Mini Transat: Overall Winners Confirmed

(November 15, 2015; Day 16) – After a fleet of 72 solo sailors set off on September 19 from France on the Mini Transat, the overall winners of the Proto and Series Divisions are now confirmed with the completion of the second and final stage of the 4021 nm race.

Frédéric Denis, from La Trinité in Brittany, France, won the Prototype Division after crossing the finish line off the Iles de Guadeloupe first, at 09:12:30 GMT (05:12:30 local time in Point-à-Pitre) on Friday November 13.

After his 3rd place finish on the first stage to Lanzarote, Denis was six minutes behind Axel Tréhin (Aleph Racing), but with his closest rivals trailing by over 50 miles, he was a clear winner as he crossed the finish line in Guadeloupe (full report).

Julien Pulvé has won the second leg in the Series Division after crossing first the finish line today in Pointe-à-Pitre at 02:06:15 (French Time), completing the crossing in 14 days, 10 hours, 56 minutes and 15 seconds.

However, this win combined with his fourth on the first stage would not be enough for the overall win.

Finishing second was Ian Lipinski, crossing the finish line at 10:15:06 GMT this morning covering the second stage in 14 days, 19 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds. Combined with winning the first stage, Lipinski takes the overall victory in the Series boat class of the Mini Transat.

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.

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…

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

Series Ranking – Stage 2
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

Overall Provisional Ranking Prototype
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
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

Race website – Race program – Tracker

KEY FIGURES

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

Key Dates
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

Report by race media.

Background: 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 harbour had a fleet of 72 solo sailors set off on September 19 to Lanzarote (Canary Islands), where the Mini 6.50 will complete stage one of the race. The second stage will start on October 31, taking the fleet across the Atlantic to finish some three weeks later in Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe).