More success for Bubb

From Mini-class' Demi-Cle race down the French coast

"We seem to be making of a habit of this match racing offshore," commented Nick Bubb as he stepped ashore at the end of the Demi-Cle after 120 miles of head to head racing with Olympic gold medallist Jonathan McKee down the French coast from Locmiquelic to Port Bourgenay. "Last week it was with Fred Duthil, and this week we had another ballistic race against Jonathan! It’s great racing, really close all the way.”

Racing double-handed with Richard Woolf, Kenmore/JMST got an even start with McKee (Team McLube) in tricky light airs. "We knew that this race was going to be very tactical. Generally the sea breeze is the dominating factor during the day and then the land breeze fills in at night, it can be very tricky in between with light fickle wind. We wanted the right at the start and we won it. Jonathan split left during the first short leg and was marginally ahead at the mark. We had a 50 mile run north to the turning mark south of Douarnenez. It was a match race the whole way down that leg and we were clear of the fleet. We had great speed and managed to catch him, both boats were overlapped going round the mark which was interesting!”

“After that we turned south for a 50 mile beat and it was nip and tuck the whole way. Both boats were constantly cross tacking, which is quite a job on a Mini with the runners and swinging the keel over even double-handed! The course took us back into Lorient and he managed to pull out a half-mile lead on us there. That was pretty tough given how close it had been for 100 miles. We didn’t give up though and decided to go hard into the coast in Guiveron bay. It really paid and we caught him to take the lead.”

"There was a bit of a split during the last night and the wind just totally shut off which was pretty frustrating. We spent that morning scanning the horizon and trying to keep the boat moving. These Minis are so light that the smallest puff can make a big difference. It is the worst thing that can happen when there is leverage between the boats because there is no way of getting back. We were slightly higher than Jonathan at the end and he managed to get back in front to cross the line 10 minutes ahead.”

It has been a successful two weeks for Kenmore/JMST after finishing second in the Solo Chrono and this result adds another podium finish to one of the most consistent seasons on the Mini circuit this year.

"The best thing is that our preparation is paying off. We tested the boat a lot during this race, especially the pilots, even though we were double-handed. It is so crucial that the systems all work when you are solo. My fitness training is helping a lot on the race course as well which gives you a lot of confidence sailing the boat for long periods of time."

Bubb will now prepare for the solo Transgascogne (Port Bourgenay - Gijon - Port Bourgenay) starting next week.

Double Proto results:

1-247  : Jonathan McKee and Bates McKee Team McClube
2-419  : Nick Bubb and Richard Woolf KENMORE/JMST
3-422  : Sebastien Magnen and Bénédicte Graulle