Mini gets underway

Duthil into the lead as 70 strong fleet leaves La Rochelle

Following its delay from Sunday, the start of leg one of the Mini Transat got underway exactly 48 hours late at 1730 local time this afternoon.

Conditions were perfect for the start with 20 knot winds from the NNW and a light swell fo around 2m. The boats are now heading out across the Bay of Biscay to round Cape Finistere before continuning on to Porto Calero in Lanzarote, a total distance of 1,350 miles.

Immediately after the start the boats had to round a mark for the spectators two miles away off the old port of La Rochelle. In the opening stages it was Fred Duthil on 265 - All Mer who led the charge immediately followed by American Jonathan McKee on 247- Team McLube and designer/sailor Pierre Rolland on 347- Extrado.

The fleet then continued to a second mark off the old military outpost of Fort Boyard. At this point McKee had pulled into the lead followed by the two yacht designers Sam Manuard on 431 Tip Top Too and Rolland. Top series boat was another yacht designer, David Raison on his new Pogo 2, 440 Liquid Ray. The last two to pass were James Bird on 56 - Atomic and Bernard Morin on 47 Jogging International.

The start was less fortunately for Richard Mérigeaux on 260 - Bon Pied Bon Oeil who suffered a collision and for Brazilian Gustavo Pachetto on 34 - Epsilon, who broke a rudder. Both boats are now back in Port des Minimes as their skippers try to establish whether or not they can be fixed allowing them to continue.

The forecast for the next few days shows a high pressure system to the west of northwest Spain. This is providing northwesterly winds for the first few hours of the race, but the boats will slowly be headed over the first night as the wind builds to around 20 knots from the west with more breeze on the right side of the course. The high to the west of Spain looks set to join another secondary high over central Spain over the course of tomorrow that may cause the wind to veer back to the northwest or even to the northeast as they approach Cape Finistere. By Thursday the high looks like it will have moved offshore slightly allowing the return of the northeasterly flow coinciding (hopefully) with the boats rounding the Cape.

The first skippers are expected in the Canaries as from September 17.