After 15 days delay, due at a prohibitive weather condition, started this morning at 9:19 the Minitransat, the most important race of the Mini Class. The departure took place regularly, with a wind from south-west and waves of 1.5 m. At the depart also Giancarlo Pedote, on its proto Prysmian 747, that at the beginning has chosen a path more close to the coast.
Credit : J.Vapillon/Mini Transat
Leaving the bay of Douarnenez, the direction is Arracife (Lanzarote), stop over of the race.
Here the 84 skippers will stay few days before departing toward Guadalupe, presumably between 9 and 11 November.
To reach the island of the Canaries, the fleet will have to pass the Bay of Biscay, where the weather situation should not be problematic. Then is the turn of Cape Finisterre, where, instead, the situation is more complex also because of the effects of the coast.
Strong winds are expected, especially in the night between Friday and Saturday. It may not be a prohibitive scenario as the one that the fleet would have to face starting one of the last 15 days, but it remains a situation to be monitored.
The race director, Denis Hugues, monitors the situation closely so that in the last night briefing of 19.00 reminded the skippers that the regulation offers them the chance to stop during the race at a port of their choice for up to 48 hours. Someone begun to indicate the area of the Coruna (Spain) as a possible call for those who, staying too far back, might find a very adverse weather conditions ...
But there's more. The same director of racing announced that if the situation will become dangerous, he may decide to call for an earlyer end of the first leg of the race in Sada, in Coruna .
From :Stefania Salucci
