Mini Transat - From Sada to Point-a-Pitre - In one hit

• The Mini Transat will start from Sada and go directly to Point-a-Pitre
• A convoy organized this afternoon from Gijon to Sada
• A gate at Lanzarote

They're off! After reviewing all the options open to them, the organizers of the Mini Transat , in consultation with the competitors, have finally decided that the 2013 edition of the race will be run as a single leg, from Sada to Pointe-a-Pitre. The start is scheduled for November 12.

The decision is made, and it break the feeling of uncertainty that had began to weigh on everyone's minds. And once again the organizers of the Mini Transat have, in an unconventional way, chosen an original solution : to go directly to Pointe a Pitre, removing the Lanzarote stopover.

The way to Puerto Calero
This choice responds to several constraints regarding the rally from Sada to Gijón, it is a trip of more than 160 miles, or 24 to 36 hours, in conditions that may not necessarily be very easy : the prevailing westerly winds, residual high waves residue, coastal navigation requiring vigilance. In the first of the briefings in Gijon, the competitors requested that a stop of at least 48 hours be observed after the arrival of the last competitor in the Galician port. In adding this new delay the time available for the turnaround time in Lanzarote is compromised, which has the knock on effect of also compromising the arrival date in Guadeloupe.

The choice of the direct route can catch some of the delay caused by the bad weather. However, the fleet will race through a gate near Lanzarote that will establish an intermediate classification before crossing the Atlantic. In addition, competitors who wish may make an express stop at Puerto Calero if they wish to make repairs before undertaking the crossing. Finally, although this leg with be the longest distance in the history of the Mini Transat (about 3,600 miles as opposed to 3,1000 for Madeira to Salvador de Bahia), it could well be shorter in time, because it avoids crossing through the Doldrums. The arrival of the first boats could be celebrated around the 1st of December.

Logistical Issues
Originally, the Race Director wanted to be able to start on November 11. But there are a number of logistical issues to resolve. Firstly, many competitors had sent equipment to Lanzarote in anticipation of the stopover there and it is necessary to repatriate that equipment to Sada. Computers, stores and especially freeze-dried food, clothing suitable for sailing in the tropics, all these need to be returned quickly to the Galician port. Logistics are being put in place, but to ensure that everyone can recover their equipment the start is moved to November 12. As of this afternoon, the first soloists begin passaging to Sada. Some have already decided to wait until tomorrow when the wind should begin to drop. Within days, the entire Mini family will be reunited and on a war footing to take a historic step. Certainly, this race is unlike any other!

NOTE TO READERS

Dates
Prologue "Tout commence en Finistère" October 6, 2013.
Start from Douarnenez originally planned for October 13, 2013 at 13.00. Departure postponed due to severe weather conditions on the race course.
After 16 days of waiting to find a weather window for the fleet of 84 Mini 650s, Douarnenez was able to hold the start of the first leg of the Mini Transat 2013 on Tuesday, October 29 at 9:19. Initially a worsening in the weather conditions during Wednesday, October 30 required the Race Director to split the stage into two parts with a stopover in Sada. On Thursday, October 31, the weather conditions deteriorate further and the Race Director took the decision to cancel the stage from Douarnenez to Sada. He asked the Mini 650s to seek shelter as soon as possible on the Spanish coast. Five competitors were able to reach Sada, the rest of the fleet put into Gijon (with the exception of 556 who went on to Santander). A new start for the first stage to Lanzarote will take place from Sada as soon as possible.

Douarnenez Courses: organizer of the Mini Transat 2013 and 2015
All associations have mobilized Douarnenez with the support of local and regional authorities under the aegis of Douarnenez Courses: the yacht clubs, Douarnenez and Société des Régates de Douarnenez, the Winches club organizers for many years of Mini races with the Mini Fastnet and Trophy Marie-Agnès Péron as torchbearers, but also the association of the Fêtes Maritimes, the Atlantic Yacht Club, the Fédération Maritime and others who are preparing for fifteen days prior to departure, a festival celebrating the sea and the sailors. Competitors will be welcomed into the Port-Rhu a real jewel in the heart of the city.

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