Early lead for Bubb

British Mini sailor wins Lanzarote start of Mini Transat's second leg reports Alex Haworth

Nick Bubb conclusively won today's re-start of the 2005 Mini Transat, from Puerto Calero, Lanzarote.

The 26 year old repeated his Leg 1 feat, with a port tack start, crossing ahead of the entire international fleet of 70 yachts. Two hours into the race Bubb, sailing The Spa at Whittlebury Hall, was still leading the fleet on this deciding leg of the race.

During the pre-start postponement, Bubb made a bold call to start using his massive ‘code zero genoa’. This was the first time Bubb had deployed the extra power for a racing start. Hitting the line at full speed on the gun, Bubb and fellow GBR sailor Phil Sharp (Le Gallais), stamped their authority on the fleet, with a clear speed edge.

Into the first night of what is likely to be a three week long passage to Salvador de Bahia, Bubb led the fleet past the southernmost point of Lanzarote, with Sharp holding a top 5 position.

With the southerly wind increasing to 15 knots within minutes of the start, the fleet face a complex escape from the Canary Islands. The weather forecast has led to a clear division of opinion, on the best tactics to employ in the first week. This has dramatically split the fleet in two, with over 15 miles separation between both groups, only three hours into the race.

The leading players for overall honours (including Bubb and Sharp) have taken the ‘south west option’. This makes best use of the immediate weather pattern over the first 72 hours. Leaving the island of Fuerteventura to port, they hope to pick up a favourable wind shift to the west within 36 hours. Attempting to minimise their exposure to the massive wind shadows in the lee of these islands, some in this group may even head further west, leaving Gran Canaria to port.

The ‘south east option’ takes a radically different view. With the normal pattern of trade winds disrupted by low pressure above the Canaries, these boats have decided to take a bold route, east toward the African Coast. They hope to pick up the trade winds earlier than their southwest rivals. In doing so they are willing to risk a larger exposure to the light air zone, not to mention the pirate activity in that area.

Roughly 40 boats have gone south west, the remaining thirty taking the ‘flyer’ to the East. Which option will pay? We may know within 72 hours.