Departure

A quick final message before I leave. I'm in my camp bed in the car, after just having a great steak and lots of vegetable, a final hearty meal before getting stuck into the freeze dried. I am all ready, the boat is packed, the weather routing is done and I'm feeling all set. A good nights rest and straight into it tomorrow.

For the race tracker, the easiest way to find it is to go to the race website http://www.lessables-lesacores.com/, its in French but on the right hand side if you scroll down to this logo and click it will re-direct you. So fingers cross and au revoir France Ola Les Azores!

Pre Les Sables-Azores

Everyone has arrived and we are well underway with the briefings and safety checks for the first leg of this seasons major event, from Les Sables d'Olonne to Horta on Ilha do Faial in the Azores. The Leg is around 1300Nm.

Unfortunately the number of competitors is not as many as was hoped. There are around 35 boats taking place. It is going to be a very tight fleet as it is only the most competitive boats that have entered, so the standard will be very high.

The weather has looked very stable up to now with the Azores high doing what it should, but thinks are looking as if they may change before our start on the 1st August. I have been running daily routing programs and making detailed pressure logs to analyse which will be the fastest route, this is how it is looking so far.

I will write again with an update before the start with the link for the race tracker.

A Strange Delivery

What a bizarre trip, planning times on the mini is very difficult. With no engine and a boat that does between 5-20 knots, your very weather dependent. Before I leave I always use a weather routing program call Maxsea that takes wind speeds, angle, tidal info etc into consideration and give you a target route, speeds and timing.

The routing said 17 hours, not including messing around at the dock both ends so I planned for 20 hours... it took 10 hours. With great code zero conditions. This would normally be a great thing, but I was heading to Les Sables, that had a very tight high walled channel that you are forbidden to sail up, even if it was physically possible. So you have to contact by radio for a tow if you have no engine. Great if you arrive between 6am and 10pm. I didn’t!

When I had 30 miles left to go I started to do something I have never done on the boat before and slow down. First I dropped the zero , then I took a reef and finally dropped the jib too. So I had 12 knots of breeze and just a reefed main, but for some reason Night Fever the rock ship didn’t want to slow down and we were still doing 7-8 knots SOG. I ended up arriving a 2am and doing circles for 4 hours till I could contact the marina.

I only hope that I’m going too fast in the race!

It didn’t stop there, I was all tied up by 7 and there were people everywhere by the boat, I thought it was very kind of them to make such a fuss but I’d only come from Lorient, then the penny dropped as I saw a procession of boats leading the Mini Transat sailed by Alessandro Di Benedetton. He had just completed his solo round the world. Here are a few pictures, you can barely make out the mini under as the modification. My favourite is he broke his mast and rather than throwing it away he lashed it to the front of the bow sprit to make the longest pole you’ve ever seen. Congratulations to him!

Ocean Works

2 Blogs in 1 day, I want to say a big thank you to Claes Richter at Ocean Works for the sponsorship of new wet weather gear and polo shirts for the Azores race. The kit looks great, very technical. I look forward to putting it to the mini test, starting tomorrow.

Lost in Translation

I had a funny French and English situation today. Up to now I have been racing under FRE sails as the boat was already registered in France, but recently I found out I could have GBR and keep the boat registration the same.

When we were working on my new jib, I cut new GBR to bring back and put on the sails. Today I laid out all my sails in the French Mini clubhouse where I keep the boat and pulled off the FRE’s and replaced with GBR’s, but I hadn’t realised how many of the locals were looking with dismay at what I was up too. Oops all that I could have done to be less subtle was have the national anthem blaring in the background…. Nice work on the foreign relation!

Other updates, I had no problems with the ECG test so I have the all clear on the medical side. And I am waiting in Lorient today for a package to arrive but if there is no sign of it by tomorrow morning I will leave for Les Sables anyway.

I also I have started my detailed weather analysis for the start of the Azores, getting daily forecasts and running different routing options. It looks like the Azores high has started to do what it is supposed. Hopefully it will remain stable and make the routing simple. The general plan will be beating out of Les Sable to lay Finisterre, Spain before heading south of rum line and coming in fast to the Azores... but all could change.

Azores Preparation

Its been a few weeks since my last post, I'm now back in Lorient after delivering my boat and 772 back from Douarnenez. I have been sail testing with my much needed new jib, which I'm very happy with. Thanks to Conrad and Gerry from Medina Sailcare.

I have also been working through all dream list jobs I wanted to do before the Azores. Fitting stacking lee cloths for all the kit and water to be properly positioned for downwind surfing. Working on a new adjustable bobstay so I can get better code 5 luff tension. Some new electronics and lots of rope work repairing bit after the Fastnet.

My big job that left on the boat is NKE and pilot cal liberation, so early next week I plan to head offshore for a few nights to do lots of sail changes and electronics testing.

I have also been doing some work on mini 772, helping to get Ulf Branstroms boat ready for his 1000Nm qualifier.

I am feeling very happy with the boat and I am close to ready for the Azores, I have to go for the ECG and stress test medical next week and will then think heading down to Les Sables.

Now I just need to spend a lot of time planning and looking at weather/routing so I have an idea of which way I'm going in the race.... it always helps!