Mini en Mai at La Trinite sur Mer
by Joe Lacey 15 May 2017 16:14 BST
13 May 2017
Ian Lipinski / Griffon.fr wins the proto division in the Mini en Mai at La Trinite sur Mer © Patrice Carpentier
This year's Mini en Mai concluded on Saturday, and was arguably the best yet. The 500nm loop started and finished in La Trinite sur Mer, but involved 17 different legs that challenged the solo sailors speed on every imaginable point of sail.
Yves le Blevec, race officer for the event and skipper of the Ultime trimaran Actual, commented: "it was everything I want to see in a race – well organised by the SNT, a wonderful course, a great spirit amongst the competitors, and a high level of sailing..... a real breath of fresh air"
The proto division was won convincingly by Ian Lipinski / Griffon.fr. Ian was the winner of the 2015 Mini Transat in the Series Division sailing an Ofcet 650, and will clearly be a force to be reckoned with in this year's Proto Division. His boat is a Raison designed scow and clear evolution of the ground-breaking Magnum which won the 2013 race. Ian has not opted for hydrofoils or a wing-sail – but this slightly more conservative approach seems to be paying dividends for now.
Irish skipper Tom Dolan / Offshoresailing.fr led for much of the race in the Series Division, but he had to settle for second as Erwan le Draoulec / Emile Henry took the victory. Pogo 3's dominated the event taking the top eight places.
More photos and reports can be found on the Mini en Mai Facebook page.
The next major event at the SNT is the ArMen Race – a 350nm offshore classic. The 2-handed IRC division looks like being the most popular class whilst the Multi 2000 class is also proving popular. Any teams wishing to make a last-minute entry can find details here.