It was a great feeling to arrive in Brazil after almost 22 days at sea!  In the end taking 10th place overall.  A strategic mistake after the doldrums ended up costing me a few places.

There are lots of photos of the arrival on the Artemis website and for a report click here .

I have been in La Rochelle training in a group made up of all the podium finishers in last year’s Azores race.  Franscico Lobato, Charlie Dalin and I have been working hard on rig tune, trimming and sail changeovers in preparation for the Transat.  The training has been particularly helpful in finding out how to get the best out of my new All Purpose sails which are a very different design from my old ones.

I am now back in the UK for a week before heading back to France for a final 2 days of training before  a mini refit of the boat before the big race - the 4300 mile Mini Transat - which starts on 13th of September.  Check out the event web site here .

The race started in overcast conditions in a building breeze. I had a great start battling Francisco Lobato hard for the lead.  As night fell the first major tactical decision of the race had to be made - when to tack.  Lobato and Charlie Dalin profited by tacking early.  I tacked inside the main fleet, but couldn’t quite catch Lobato and Dalin on the long port tack to Port Bourgenay.  Once again we had some exciting sailing at the end of the leg as we had to sail dangerously close to the rocks in the dark on the approach to the finish. It was the most testing part of the race and I was happy to finish in 3rd position.  

The solo series class was small by mini standards but was extremely competitive, with all the favourites for this year’s Mini Transat racing.

The great news is that Artemis has become a sponsor of my campaign which will make a massive difference for the Mini Transat -  now only 40 days away!

I have just returned from a great race to the Azores with Nicko Brennen in the Class 40; we finished 5th of 25 boats, just 20 minutes behind 3rd place.  We were really pleased with the result in our first race in the class especially as we had time for only 1 day of practice before the start.

I am now back in France preparing for the Transgascogne race .  Graeme Spence from Mirsky Racing Team ,  a top match racing team on the world tour, has been helping me to get the boat ready and we have even found time for a few tweaks.

On the 5th July I will team up with Nicko Brennen again to do leg 1 of the two handed Class 40 Les Sables -Azores and back race.  I’m really looking forward to it but am hoping for better weather than last year’s Mini race when I had to cross three low pressures!  Although Nicko and I have sailed together before, for both of us it will be the first race in the Class 40.

25 boats are entered and a quick look at cvs on the entry list shows that it going to be a tough race.  Many of the top 40 sailors are competing including Giovanni Soldini .

 
Nicko and I will be sailing down to France next week.   You can follow the race on the event website.

The first race of the season, the 800 mile Mini Pavois, starts on the 6th of May.  The race is split into two legs - 300 miles from La Rochelle to Gijon then a return leg to La Rochelle via Brittany.  The race will be one of the first opportunities to see who is likely to be competitive in the Mini Transat in September.  Sailing across Biscay this early in the season can be very tough.

Click here to follow the race on the event web site. And check out the Race Viewer.

Base Camp has just emerged from the boat shed where I stripped all the antifouling, did some fairing and sprayed a new coat.

With the Azores high stuck in a southerly position this year’s 2,500 mile Les Sables – Azores – Les Sables race was extremely tough with a raft of low pressure systems to be crossed.  Many skippers who have done the Mini Transat said this race was harder.  It was my first singlehanded ocean race so I found their comments particularly reassuring – as, I think, would the competitors (nearly 50%) who had to abandon the race.

Leg 1
After a couple of frustrating days of light wind the first leg turned in a long beat into strong headwinds of up to 40 knots - uncomfortable to say the least on a 21 ft boat designed to go fast downwind.  We crossed three cold fronts, each needing a change down to the storm jib and three reefs in the main.

It was not until crossing the last front that we finally got some limited downwind sailing before the breeze went light then filled from the south. Approaching the Azores from the north, I had an incredibly frustrating finish becoming becalmed in the lee of the islands and slipping from 2nd to 5th on the final day.  I knew the 8 hours I lost on the leaders would be hard to make up in the fast downwind conditions of the second leg. 

Arriving in Horta after 13 days (rather than the 8 of two years ago) was great – fresh food and a bed were never so welcome.  The majority of the fleet got in over the next 2-3 days so the stop-over time was extended by 48 hours to allow them time for rest and repairs.

The second leg from Horta to Les Sables D’Olonne was really fast with many daily runs of over 200 miles.  I finishing at 0730 on the 21st to take 2nd on the leg and 3rd overall in the Series class.  With a final 24 hour run was 232 miles.

A full report coming soon.

The first leg of the Azores race was really tough having to beat most of the way and cross three fronts needing a change to the storm jib and three reefs in the main every time. Not very comfortable on a 21 foot boat. In the final hours I slipped off the podium to finish 5th of 30 Series boats and 6th in the total fleet of 50 after being becalmed on a very frustrating final approach through the islands. I finished at 04.40 on Friday 8th August after almost 13 days at sea. The start of the second leg has been postponed to Wednesday as several boats are still as sea.

The 2,500 mile Les Sables-Azores-Les Sables race is fast approaching.  I have delivered the boat to Les Sables D'Olonne and am making final preparations ready for the start on the Saturday 26th July  This will be by far the longest solo race I have done - the longest to date is the 300 mile Select 6.50 (although the qualifier was 1000 miles).  Click here to follow the race on the event website.

Following last year's cancellation of the Fastnet because of a gale in the Irish Sea there were two alternative courses this year: a 400 mile race to the south, or a sprint across the channel around Wolf Rock and back.  The race was delayed by a day in the hope of still going to the Fastnet but with wind forecast of over 40 knots in the Irish Sea the committee decided to send the fleet on the southern course.

After a really bad start we eventually rounded the first mark closer to the back of the fleet than the front. Things were not going well for our target of a podium finish.  Approaching the Raz de Sein there was what looked like a wall of water.  Quick time to get the oilskins on.  Through the Raz and it was time to put up the spinnaker and make up some places.  A nice strategic call by Nicko saw us sailing up to 20 degrees below the course for most of the night in the breezy conditions. In the morning, approaching Ile D’Yeu, the wind shifted aft and we were able to sail a hotter angle than the rest of the fleet to take the lead.

We managed to hang onto the lead at the southern turning mark, a Racon buoy off Bourdeaux.  Trying to cover the fleet behind proved impossible on the upwind course.  We found an area of light winds and dropped to 5th before the wind eventually shifted and with good boat speed in the extremely wet power reaching conditions we managed to re take a small lead.

On the final morning of the race we were cross tacking with Pierre Yves Lautrou, a very experienced mini sailor, rounding the turning mark within a couple of boat lengths but they managed just to stay ahead all the way to the finish.  Initially we where pretty disappointed not to win after such a close race - but then were very happy to finish 2nd in the 40 strong Series fleet.

The traditional prologue race started in great sailing condition in 8 knots of wind and sunshine.  After a respectable start with my co-skipper Nicko Brennen we managed to round the first mark in second position.  In the building breeze we managed to hold onto the genoa on the next beat and hold off a pack of boats on the run to finish second in the Series class. 

Tomorrow the 600 mile Fastnet race starts - click here to follow the race.  

The 600 mile Mini Fastnet is fast approaching.  This year I will be racing with Australian Nicko Brennen who finished 5th in the last Mini Transat, the top non-French finisher.  We have raced together once before when we finished 2nd in the Open Sail last year. 

The Mini Fastnet is probably the most competitive event in the season.  Many top skippers return to the class for the Fastnet.  This year the winner of the series class in the 2007 Transat will be sailing with my old training partner Lucas Schroder.  

Click here to follow the race on the event web site which starts on Sunday 15th June.

Once again the Select proved to be a tough race; of the 55 starters, 27 retired.  Being so early in the season it is often windy and this year was no exception.  After a light winds start,  I eventually managed to lead the Series fleet around Goue Vas Du Four.  The wind then completly shut down and the entire fleet came together to drift through the night.

We had to wait for the next day before the breeze finally arrived for a run down to Les Sables-d'Olonne.  Sailing past Les Sables with the breeze now at 20 knots I managed to broach out twice - the first time after collecting a load of weed around the rudder and the second after catching a lobster pot which luckily freed itself.

The first single-handed podium finish: 3rd in the Series fleet.  The Select is a 300 mile coastal race and is one of the toughest in the Mini calender.  Being so early in the season it is often cold and windy and this year was no exception.  In winds of up to 30 knots 25 boats retired.

Planning for next season is well underway.  I have had my entry to the big race of the season confirmed; a single handed race from Les Sables d'Olonee in France to Horta in the Azores and back (a distance of 2500 miles).

I will also be racing in a number of other races, hopefully including a race with a UK stopover. 

At the end of February I will be taking Base Camp back to Pornichet to train.  Once again the training will be run by Charles Euverte and coached by Tanguy Leglatin.

I now have a couple of weeks to finish preparing Basecamp ready for next season.

I have spent the last couple of months since the Transgascogne race working again as shore crew for Dee Caffari on her boat Aviva.  It is a great learning experance as well as helping to pay for my Mini sailing.  Dee is currently racing Aviva with Nigel King to Brazil in the Transat Jaque Vabre.  We will be flying to Salvador this weekend to get the boat ready for the B2B single handed race back from Brazil.  They are currently approaching the doldrums.  You can follow their progress to Brazil on the Aviva Ocean Racing site . 

Great News I am currently ranked 7th of 257 ranked sailors in the Series Class.  Check out the current ranking by click here.   The ranking is worked out on a points system with longer races with more competitors scoring more points.  So a win in a long race with a lot of entries scores the most points.  It was great this season to accomplish my two aims for the season of finishing in the top ten in all of the races and finishing on the podium in one race. 

The Open Sail is a 110-mile race double handed race from Locmiquelic to Port Bourgenay, in France. It is one of the last races before the Mini Transat, which starts this September. It was interesting to see a multinational podium in the Proto fleet.  I teamed up with Australian Mini Sailor Nicko Brennen as my co-skipper.  The race started in light, midday winds with the fleet struggling to get around Ile de Groix, an outlying island from the coastline. We managed to stay in the leading pack of boats just level with and to the west of the Portuguese skipper, Franscisco Lobato onboard BPI, who is a favorite for the Mini Transat. The fleet split at Belle Ile and we made our decision and passed to the West. 

The night brought with it an amazing lightening storm.  Heavy downpours were endured and a very shifty wind requiring lot of sail changes, every time Nicko or I tried to get some sleep we would be woken for another change.  In the end we had to wait till the morning to get some sleep sat on the rail.  Our tactic of heading out to the West often sailing 20 degrees below course in order to keep sailing the boat fast, worked well when the forecast shift to the South West arrived giving us a good angle towards Les Sables d’Olonne.  From there it was a short reach in light winds to the finish.

One interesting and often difficult part of Mini racing is not knowing how you’re doing in the fleet until the finish line is crossed and you get to see the other boats tied to the dock.  It is really easy to convince yourself that you are at the back of the fleet and the psychological games run riot in your head. Once we got into the marina, we discovered to our delight and relief that we had finished 2nd in the 53 strong Series class. The pain, the lack of sleep and the pushing ourselves to the limit really were worthwhile as every second counts and we saw the result when it all works out well.  Thommas Bonnier sailing with my Coach Tanguy Leglatin won the Series class.

In the Proto class Peter Laureyssens won onboard his Finot designed, ‘Ecover’, Kristain Hajnsek on ‘Adria Mobil’ coming second followed by Clay Burkhalter sailing with his uncle Rod Johnstone of J boat fame and the designer of his Mini had his best result finishing in third place. All the sailors enjoyed the short and demanding race and slept soundly on the coach back along the coast.

The near perfect sailing conditions for the inshore/prologe race were in sharp contrast to the first leg.  With the sun shining I, my co-skipper Dee Caffari and Harry Spedding were onboard.  We made a nice start and with Harry on the helm and Dee trimming the sails we managed to overtake a couple of boats as we raced between Port Bourgenay and Les Sables DÓlonne.  We were pleased to finish 2nd out of the 53 Series boats. 

 The first leg of the Transgascogne, a 200 mile race from Port Bourgenay to Santander, offered plenty of excitement with winds gusting to over 45 knots.  We made a great start and were leading our class at midnight.

As we tacked south on a wind shift the breeze started to build we changed down through the sail wardrobe eventually sailing with the third reef in the mainsail and a storm jib set.  I dreaded each trip to the bow to change the headsail, clinging on as the boat jumped over and through the waves.

During the next day the gale continued to build till we eventually decided to drop the main.  My new mainsail has no spreader patches when hoisted to the third reef position and there was a danger of ripping the main.  We decided not to take the risk and lost a lot of ground to our competitors.

We arrived in 10th place into Santander - wet and exhausted at three in the morning.  It was only once we arrived that we realised the full extent of the carnage.  8 Epirbs had been set off and four boats were rolled by the large waves.  It was really reassuring to be sailing Dee.

We are now waiting in Spain for the start of leg 2 on Saturday.  You can follow how we are doing on the race web site.

The best result so far - 2nd from 53 boats in the Open Sail B&G Simrad, a double handed 110 mile race from Lorient to Port Bourgenay.  Sailing with Australian Nicko Brennen, it was a tough race with very changeable conditions, an amazing lightning storm and a lot of sail changes.  There was a strong fleet in the Series class including the favorites for this year's Transat.  The race was won by Thommas Bonnier sailing with my Mini Coach Tanguy Leglatin.

With the Fastnet canceled the organizers arranged for some 6 mile speed runs across the bay.  I teamed up with training partner Lucas Schroder on board his Pogo 2, T-Mobile. 

We lined up for the run 4 times in the constantly shifting breeze we approached first with the gennaker, changed our minds and plugged in the Code 5, then the small spinnaker eventually starting with the big spinnaker set.  We had a great run and finished 2nd out of 30 boats overall just 19 seconds behind hot Proto Ecover to win the Series class.

Due to a deepening low pressure the Fastnet has been cancelled.  If we had set off the fleet of 100 Minis would have been beating into a head wind of up to 40 knots.  Although very disappointing, it is easy to understand the decision to abandon the race. 

Congratulations to my co-skipper Dee Caffari who is to be awarded an MBE.  Dee is now traveling back to the UK for the Round the Island Race this weekend on her Open 60. 

We managed to fit in a practice sail in before she left.  It was good to be able to try out the spinnakers and practise a few gybes before our next race together - the Transgascogne in July which runs from Port Bourgenay to Santander and back.

Dee has a great web site www.deecaffari.co.uk if you look at Dee's diary from the 15th to 19th June you can find out more about our training and up and downs of the Fastnet 07.

The Trophee Marie-Agnes Peron is a 200 mile solo race starting and finishing in Douarnenez.  Eventually finishing 8th from 49 Series boats. 

The race was very hard work with light and changeable breezes leading to many opportunity's to gain as well as lose a lot of places.