The first boats arrived this morning at around 8.20am. Not surprisingly, the Prototypes were the first to arrive.

On the pontoons, the disappointment of not making it as far as the legendary Fastnet lighthouse was forgotten. As a reminder, the race directors had decided not to send the competitors to Ireland because of the weather conditions. A course B was set up, sending the skippers southwards to the BXA buoy in the Bay of Biscay.

For all the competitors on the podium, it was a “great battle”!

For Alexandre Demange, winner in the Proto class with his co-skipper Benoît Mariette on the Mini 1048, it was “great fun from start to finish”. They went down with “a strong wind” and came back up with the same wind. Carlos Manera Pascual confirms “this great battle with the frontrunners”!

From the point of view of the Proto winners, Alexandre Demange and Benoît Mariette, it was a different option from their rivals that led them to victory.

At the finish, there was also a real battle between the Production boats, n°968 and n°1043, with a gap of just 24 seconds.

The finishes will continue throughout the day, with some skippers setting foot on dry land tonight, and even tomorrow evening for the last ones. 

The prize-giving ceremony will take place tomorrow at 6pm in the port of Tréboul, opposite the Maison du Nautisme.

Key point:

Kévin Bloch and Basile Gautier, n°945, LES ENTREPRENEURS DU GOLFE, third place before the jury!

NICOMATIC, skippered by Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie, had to turn back a few hours after the start, having torn their mainsail (n°1067). They decided to set sail again with a different sail. According to the Class rules, this meant a 24-hour penalty.

This penalty allowed the duo of Kévin Bloch and Basile Gautier, n°945, LES ENTREPRENEURS DU GOLFE, to climb to third place on the podium before the jury.

Proto podium :

1- The big winners of this 38th edition of the Mini Fastnet in proto are Alexandre Demange and Benoît Mariette, n° 1048, DMG MORI SAILING ACADEMY 2 They finished the race in 3d 16 h 47 min 33s with an average speed of 6.34 knots!

2- On the second step of the podium, in the Proto class, we find Rebecca Emily Coles and Carlos Manera, n° 1081, XUCLA They finished the race in 3d 17h 12min 30s with an average speed of 6.31 knots!

3- On the third step of the podium (before the jury), in the Proto class, were Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie, no. 1067, NICOMATIC. They finished the race in 3d 17h 35 min 47s with an average speed of 6.29 knots!

Series podium :

1- The big winners of this 38th edition of the Mini Fastnet in Series are Margaux Chanceaulme and Quentin Mocudet, n°986, ASCODAL/SAVEURS & DELICES. They finished the race in 3d 20h 03min 30s with an average speed of 6.12 knots!

2- On the second step of the podium, in the Series, we find Deniz Baggi and Fabrice Sorin, n°968, CARTOFFSET. They finished the course in 3d 20h 10min 53s with an average speed of 6.11 knots!

3- On the third step of the podium, in the Series, we find Antonin Chapot and Hugo Zeitoun, n°1043, BIP BIP. They finished the course in 3d 20h 11 min 29s at an average speed of 6.11 knots!

️1st day of racing ️

It’s been 24 hours since the 85 boats set off on the Mini Fastnet 2024, heading for BXA, a buoy off the coast of Bordeaux.

The first boats have just passed the BXA buoy in the Bay of Biscay, heading for the next way point before beginning the climb back up towards Douarnenez.

The rest of the fleet should pass BXA this evening.

️2nd day of racing ️

The whole fleet has already covered half the course. The crews have now started the climb back towards Brittany! Things are moving fast, very fast!

Today, after analysing the latest weather forecasts, the conditions look rough for some of the fleet, but passable. It has been decided not to stop the race at Porte de la Jument. The competitors are therefore expected to arrive in the port of Douarnenez early on Thursday morning.

News from the skippers:

Withdrawal of n°800, METIER INTERIM, skippered by Juliette Bataille and Erwan Le Mené due to a broken bowsprit.

Withdrawal of the 1108, KEVLAU, skippered by Daniel Maurice-Vallerey and Thierry Levayer. The boat turned back this morning towards Douarnenez due to a technical problem. We have just learned that it is a bowsprit problem and that she will not be setting sail again.

Withdrawal of n°947, DES PIEDS ET DES MAINS, skippered by Alix Jaekel and Maria Sol Massera, due to a broken bowsprit. The crew reported their withdrawal via the accompanying boat EVIDENCE. The boat is now heading for La Rochelle.

️ No. 825, RHINO, skippered by Basile MARIE and Joris Cocaud, dismated early this evening. The whole crew is doing well. They were able to set up a small jury rig and are making headway at 2 knots towards La Rochelle. The No. 870, PACIFIC, skippered by Louis-Gabriel Reinbold and Martin Taillandier, is alongside them to provide a VHF link with the CROSS while they organise the return to shore. The La Rochelle centre’s trainer, François Husson, picked up the tug this morning at 10:40. The crew is doing well.

Abandonment of n°1075, ARTC – SLOOP, skippered by Nicolas Cousi and Hugo Lauras, due to material damage, she is returning to Crouesty. The abandonment was reported to DIEGO, the accompanying boat.

Abandonment of n°1007, CAMARADE, skippered by Pierre De Saint Victor and Nicolas Dupard, due to a broken bowsprit. The boat reported its withdrawal to the accompanying boat, DIEGO. She is returning to Lorient.

Link to the map : https://carto.oceantracking.fr/minifastnet/carto

The 85 boats started the race at 15:30. No penalties were given by the referees. Once the start was given, the 170 skippers headed for a clearing buoy before heading for the Bay of Biscay.

News from the skippers:

No. 1067, NICOMATIC, skippered by Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie, turned back at the entrance to the bay due to a problem with a torn mainsail. The skippers managed to find another mainsail and set off again.

No. 1003, EUROPE, skippered by Giulia Chiara Farnetani and Thiemo Huuk, retired due to a broken bowsprit and unusable  max spinnaker.

Withdrawal of n°965, MAJOR TOM, skippered by Eliaz Morineau and Maxime Salle, due to too much damage to the Mini. The boat is heading back to La Trinité. 

The map link : https://carto.oceantracking.fr/minifastnet/carto

The course was confirmed at this morning’s briefing, and it will not be Ireland with the legendary Fastnet lighthouse, but rather the Bay of Biscay.

The 170 skippers have received the latest weather forecasts from Christian Dumard, the race meteorologist.

The warning signal is scheduled for 15:22, for an official start at 15:30.

The map link: https://carto.oceantracking.fr/minifastnet/carto

Due to changing weather conditions, the legendary Fastnet race is heading for Bordeaux this year. The start has also been postponed. The start is scheduled for 3.30pm.

A gate will be located at the Jument of the Glénans. If the situation deteriorates, the race will be interrupted. A second briefing is scheduled for tomorrow at 9:30am to confirm the route.

During this briefing, the race instructions (the start, penalties, potential stopovers, arrivals) were reiterated by Annabelle Moreau, the race director and by Hervé Chastel, the race committee.

The programme for Sunday 9 June:

From 11:30 to 12:30: registration and return of telephones.

12:30: start of towing

15:30: warning signal

Link to the map : https://carto.oceantracking.fr/minifastnet/carto