Fastnet 2010

Great race, great result. Full report and pictures coming soon

2010 results

Ready to go!

I am now sitting in the harbour resturant La Bass and feeling pleased with what I achived. I have worked 30 hours nonstop and I am nearly ready to leave for Douarnenez at 2pm tomorrow (right tide then). Unfortanetly I have not have had time to put the branding on the boat but rest of the things on the list has been done,

I just looked at the weather forcast and it is now going to be very light so I will sleap my way up north as I have not slept much during the last couple of days. (Borrowed autopilot from Lucas Shröder )

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belif, it was the epoch of incredulty, it was the season of light, it was the season of darknes, it wasthe spring of hope, it was the winter of despar.

This how Dickens described the period of the French revolution but it could have easily described mini sailing. I am now here in Lorient waiting for my Autopilot to get fixed. (Clutch problem) I been told that I can have it sorted on monday. This leaves it very tight for the Fastnet as I have to be in Douarnenez no later then wendnesday for the safetychecks. It is 80+nm sail through Point du Raz and the forcast is set to be southerly 26knots on monday afternoon. This makes me rather exited as the above forcast will cater for some proper action....

To do list before depature (Monday night)

• Drive unit to autopilot (Dead)


• Rudder bearing loose at deck. (worn)


• Pick up food


• Pick up furler from Rigger


• Radar detector (blowing fuses)


• Investigate rather large cracks in port rudder (Think it will be ok)

Next race, Mini Fastnet

Next race for SWE772 will be Mini Fastnet
Start date and hour : 13/06/2010 - 13h00
Category : B
OSR category : 2
Crew type : double
Total nb of NM : 600

You can follow the race on http://www.winchesclub.com/minis650/fastnet650/EN-0

Mini-Fastnet, an annual race between Brittany and the mythical Fastnet Rock situated at Ireland’s extreme south-west (51°23.′3″ N et 009°36.′1″ W) in the county of Cork.
As Charles Aznavour sings in one of his famous songs “ I tell you about a time that teenagers cannot know about “... we can say that the “Mini-Fastnet” is the oldest race of the Mini sailing circuit in France. Bob Salmon, the founder of the “concept 6.50” created in 1977 in Great Britain the “Mini-Fastnet” which would occur for four editions before he passed the tradition down to Jean Luc Garnier, president of “Voiles 6.50” in 1984.

I will be traveling down to Lorient sone to prepare for the race. Alot of work and short of time will make it all more challanging, but I will make it up to the startline in time.
Aymeric Belloir will be the co-skipper.
The to do list include/

• Branding of the boat


• Some NKE problems still to be sorted


• Active Eco radar detector


• Change some broken parts (Mainly blocks)


• Transport sail the boat from Lorient to Douarnenez


• Prepare the boat for the race (Safety/Food/polars/Sailcharts etc.)


• 2 days training with Aymeric


• Try to find a new medium spi.
  
  

Introduction to Mini sailing

Spectacular, adventurous, extreme,dangerous and WHY???

Mini Transat. A sailing race across the Atlantic ocean with boats that are maximum 6 and a half meter long. The ±4000 miles long sail race from France to the stopover in the Canaries and then to the Carib or now to Brazil is one of the hardest solo ocean races around. Lonely in a little boat with ample space and very limited time to sleep.
The goal of the race is simple; sail as fast as you can across the Atlantic in a boat who is smaller then 6.50 meter.
The English 'spirit' has changed over the years into the French 'élan'. They overtook the organization of the race and the class organization. They are always keen to sail the unpossible.
How does it feel to cross the ocean in a tiny, fast sailing, over canvassed boat in a month ? Totally alone, nobody to talk to, to blame or to help you.
Living;
On a six-and-a-half-metre boat, only the essential are fitted in, this allows survival of the sailor for more than four weeks at sea. With about 100 liters fresh water in tanks, 35 kilos food, an auto-inflatable, all the safety material and the sails, there is very little living space. Skippers of a Mini6.50 must displace a good part of this in order to balance the boat position, this is called
stacking.
Sleeping is a problem, spending more than ten hours a day at the helm, in dampness and hazardous comfort, the solo-voyager must manage at best the waking/sleeping rhythms. Rest intervals must be extremely short but sleeping is still a tall order: the boat impacts waves constantly breaking on the deck, wetting everything, while under deck the noise is earsplitting. The choice of food and the organization of rest times are key-factors. Each skipper devotes at least two hours a day to eating, tactics and shipping forecast.
You never really stretch out in rest, so your body is always in tension. Very tiring. A good sleep is extreamly rare.
Sailing.
The chance that the boat is whipped out (knocked down) or that you are wiped overboard like nearly 10% sailors, (based on 2005 figures) is always in the back of your mind. Your will meet and conquer your mental barriers.

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