Photos: Pierrick Garenne/GPO

Sebastien Rogues claims leg one

First Protos arrive in Funchal at the conclusion of the Mini Transat's first leg

Tuesday October 4th 2011, Author: James Boyd, Location: none selected

Sébastien Rogues on Eole Generation-GDF Suez, won the first stage of the Charente-Maritime-Bahia Transat 6.50 in the Proto class. Rogues covered 1148 miles at the average speed of 5.40 knots in 8 days 20 hours 46 minutes and 43 seconds.

Rogues, 25 commented: "This is my greatest victory, because it's the hardest race I've ever done. The more you suffer; the more it’s valuable to win, especially because I believe I raced brilliantly. I have always been around the front of the fleet, but suddenly, off Portugal, when there were ​​40 knots of wind I wondered what I was doing there. What was going to break first - the mast? The hull? And at that moment the race is not your priority, you think about yourself first. We had a very competitive, but quite friendly race with David [Raison] and Jorg [Riechers]. This morning, I wondered where David had gone. I did not dare to ask by VHF and he is the one that asked me "Is that you ahead of me?” What a great moment! The boat is fine. I can leave right now; I just have a few ropes to change."

Rogues competed in the last Mini Transat but was out of the running from the outset when he was responsible for a start line collision for which he was penalised 10 hours. However he made up for it on the second leg to Salvador de Bahia in which he finished eighth. At the end of that race he bought HP Schipman's Lombard design (more on this boat here).



28 minutes and 25 seconds after Rogues, David Raison on his unique scow TeamWork Evolution finished this first leg from La Rochelle to Funchal in 8 days 21 hours 55 minutes and 08 seconds at the average speed of 5.38 knots.

Raison: "I got scared this morning because the mainsail stuck up the mast. I thought I was going to crash the boat on the rocks. I, also, have broken one batten. But, really, after the last 24 hours I was tired. And everything I have been doing was stupid. But my Magnum is remarkable. I could not use her full potential. Because I, the man, was not able to. But she is made to win."



German Jorg Riechers on Mare.de finished third in 8 days 22 hours 19 minutes and 07 seconds, covered the course at an average speed of 5.36 knots.

"When, before the departure from La Rochelle, Bertrand Delesne collided with me, I was furious," recounted the normally mild-mannered Riechers. "I would have killed him if he had been close enough. I remembered that I was forced to withdraw three days into the 2009 race. I did not want it to happen again. For about two seconds, I thought about retiring, but I changed my mind. I laminated from the inside all night and by day I did the outside. Following that, I'm happy with my race. I sailed against great champions and I'm third. It's great. Nothing is definitive yet; there is still the second stage. I got scared like David in the end. I had a small collision, but nothing serious. We will fix it."

Britain's Dan Dytch on Soitec finished in 12th place in the Proto class, eight and a half hours behind the winner. Mention should also be made of Sébastien Picault, who is racing the oldest Proto in the class - formerly Seb Magnen's two time winner Karen Liquid. He finished 10th.

First Proto arrivals

 

Pos No Skipper Boat Elapsed time Dist sailed Av speed Best 24hr
        UTC     run
1 716 ROGUES Sébastien EOLE GENERATION - GDF SUEZ 8d 20h 46m 43s   4.24 164.07
2 747 RAISON David TEAM WORK EVOLUTION 8d 21h 15m 8s 1309.73 6.13 187.84
3 753 RIECHERS Jorg MARE.DE 8d 22h 19m 7s 1248.33 5.81 182.05
4 679 DAVID Etienne TEAMWORK 8d 23h 59m 57s 1202.41 5.56 181.58
5 667 LE BREC Guillaume OCCAMAT / ATD 9d 0h 1m 24s 1194.5 5.52 203.27
6 802 BERTRAND Etienne CHASSEUR DE PRIMES 9d 0h 16m 13s 1223.46 5.65 198.58
7 741 FERMIN Rémi BOREAL 9d 1h 50m 6s 1185.8 5.43 196.9
8 787 NORMAND Thomas FINANCIERE DE L'ECHIQUIER 9d 1h 58m 12s 1207.05 5.53 203.26
9 618 MONTAGNE Lucas ONG CONSEIL 9d 2h 30m 40s 1215 5.55 196.28
10 198 PICAULT Sébastien KICKERS 9d 3h 45m 53s 1210.51 5.5 201.25
11 509 SCHRODER Lucas BRUNEL 9d 4h 48m 33s 1239.16 5.6 195.63
12 617 DYTCH Dan SOITEC 9d 5h 10m 52s 1186.79 5.36 185.49

 

 

 

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