The much delayed Mini-Transat La Boulangère finally set sail from La Rochelle on the first leg to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, on Saturday.
The 87 sailors competing in the Mini-Transat La Boulangère got away in very manageable conditions Saturday morning on the 1,350-mile course.
The wind was around 5 knots and the progress upwind towards the windward mark was slow-going, making for a fine, technical navigation.
The first three to round this mark were Julien Berthélémé (742), Axel Tréhin (945) and Hendrik Witzmann (920).
By early morning on Sunday, the leaders will likely have to contend with a front rolling through with a big wind shift from the SW to NW.
In the front and also behind it, the squalls may be fairly violent, which will force the skippers to do a lot of manœuvring, notably with regards reducing their sail area.
Once the front has rolled through, the sailors will be able to switch onto a reach towards the middle of the Bay of Biscay. At that point, they’ll have to deal with a windless zone of high pressure.
Positions above at 10:00 hrs Sunday.
