First big solo offshore regatta for Joshua Schopfer
by Bernard Schopfer 17 Jul 2024 14:30 BST
Joshua Schopfer © Mark Henley
After three months of preparations and racing in the Mediterranean, Swiss-British sailor Joshua Schopfer has been back in Brittany since the end of June and is actively preparing for his first major single-handed ocean race: the famous SAS (Les Sables - Les Açores - Les Sables), which will be contested from Friday in two legs over a theoretical course of 2,600 miles.
"This is another important step towards my participation in the Mini Transat 2025," explains Joshua, "It's by far the longest race of the season and requires rigorous preparation, in terms of making the boat more reliable, as well as mental preparation and weather analysis."
Between February and June, Joshua sailed no fewer than 3,500 miles, including around 2,000 in races. He completed his 1000-mile qualifying course and took part in four regattas: Arcipelago 6.50 (double-handed with Giovanni Bignardi, 2nd), Roma per Due (double-handed with Arnaud Machado, 2nd), Roma-Barcelona (single-handed, 3rd) and SoloMed (single-handed, 2nd).
"From now on, I'll be racing against the sailors in the next Mini-Transat," he explains. "The number of competitors is going to be much greater than the races I took part in at the start of the year, and the level will be higher too. I can't wait to see where I stand in relation to the rest of the fleet and to find out what I'm capable of in a single-handed offshore race lasting over a week".
Founded in 2006, the SAS is one of the great classics of the Mini calendar. It is the most important regatta in the class, with the exception of the Mini Transat. Most of the competitors wishing to take part in the next edition of the Mini Transat will be present on Friday 19th at 1pm for the start of the tenth edition of the race.
Most race websites are in French only, but you can follow in English at www.facebook.com/joshua.schopfer
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