Sea, Sail & Surf news
Transat 650
Second Mini for Slovenians Mihelin and Hajnsek
"Changing the rules of qualification this late in the game is against the rules of fair play"
jeudi 13 septembre 2007 –
It’s impossible to say what this years Transat will be like for Kristian and Andraz. True it took a great financial input to improve and perfect the boats, Adria Mobil 509 and 510, to professionalise the work of team Adria4ocean. True they have a lot more experience than two years before. But a solo race accross the Atlantic is an unpredictable thing. Add to that there are at least 10 skippers capable of winning the race – beside the Slovenians here are : Isabelle Joschke, Peter Laureyssens, Adrien Hardy, Samuel Manuard and Alex Pella (all of them by the way have at least one Transat behind them). Winning this years transat – it’s a job worth of a true winner. After being 13th (Mihelin) and 19th (Hajnsek) two years ago the urge for sucess is sky high. And so is the motivation in team Adria Mobil.
Just before 7 p.m. yesterday Mr. Alan Pochon, president of the Grand Pavois Organisation Organisation #organisation annonuced the news that has been unnoficial for the whole week : 5 remaining skippers on the waiting list for Sundays start of the Transat The Transat #thetransat #ostar , are to be allowed to start. These names are : Matthieu Cassanas onboard Ville de Balaruc les Bains (n°630), Frédéric Donot onboard Surfrider Foundation Europe (n°642), Yves Le Blevec onboard Actual Interim (n°624), Alex Mevay onboard Genasun (n°332) and Thomas Coubes onboard Petit citron vert (n°184).
Yves Le Blevec is "the" name on this list (and word has it, the main reason of such a decision - for Classe Mini to change the rules so late in the game). He is the skipper who was in the top three places for most of the 2005 Transat (onboard a mini that was over a decade old), until he lost his mast just days before the end of the race - at the time he was in second place. This year with his brand new Lombard designed Actual Interim, he won the Transgacogne race, the Trophee Marie Agnes Peron, Open demi Cle and Solo Chrono, came second in the Pornichet select and fifth in The Simrad Open Sail.
There is no question to whether he is one of the main favorites of the race, but nevertheless as soon as the news was official at the skippers briefing polemics started on this topic. Andraž and Kristian commented : "On the one hand it is ofcourse good that he will be able to start. It is never the same to win a race with an absentee favorit. But we can’t help but question if this is fair to the rest of the skippers who were on the waiting list for months and had decided a week ago to withdraw their entry. Changing the rules of qualification this late in the game, days before the start even, this is against the rules of fair play. It has to be understood that Classe Mini is not yet a professional class and amongst the skippers on the starting list as well as on the waiting list are poeple who have jobs and who can’t afford to wait in vain for opening places on the race. Regarding the fairness towards this skippers we think the decision of the race comittee is contoversal". Official explanation of the decision was that the race committee wanted to enable as many skippers as possible to start on this 30th anniversary of the race. Which is not really a problem. But perhaps it would be a bit wiser making such a decision a few months ago.
On Sunday there will now be 89 instead of 84 skippers on the start of the race. For this purpose Classe Mini had to insure another accompanying boat - French maritime laws demand one accompanying boat for 12 minis.
Today the race village was open to public and tomorrow the festivities for the 30th anniversary of the Transat The Transat #thetransat #ostar 6.50 will also start. Team Adria4ocean expects the arrival of "meteowizzard" (as christened by Phil Sharp ) Jure Jerman. Other team members and supporters of the project are arriving on Friday, and on Saturday the management of title sponsor Adria Mobil from Novo mesto and golden sponsor Avto Triglav are due to wish luck and say their goodbyes to Andraz and Kristian. So no lack of support for the Slovenian team in French waters...
Press info Ana Lukanc / www.4ocean.si
Dans la même rubrique
Transat 650 : 7 Questions Net to : Lucas Schroder
Nantes - Azores 650 : Nearly 70 pre-registrations just a month after the launch
Transat 650 : Alex Bennett sails Reality to be back in the Mini
Transat 650 : Erwan Tymen takes victory in Serie Division
