Supplied image.

by Safran Sailing media

From April 17 to 21, hundreds of monohulls will converge on the Quiberon Bay for the 36th edition of the Spi Ouest-France Intermarché regatta. For the first time, two boats from Safran will race in two very eminent categories. Morgan Lagravière will line up among the hundred J80s entered this year. Marc Guillemot will defend the title he won in 2013 in the Open 7.50m class. The two sailors, who both own their boats, decided to wear the colours of their partner Safran.

Established 36 years ago, the largest gathering of living monohulls in Europe will host more than 400 this year. For five days, the crews will race in Quiberon Bay, famous for its often random weather.

Morgan Lagravière in the J80The category of J80 (8-metre monohulls) is probably the most important class in the competition, both in the number and the quality of the crews. This year, more than 107 boats will compete in this event which will count towards the Coupe de France.

An owner of a J80 since last February, Lagravière decided to have his own boat in the colours of Safran. "This year I started sailing in the IMOCA with Marc (Guillemot),”Lagravière said. “To complete my training I decided to expand the range of boats I was sailing. I bought a J80 specifically for my preparation, to be in the best shape for the 2016 Vendée Globe. This monohull is the perfect tool to train in. It does not need to be constantly upgraded technically to have a chance of getting good results, only the choices by the sailor when racing make the difference," Lagravière, who does not see himself sailing without the colours of Safran anymore, added. "It is natural for me to wear the colours of my partner and I am very proud to do so. Mentally it makes me feel stronger on the starting line and since the boat was painted with the colours of Safran, I have found it even more beautiful." 

Marc Guillemot in the Open 7.50. The owner of his Open 7.50m since 2005, Guillemot is a regular at the Spi Ouest-France Intermarché and his results are always near the top of the class. First in 2012 and 2013, fourth in 2011 and third in 2010, the skipper from Saint-Philibert has worn the colours of the Safran Group since 2007 in this event. It was a decision taken by Guillemot. "This event fits easily into my sporting calendar,” Guillemot said. “My priority is to sail a really responsive and progressive boat with a crew involved with our IMOCA (Alexander Marmorat is part of the Safran Sailing Team and Caesar Dohy works on the sails). If the presence of the boat also means we are enhancing the profile of Safran in sailing, then our mission is a double win. As a professional team, we naturally draw more attention than those who are amateur. When you are carrying the flag of a group like Safran it fills you with real pride and forces you to try even harder. Also, there is a certain common logic to sailing a Open 7.50 at the same time as sailing an IMOCA 60.” This one-design with a powerful hull and impressive sail area is often considered the most demanding boat at the Spi Ouest-France Intermarché. The competition is always of a high level and does not look like breaking that rule this year. "For this 2014 edition, our main competitors are Nicolas Groleau, Loïck Peyron and a very sharp English professional crew,” Guillemot said. “Two or three other teams could also rock the boat."

The first big event of the sailing season in France, the Spi Ouest-France Intermarché is a perfect playground for skippers. As both a full-scale training exercise and a competition, the opportunity is ideal for fine tuning, refining strategy and self-assessment at the same time as being a great event.

In French:

Du 17 au 21 avril prochain, des centaines de monocoques vont s’élancer dans la baie de Quiberon pour la 36ème édition du Spi Ouest-France Intermarché. Pour la première fois, deux voiliers Safran seront au départ de la course dans deux catégories très relevées. Morgan Lagravière s’alignera en effet parmi la centaine de J80 inscrits cette année. De son côté, Marc Guillemot défendra son titre remporté en 2013 en Open 7,50m. Les deux marins, propriétaires de leur voilier, ont décidé de porter les couleurs de leur partenaire Safran.

Créé il y a 36 ans, le plus grand rassemblement de monocoques habitables en Europe accueillera cette année plus de 400 monocoques. Pendant 5 jours, les équipages régateront dans la baie de Quiberon, célèbre pour ses conditions météorologiques souvent aléatoires.

Morgan Lagravière en J80

La catégorie des J80 (monocoques de 8 mètres) est sûrement la catégorie la plus importante de la compétition, tant par le nombre que par la qualité des équipages. Cette année, plus de 107 bateaux se confronteront lors de cette épreuve qui comptera pour la Coupe de France. 

Propriétaire d’un J80 depuis février dernier, Morgan Lagravière a décidé de s’aligner avec son propre bateau sous les couleurs de Safran. « Cette année, j’ai commencé à naviguer en IMOCA avec Marc (Guillemot NDLR). Afin de parfaire mes entrainements, j’ai décidé de multiplier les supports et j’ai acheté un J80 spécifiquement pour ma préparation afin d’être dans les meilleures conditions pour le Vendée Globe 2016. Ce monocoque est l’outil idéal pour s’entraîner. Il ne nécessite pas de mise à jour technique pour espérer faire de bons résultats, seuls les choix sportifs font la différence » commente Morgan qui ne se voit plus naviguer sans les couleurs de Safran. « Il est tout naturel pour moi de porter les couleurs de mon partenaire et je suis très fier de le faire. Mentalement je me sentirai plus fort sur la ligne de départ. Depuis que le bateau est marqué aux couleurs de Safran, je le trouve encore plus beau ! » 

Marc Guillemot en Open 7.50 

Propriétaire de son Open 7,50m depuis 2005, Marc Guillemot est un habitué du Spi Ouest-France Intermarché et ses résultats sont à la hauteur de son implication. Premier en 2012 et 2013, quatrième en 2011 et troisième en 2010, le skipper de Saint-Philibert porte les couleurs du Groupe depuis 2007 sur cet événement. Une décision voulue par le marin. « Cette épreuve s’insère facilement dans mon calendrier sportif. Ma priorité est de naviguer sur un bateau nerveux et évolutif avec un équipage lié à l’IMOCA (tel qu’Alexandre Marmorat qui fait partie du Safran Sailing Team, ou César Dohy qui travaille sur les voiles). Si en plus de cela, la présence du bateau permet de valoriser l’implication de Safran dans la voile, la mission est doublement remplie ! En tant qu’équipe professionnelle, nous attirons forcément plus les regards que ceux qui courent en amateur. Lorsque l’on est porte-drapeau d’un Groupe comme Safran on a forcément une vraie fierté qui nous oblige à avancer avec rigueur. Par ailleurs, il y a une certaine logique à naviguer sur un Open 7,50 lorsque l’on navigue en 60’ IMOCA. » En effet, ce monotype à la carène puissante et à la surface de voile impressionnante est souvent considéré comme le bateau le plus exigeant du Spi Ouest-France Intermarché. La concurrence à un niveau élevé ne devrait pas déroger à la règle cette année. « Pour cette édition 2014, nos principaux concurrents sont Nicolas Groleau, Loïck Peyron et un équipage professionnel anglais très affûté. Deux ou trois autres teams pourraient également jouer les troubles fêtes » reprend Marc. 

Premier grand rendez-vous de la saison voile en France, le Spi Ouest-France Intermarché est un terrain de jeu parfait pour les skippers. Entre entraînement grandeur nature et compétition, l’occasion est idéale pour parfaire les réglages, peaufiner la stratégie et se mesurer à une belle concurrence.

Safran Sailing
Spi Ouest

Vendée Globe : Where are all the Women?

Samantha Davies, Dee Caffari, Isabelle Joschke and Jeanne Gregoire want to participate in 2016

Sam Davies and Dee Caffari. Image copyright Jenny Launay/Mer & Media

Ellen, Samantha, Dee, Anne, Isabelle, Catherine, Karen…the women who have taken part in the Vendée Globe have always thrilled the public and been the focus of our admiration. For the 2016 Vendée Globe, we are still lacking that feminine touch. We can bet however that this gap will still be filled, remembering what happened in the past... 

Lining up at the start of the Everest of the Seas in 1996, Isabelle Autissier and Catherine Chabaud opened the Vendée Globe up to women. The former was forced to stop in Cape Town to repair her rudder, after being up there with the frontrunners. Isabelle left her mark on the history of the third Vendée Globe by spending several days unsuccessfully looking for her friend, Gerry Roufs, who was lost in the Southern Ocean. Out of the race, she sailed her PRB monohull back to Les Sables-d’Olonne, while Catherine Chabaud on Whirlpool, completed the race in sixth place out of the fifteen competitors that had lined up at the start. The Vendée Globe was no longer the preserve of men.

When Ellen MacArthur, the 24-year old British sailor lined up in 2000 on Kingfisher, a boat specially built for her, the general public wondered how she would manage: so young, so fragile… at the helm of such a big boat. But what is there left to say except she finished in second place behind Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB), apart from the fact that the latter was rather jealous about the welcome given to the young woman by the crowds in Les Sables-d’Olonne? In that race, Catherine Chabaud lost her mast and had to head back to Vendée outside of the rankings. But in that fourth race with 24 competitors, the podium showed that women definitely had their place.

On Roxy in 2004, Anne Liardet proved to the general public that you can be a sailor and mother of three children. Anne came in eleventh out of twenty ahead of another French sailor, Karen Leibovici, who finished thirteenth.

In 2008, it was time for the Brits, Samantha Davies and Dee Caffari to dominate the airwaves with pictures expressing their sheer pleasure as they sailed around the world in style. The arrival back in Les Sables always lives up to expectations even when the sailors don’t always manage to complete the race, as was the case for Samantha, whose Savéol was dismasted off Portugal in 2012. So far, the ladies have always managed to bring their boats home with the support of the general public, which remains just as enthusiastic.

Today, Samantha Davies, Dee Caffari, Isabelle Joschke and Jeanne Grégoire, to give just a few names are dreaming of setting up a Vendée Globe project. If no women made it to the start in 2016, it would be a step back in time to twenty years ago in the Vendée Globe. That can’t happen.

In French:

Ellen, Samantha, Dee, Anne, Isabelle, Catherine, Karen…les navigatrices du Vendée Globe ont chaque fois ravi le cœur du public et engrangé un gros capital d’admiration. Pour le Vendée Globe 2016, il manque aujourd'hui encore l’indispensable touche féminine ! Gageons que cette lacune soit vite comblée, car rappelez-vous...

En s’alignant au départ de l’Everest des mers en 1996, Isabelle Autissier et Catherine Chabaud ouvraient aux femmes la route du Vendée Globe. La première fut contrainte de faire une escale au Cap pour réparer un safran, alors qu’elle naviguait dans le groupe de tête. Isabelle marquait aussi l’histoire de ce troisième Vendée Globe en cherchant, durant plusieurs jours et sans succès, la trace de son ami Gerry Roufs disparu dans les mers du Sud. Hors-course, elle ramena son voilier PRB jusqu’aux Sables-d’Olonne, tandis que Catherine Chabaud, à bord de Whirlpool, bouclait le tour à la sixième place, sur quinze concurrents engagés au départ. La mixité s’annonçait avec panache dans le Vendée Globe !

Lorsqu’Ellen Mac Arthur, la petite britannique de 24 ans, se présente au départ en 2000 sur Kingfisher, un voilier construit spécialement pour elle, le public se demande comment est-ce possible : si jeune, si frêle… à la barre d'un si grand bateau. Pourtant, que dire de son arrivée, à la deuxième place derrière Michel Desjoyeaux (PRB), sinon que ce dernier fut jaloux de l’accueil réservé à la jeune femme par la foule réunie aux Sables-d’Olonne ? Cette année- là, c’est Catherine Chabaud qui, victime d’un démâtage, regagnera la Vendée sans être classée. Mais dans cette quatrième édition, riche de 24 participants, c’est le podium qui sonnait la parité !

Sur Roxy en 2004, Anne Liardet prouve au grand public qu’être à la fois navigatrice et mère de trois enfants n’est pas incompatible. Anne s’adjuge même la onzième place sur vingt partants, devant une autre française, Karen Leibovici, qui termine treizième.

Puis en 2008 ce fut au tour de Samantha Davies et Dee Caffari, de remplir les ondes et les images de leurs rires joyeux, tout en accomplissant l’exploit de boucler de la plus belle manière. Les arrivées de filles font imparablement recette, même lorsqu’elles n’arrivent pas classées, comme Samantha dont le Savéol a démâté au large du Portugal en 2012. Jusqu’à aujourd’hui, elles ont toutes ramené leur monture à bon port, soutenues par un public toujours au rendez-vous.

Aujourd’hui, Samantha Davies, Dee Caffari, Isabelle Joschke, Jeanne Grégoire, pour ne citer qu’elles, ne rêvent que de pouvoir concrétiser un projet Vendée Globe. Si aucune femme n’était au départ en 2016, la mixité dans le Vendée Globe ferait un bond en arrière de vingt ans ! Juste impensable.

Vendée Globe

Mini : Mini 6.50 GP Start Genoa, Italy, Image Collage

Preparations for the Start...

The course. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Concentration. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Giancarlo Pedote. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Intent on hearing all. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Relaxed. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Dockside preparations. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Boats and sails. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Discussions. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Departure. Image copyright Studio Borlenghi/Luca Butto

Mini Class

MiniTransat 2013 : Pocket Battleships over the Atlantic Ocean

Australian and New Zealand interest at the top of the Mini class!

Benoїt Marie (France) celebrates his win in Guadeloupe. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

by Anne Hinton

The 6.5 metre long Mini singlehander is an extremely popular class with several hundred boats in existence and with race starts seeing a norm of 60 boats. Most of the racing is from France or in the Mediterranean, but sailors come from all over the world to participate in races, while leaving their boats in western Europe. 

The MiniTransat 2013 to Guadeloupe, last autumn, had a very difficult start from Douarnenez in northwest France due to stormy weather in the northeast Atlantic.

Mini racing in France earlier in 2013. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/Sea&Co.

The first leg to Sada (Spain) was cancelled due to weather concerns after competitors were more than halfway across the Bay of Biscay. The whole race was then sailed as one leg from Sada to Guadeloupe, via the Canary Islands. Following the re-start, here were further issues due to large waves, initially, off Portugal, which led to a number of boats pulling out, including some top sailors, and unstable Trade Winds later on.

MiniTransat 2013 start off Douarnenez. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013

At the MiniTransat 2013 race start there were 84 entrants, with a waiting list of qualified sailors in case any boat dropped out at the last minute. The re-start from Sada enabled some, such as South Africa's Craig Horsfield (who flew to France from Seattle, USA, to compete) to race despite having to pull out on the first leg due to damage. Horsfield finished as first native English speaker in 10th position in the Series class in Guadeloupe.

Some pre-race favourites, very successful earlier in the season, didn't make it into Guadeloupe due to the conditions. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/Sea&Co.

Some, who had not qualified to sail their boats, raced the virtual regatta, which had several thousand participants. In this, German Mini sailor Chris Lükermann was 34th shortly before the finish. Lükermann will race the 2015 MiniTransat in his Pogo 2 Series boat. The virtual regatta provided a chance to try out his navigation skills.

Aymeric Belloir (France) was first Series boat into Guadeloupe. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

Earlier in the race, Aymeric's boat almost disappeared in the waves! Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

The first three Series boats (Aymeric Belloir, Justine Mettraux and Simon Koster; a Frenchman and two Swiss) were all sailing Nacira Minis. An initially tight race between the two Swiss saw Mettraux, from Geneva, pull away from Koster, from Zürich, when the latter had to stop for repairs in the Canaries. Meanwhile Belloir had the legs on both, finishing about a day ahead in first place in the Series class!

Richard Hewson in the new RG Series Mini: very fast across to Sada. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013

Richard Hewson in the new RG Series Mini: very fast across to Sada. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013

The new RG6.50 Series boat was clearly in the lead on the cancelled leg to Sada. From the statistics, the results of Richard Hewson (Australia) show that the RG is better than the Nacira. Unfortunately an illegal fishing boat put paid to Hewson's chances in the race after Sada and the RG did not complete the event on this occasion. The undaunted Hewson, a previous winner, as skipper, of the round-the-world Clipper Race, is currently seeking sponsorship for the 2015 MiniTransat with the RG Mini. The Tassie Devil will undoubtedly be the Series boat to watch for 2015!

Simon Koster arrives as third Series boat into Guadeloupe. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

In 2015 there will also be the new Pogo 3 boat. Both the RG and the Pogo 3 have more volume forwards than other Series boats, but the Pogo 3 also has its rudders under the cockpit, which could make them difficult to change in mid-ocean.

Justine Mettraux (Switzerland) finished second in the Series boats into Guadeloupe and is now moving on to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race with Team SCA. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

Justine Mettraux, from Geneva. The fastest Swiss Miss in a Mini is now turning her attention to the Volvo Ocean Race. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

Mettraux is moving into the Volvo Ocean Race, having gained a position with the women's team, Team SCA, for this event. Koster is looking to change to the Proto class for the next Mini Transat. This means that top Series Nacira boats will be available second hand for the next event.

Marie celebrates his arrival in first place into Guadeloupe. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

In the Proto class there were not so many participants as with the Series boats. On the last day of the race to Guadeloupe, the leader changed from Giancarlo Pedote (Italy) to Benoїt Marie (France). Rémi Fermin (France) was third to reach Guadeloupe in the Protos.

Marie closing on Guadeloupe in first place overall. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

Proto class and overall MiniTransat 2013 winner Marie is an engineering graduate of Nantes University in France and completed his Masters degree at Auckland University in New Zealand. While in New Zealand, Marie also coordinated the build of the JP54, Jean-Pierre Dick's design, in Tauranga.

Giancarlo Pedote (Italy) with his radical David Raison design. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

Prysmian is also very fast on a reach. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

The spinnaker pole on Pedote's radical David Raison-designed Prysmian, the winner of the 2011 race, broke towards the end of the race. Like Hewson, Pedote had been the clear leader of the cancelled first leg to Sada, while Marie had strongly preserved his boat at the beginning of the race and was not in the placings at Sada, so this eventual overall second place was especially hard for Pedote. However, Pedote's southern option through the Canaries had already seen his lead of 150nm substantially eroded earlier in the race. Ironically, Pedote's comments in a fun video, OrgaOutai, put together by the early Proto arrivals in Sada, rather summed up his race: see Voiles et Voiliers.

Rémi Fermin (France) arrived third Proto into Guadeloupe. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

Pedote is looking to compete in the Vendée Globe, and was the clear overall season winner of both the Protos and overall class racing in Minis in 2013.

Competitors saw some amazing sunrises and sunsets across the ocean. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.

A new event for the 2014 season is the 5th April race from Lorient. Training for this event is well under way, helped by the extremely mild winter in northwest Europe. 

Prysmian at sea. Image copyright Jacques Vapillon/MiniTransat 2013.