Game, Ofcet and Match - Mini Transat 2015

November 15, 2015

- Ian Lipinski wins the Mini Transat Îles de Guadeloupe
- The production boats podium positions will be clear tonight
- Competitors who were forced to abandon came to greet their friends

It is only after having crossed the finish line that Ian Lipinski (Entreprises Innovantes) could savour his victory after the duel with Julien Pulvé (Novintiss). But it was difficult! The last three race days have been hell for those who sailed through the first stage with a comfortable lead. Ian had over 11 hours lead over Julien: in the end, things were much closer.

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"The shot passed so close that his hat fell off." It was not the war between Ian Lipinski and Julien Pulvé, but a win in the Mini Transat îles de Guadeloupe, which is not a gift we can offer every morning. For Ian, working for two years with the Prépa Nautic yard in La Rochelle in the preparation and development, the new production boat, Ofcet, the challenge was huge The battle was fought to validate the traditional approach in competition with the new production boats, such as Argo and the recent Pogo 3s. In the end, his friend and team-mate Julien Pulvé, was the main threat. The two iconic skippers from the La Rochelle boatyard found themselves side by side. They engaged in hand to hand fighting; an experience that was undertaken in different ways by the two sailors. Julien was frustrated and found it impossible to find an opening, a way to escape the control that Ian held on to The two men know each other and appreciate each other well enough to share information through VHF, and to send each other puzzles to pass the time. But of course, their interests were quite different.

Two sailors for a collective victory
When Julien found a way to escape, it began a long period of suspense. The northern route chosen by the sailor from La Rochelle paid off and Ian Lipinski ended up 60 miles behind his opponent. Finally, though, the turnaround didn’t happen. Both experienced sailors found themselves together on Ian’s boat upon his arrival: but it was Ian who pocketed the final victory and Julien who could claim to have mastered the Atlantic crossing brilliantly. Two Ofcets in the first two positions for the production boats is perhaps the beginning of a great industrial adventure for the La Rochelle boatyard that committed to this crazy gamble. With such an excellent result, the order book should fill up in the coming months. Behind Tweedledum and Tweedledee, we now expect Tanguy Le Turquais (Terreal) who should take third place in the production boats after a long lonely journey between the leading duo and the battalion of pursuers. There will be even more tales to tell about his race…

The marina colony
In Pointe-à-Pitre, arrivals follow one another as friends and families swell the size of the small settlement that revolves around the race. Some of the sailors who had to withdraw are also enlisted, such as Davy Beaudart, Romain Maxime Mouchel and Eveillard. For them, the adventure stopped prematurely, but it was hardly conceivable not to share in at least a small part of the euphoria of arrival. With the arrival of friends from France, they also bring news of the news of the dark hours in Paris. The tone of the conversation becomes more serious, and it casts a long shadow over the pleasure of the arrival. Even in normal situaitons, it’s difficult to regain a foothold in life on land of the country and now, far away from their country, with their heads empty from hours at sea in solitude, it is an even more difficult path to walk.

Ranking 2nd stage, 15th November at 18h (HF TU+1)

Series (Ranking Ocean Bio-Actif)
1. Julien Pulvé – 880 - Novintiss arrived on the 15th November at 02h 06mn 15s
2. Ian Lipinski – 866 – Entreprises Innovantes arrived on the 15th November at 10h 15mn 06s
3. Tanguy Le Turquais – 835 – Terréal at 16,6 miles from the finish
4. Armand de Jacquelot – 755 – We Van at 46,4 miles
5. Edwin Thibon – 721 – Coeur Fidèle – at 46,9 miles

Prototypes (Ranking Eurovia Cegelec)
8. Simon Koster (Eight Cube) arrived on the 14th November at 17h 36mn 37s
9. Nicolas d’Estais (Librairie Cheminant) arrived the 15th November at 04h 24mn 56s
10. Vincent Grison (Roll my Chicken) at 73,8 miles from the finish
11. Fidel Turienzo (Satanas) at 128,5 miles
12. Nikki Curwen (Go Ape ! Live Life Adventurously) at 272 miles

Overall Provisional Ranking Prototype sponsored by Eurovia Cegelec
1. Frédéric Denis - 800 - Nautipark arrived at 10h 12mn 30s HF TU+1 on the 13th November
2. Luke Berry - 753 - Association Rêves arrived at 00h 18mn 18s HF TU+1 on the 14th November
3. Ludovic Méchin - 667 - Microvitae arrived at 00h 32mn 16s HF TU+1 on the 14th November

Overall Provisional Ranking series sponsored by Ocean Bio Actif
1. Ian Lipinski - 866 - Entreprises Innovantes arrived at 10h 15mn 06s HF TU+1 on the 15th November
2. Julien Pulvé - 880 - Novintiss arrived at 02h 06mn 15s HF TU+1 on the 15th November

NOTE TO THE EDITORS

The Mini Transat - Îles de Guadeloupe 2015: For the 20th edition and for the second time, the Mini Transat Îles de Guadeloupe returns to its origins with a start from Douarnenez (France). The Breton harbor will see the fleet of 72 solo sailors will set off on the 19th of September to Lanzarote, where the Mini 6,50 will stop before the Atlantic stage start on 31st October. The Mini Transat - Îles de Guadeloupe 2015 solo sailors are expected to finish some three weeks later in Pointe-à-Pitre to a warm Caribbean welcome. The 2,700 nautical mile race from France to the Caribbean is the longest solo race for the smallest of boats. Each solo sailor will be tested to the limit on this unique adventure: a trans-Atlantic race in a small boat and confined space where you have just yourself to depend on.

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KEY FIGURES
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The Race: 72 entries, 71 boats at the start in Douarnenez, 63 boats at the start in Lanzarote, 7 support boats

The Skippers: 68 men, 4 women, 52 rookies, 20 return competitors, 33 years average age, The youngest: 22 years old (Julien Hereu and Quentin Vlamynck), The oldest: 56 years old (Carlos Lizancos), 15 nationalities

The Course: 4021nm, 2 stopovers, 3 towns
Douarnenez - Lanzarote 1257nm
Lanzarote - Pointe-à-Pitre 2764nm

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KEY DATES
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7th October 2015 - Prize Giving 1st Stage in Lanzarote
24th October 2015 - Prologue and Prize Giving (Lanzarote)
31st October 2015 - Start 2nd Stage: Lanzarote - Point-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe)
14th November 2015 - Estimated arrival time for the first boat at Point-à-Pitre

CARTOGRAPHY, CLICK HERE

RANKINGS, CLICK HERE

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