This Sunday, a large anticyclone is stretching from the Azores to the North Sea, and all of France is enjoying fabulous sunny weather. The start of the 35th Mini-Fastnet at 15:00 this afternoon will be under a light wind, 5 to 8 knots from the North West. From Wednesday onwards, thunderstorms and a West-North-West swell should make the race a little tougher.

All the weather information is available here : Briefing météo

Translated into English by www.abitrad.fr

The weather pattern for the Mini-Fastnet over  the southern course seems to be in place: a relative  low pressure over the Iberian Peninsula and a high pressure axis from the Azores to the North Sea which will subside on Tuesday evening with the arrival of a high altitude trough, giving a good gust of wind and heavy seas south of Ireland. A thundery axis will rise from the bottom of the Bay of Biscay on Wednesday before the Atlantic high pressure system pushes back in from the west with north-northwest winds.

The prevailing east-north-easterly flow at the start of the race will disappear on Wednesday, giving way to north-north-westerly winds at the end of the race until Friday evening.

Translated into English by www.abitrad.fr

With two days to go before the start, the  alternative course option  has been chosen. So it’s a  race  south towards  the Gironde Estuary that will start on Sunday. A shorter circuit, 465 nautical miles, but still within the parameters  necessary for the sailors to  validate a race of 600 nautical miles. The race director, Denis Hugues, took the decision in consultation with the Mini Class and Winches Club, organizer of the event, and it wasn’t  easy to take. Apart from  the slightly unfavourable forecast for  the Celtic Sea next week, it’s  above all the public health context on the other side of the Channel and in Ireland that imposes a fortnight’s stay in a  hotel with multiple PCR tests (not reimbursed) on  any crew that should stop there. The  cost to the skippers could amount  to several thousand euros. From previous experience, it’s  not uncommon for damage to occur in the Channel or Celtic Sea during  this event. The last edition of the Mini-Fastnet saw a competitor dismasted and towed to Penzance in England. It’s  therefore a reasonable and safe choice for crews who often have a tight budget and no time to spend 15 days of forced holiday  locked in a hotel. The departure is therefore set for Sunday at 15:00 to be in phase with the passage of the Raz de Sein.

This morning 82 boats are registered for the race : Fastnet Fleet sheet 2021

Translated into English by www.abitrad.fr

There have been quite a few withdrawals this week, including Ambroggio Beccaria. Tanguy Bouroullec will leave with  Guillaume L’Hostis on the Pogo Foiler. A big disappointment for  Fabio Muzzolini (945) who won’t be on the start line because of a centreboard problem. These cancellations have made the skippers on the waiting list happy such as  Irina Gracheva who just won the  Marie-Agnès Péron Trophy. For the Series the field remains very much open. This evening we have a total of 83 crews registered. 20 prototypes and 63 series, 5 female crews and 11 nationalities make up the fleet. They’ll make a wonderful sight in Douarnenez Bay not only for the start on Sunday but also for the Prologue, with a great  ‘banana’ course planned for Saturday midday .

Translated into English by www.abitrad.fr

« I’ve known 10 Presidents of the Republic, 19 -29 February- and I am  27029 days old. I often celebrate my birthday in Douarnenez »

Joël Gaté, a rugby referee, discovered sailing because his children raced optimists at les Sables d’Olonne. Wanting to watch them during regattas, he found that the committee boat had the best view. This was how he started learning the regulations of sailing races. One thing led to another and he’s now been a gauger for Class 8, Mum 30,  Class’40 and checker/gauger for the Vendée Globe from 1989 to 2012.

A regular on the pontoons of Tréboul (especially in June) Joël has been the gauger on the Mini Class since he retired from primary school teaching in 2002. He distinctly remembers the first boat which passed under his inquisitive eye, the first Pogo 2. Since then, he has assessed nearly  600 mini and the criteria of the Class which then amounted to  2 pages are now issued to skippers as a  120 page booklet. This booklet contains all the regulations which the  Mini and its skipper are subject  to as well as the unwritten but specific one which must never be forgotten: rule  J26. Although mysterious, it’s essential. Once each security check has been completed the gauger must quench his thirst!

« I saw the first  Marie-Agnès Péron Trophy  and lots of wonderful things, and great  people. »

Happy birthday Joël !