October 3, 2019
The bill went to the clock!
It seems that the prolonged wait "by the sea of weather" is over: as we already reported, the start of the 22nd transatlantic sailing race of Mini-Transat single yachts is scheduled for next Saturday, October 5th.
Participants in the regatta will leave the hospitable harbor of La Rochelle early in the morning, and at 10.30 local time a signal will sound for the start of the competition. The first stage of the race – to the Canary Islands – can take about a week and a half. In the Bay of Biscay is now more or less calm. Yachtsmen may encounter unpleasant weather surprises when they enter the Atlantic, already after Cape Finister. “Of course, the conditions are not a picnic, but the wind, and most importantly, the wave is quite acceptable,” the organizers of the regatta say. Thus, after two weeks of tiring expectation, the riders will finally plunge into that element they have desired, a meeting with which they have devoted years of preparation.
For the Russian Irina Gracheva, serving in the serial division of Mini 6.50 yachts, the time that suddenly appeared before the start of the regatta was not a problem, and according to the athlete herself, on the contrary, it was very helpful. “It was important to conduct it in such a way as not to burn out and psychologically preserve ourselves at the time of launch,” said Irina. – Nl, while I was preparing for the race, and especially in the last two months, when I worked almost seven days a week, I have accumulated serious fatigue. And now I managed to have a good rest. In addition, I was finally able to do a lot of things that my hands had never reached before. ”
Commenting on the decision of the organizers to start the race on Saturday, Irina noted that the first part of the race, before going to the Atlantic, will take place in a cold front and almost all the time to tack. “My task is to go around Cape Finister as soon as possible and walk along the Portuguese coast. According to the forecast, a very strong, gusty wind with a speed of 35-40 knots is expected there, so it will be very important to leave this zone as soon as possible. As you know, with a very strong wind it is still impossible to go fast anyway – it is impossible to carry full sail, and security is greatly affected. Especially at night and in a big wave. I will try to go through this stage as best as possible, but first of all – safely. It’s important to get to the finish line without much damage, so that you can further start across the Atlantic, ”said Irina.
The participation of the Russian yachtswoman in Mini Transat is supported by NORD consulting, Griffon, Ullman Sails, Fordewind-Regatta, Gill, A.P.I. Marine, Sail Ropes, NAVTEAM, WISTA Russia, Alfa Insurance, Aquapac, Mobile Age, Nautix, MX6, Lyophilise & Co.
Sponsorship of Irina Gracheva is provided by the Path Yachting Foundation.
Andrey Petrov
177 October 3, 2019 # 9528
Chief Editor
