British sailor leads

Conditions go light in Mini Pavois

British Mini sailor Phil Sharp is leading the 460 mile Mini Pavois which set off on Saturday at midday from La Rochelle.

Positions were taken at the turning mark Lesconil, which Sharp rounded at 16.59 yesterday afternoon. By midnight a further 25 boats, out of the fleet of 35, had also been noted passing the mark.

During Sunday the fleet had a good south easterly breeze of 15-17 knots however conditions have been very light overnight, with just a few knots, and the fleet as a result is now well spread out.

Sharp is somewhat blazing a trail on the Mini circuit and was close to winning (on his singlehanded debut) the Pornichet Select, a similarly long singlehanded race, when he had to pull out after losing all his jib and spinnaker halyards. Nick Bubb in his newly branded Whitebury Hall logged at Lesconil in tenth and some five hours behind the leader.

There have been several retirements from the race so-far, the most serious being Yann Knight who collided with a fishing trawler on Saturday. He made for Port Joinville to report the incident and to secure his damaged mast.


Tanguy de Lamotte

The boats are expected to finish the course on Wednesday or Thursday.

Positions at Lesconil (Sunday)
1. Phil Sharp (Le Gallais - 419) à 16h59
2. Tanguy de Lamotte (Set Environnement pour Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque - 424) à 17h11
3. Corentin Douguet (E. Leclerc - 433) à 17h21
4. Etienne Bertrand (Air du Large - 434) à 17h31
5. Didier Le Vourc'h (Servo Map - 151) à 17h55
6. Stanislas Maslard (Crédit Agricole Skipper Challenge - 417) à 18h50
7. Isabelle Joschke (Parole - 276) à 18h52
8. Andraz Mihelin (Adria Mobil - 510) à 18h54
9. Sébastien Gladu (Birvidik - 427) à 18h56
10. Nick Bubb ( Wittlebury Hall - 500)