From May 31st to June 5th, 55 single-handed racers are to be expected in Douarnenez to sail the 200 miles of the tactical sprint race of the MAP trophy. All the more, from June 9th, the Mini Fastnet great show will start again, under the leadership of the Winches club : 59 double- racers will be on the starting lines of this 25th edition.
2010, the transition year
These editions 2010 of the MAP trophy and Mini Fastnet record less registered members than usually ( about 15 boats less by races) because of the unusual context : “ it is a post transat year” Philippe Coatmeur explains, “ it is the beginning of a new cycle : there is a renewal of the fleets. A great number of skippers left to sail on other circuits. This is also associated to the economic worries that all the offshore racers nowadays face and the result is that we register a dicrease on the list of the registered members. ( In 2009, 75 racers were on the starting lines of these 2 events ndr ) That is the way it is now, a story of cycles... “Hearing the skippers, it is obvious that if everybody could be here, departing from Douarnenez, they will be present with a great pleasure.
The MAP trophy « a trip which benefits to the most audacious people »
First, let us talk about the MAP trophy. This event, taking place in the Iroise sea is extremely interesting for the ones who participate to the regattas. These 200 intensive miles require to be constantly attentive and you need to adopt a tactical approach playing with a certain number of natural parameters that you also have to negociate with, the same to do with some close strategies. “ We always go sailing near the coasts. We must play with the streams, the rocks, the effects provoked by the coasts and there is also the fact that boats are very close one to another : there is no easy side but you have to play the game ! It is nervously harsh, and by the way, we must add that as far as now, it was usually a good weather. But the most fantastic of all this, is that we can always recuperate. That is the main interest of the race and that is the thing that pleases everybody “ Pierre Brasseur, who has participated to all the editions of the MAP trophy, explains.
The Mini Fastnet, half mythic – half pleasurable meeting…
Offshore, the Mini Fastnet also presents constant strategical traps but it is above all a very rich and complete/ full challenge, as the skipper Henri Paul Shipman ( Maison de l’Avenir Urbatys) from his boat Figaro Bénéteau and who is originated from Douarnenez explains. He is at present in the race Ag2r La Mondiale. “ According to me, the Mini Fastnet is the main race with the Transat 6.50. The size allows us to use 100% of the potential of our beautiful machines so that a team member can benefit from it. The trip is absolutely splendid : the Douarnenez bay ( it is the most beautiful ! ), Ouessant, the Scilly, Irland and the sinister Fastnet, all these reunited together with its set of thermics, streams, the upstreams you have to negociate with and often unbelievable reversals of situations. All the ingredients of a mythical race are collected together!”
Beyond this “mythical” characteristic, beyond the difficulty of the course and beyond the pleasure to prove what we can really do, this going back and forth to the Irland sea is also a federating trial, a meeting gathering some mates. “ We often see racers who had participated to the races previously coming back for the Mini Fastnet, just for fun... It has become an annual meeting and that is very nice ! “ Philippe Coatmeur noticed.
Make way for the novices !
When you quickly look at the lists of the registered members who will participate to the MAP trophy and Mini Fastnet, you should think that these 2010 editions will reveal new talents. New names, new heads freshly coming out of water, especially in Series : the Mini Class keeps on being an incredible breeding-ground for offshore racers. The events which will take place in Douarnenez will no doubt be the occasion to discover talented skippers...
However, some famous names come out in the forecasts...
In Prototype, Sébastien Rogues ( EOLE génération GDF Suez ) the winner of the MAP trophy in Serie in 2009 who has just won the Select 6.50 in Prototype. The German Joerg Riechers ( Mare.De) and Vincent Barnaud ( Sex’n Sun Cherche Partenaire ) on his plan Manuard : they are respectively 2nd and 3rd of the Select 6.50 2010, Joerg has also won the Transgascogne 2009. Guillaume Le Brec ( Eva Luna ) on board the previous proto owned by Thomas Ruyand, Véronique Loisel ( De l’espace pour la mer ), Nicolas Boidevezi ( Défi GDF ) with Laurent Bourgues, Thibaut Reinhart...
In Serie, followed here the experimented racers Loïc Lebras (Cachaça), Antoine Debled (Regionsjob.com) and Julien Coulouarn supported by Stéphane Le Diraison winner of the MAP trophy and Mini Fastnet 2009 ( with Yann Riou) … and of course the novices !
In short, eveything is ready in Douarnenez so that these editions 2010 of the MAP trophy and Mini Fastnet come up to the racers’ expectations : fair play , surprises, spicy trips and beautiful memories which will trigger them to come back again...
So see you from May 31st to celebrate the beginning of the festivities in Douarnenez on a Mini fashion way of life.
Douarnenez in the race
On the fifty candidates taking part in these 2 events which will take place in Douarnenez, no less than about ten of them are racers from the “ Pôle d’entrainement de Douarnenez” ( in english, “ Training pole of Douarnenez ), a dynamic supported by the town hall of Douarnenez and the Winches Club.
André Guillemot, Sport assistant of Douarnenez. “ The future winners of sailing go through the Mini Class. Now, the MAP trophy and Mini Fastnet have become famous events of this circuit. It is essential for Douarnenez city to be involved in those races. It is indeed one of the facets of Douarnenez Know-how as regards offshore races.”
Olivier Ramoul, president of the Winches club.“ The MAP trophy and Mini Fastnet are both serious and sporting trials, at the highest level, but they are also friendly races. It is thanks to the mobilization and enthusiam of the voluntary workers of the Winches club that we finally manage to do this. We can name Philippe Coatmeur, race director, Michèle Marchais, coordinator who is in charge of the relationships between the Press and the racers, Sophie, Chantal and Valérie who welcome the skippers, Yves and Chantal who are responsibles for the security controls. Bruno and his teams who takes care of the food supplies ( from breakfast to the crews’ meals ), Jean Jacques the weatherman...
It is a great time for us, a great festive moment where everybody can gather. All the voluntary workers live the race their own way. We are very proud of this work. Thanks to the efforts of the voluntary workers, these events are affordable.It is important to underline the work and dynamism made by the team “ Pôle d’entrainement de Douarnenez” ( 22 skippers are registered ). They are especially present on the pre-season races and they will be here in large numbers (10 boats) on the MAP trophy and Mini Fastnet. The Pole 6.50 and the Winches club are actively engaged in the development of the Mini in Douarnenez and we will keep on perpetuating this dynamism”
List of the registered boats of Douarnenez : 10 boats are registered, 7 of which are Serie and 3 of which are Proto
MAP Serie : Florian Blanchard (FRA 591) Fantomas ; Bert Bossyns (BEL 585) Felicity II ; Jean-Christophe Courtel (FRA 495) Aragorn ; Boris Culnard (FRA 440) Rattle and Hum ; Vincent Kerbouriou (FRA 435) Tchuda Popka ; Cédric Malengreau (FRA 486) Tchao
MAP Proto : Pierre Deanjean (FRA 36) Oufti ; Rémy Lartillerie (FRA 765) Team Ord ; Thibault Reinhart (FRA 791)
Mini Fastnet Serie : Bert Bossyns (BEL 585) Felicity II - coéquipier Koen Willaert ; Jean-Christophe Courtel (FRA 495) Aragorn ; Boris Culnard (FRA 440) Rattle and Hum ; Jean-Claude Guillonneau (FRA 473) Zerline – coéquipière Marine Gasulla ; Vincent Kerbouriou (FRA 435) Tchuda Popka
Mini Fastnet Proto : Rémy Lartillerie (FRA 765) Team Ord – coéquipier Hervé Corlay ; Thibault Reinhart (FRA 791) – coéquipier Régis Garcia
MAP trophy 2010
Trip ( about 220 miles ) Douarnenez - Iroise sea – South Brittany – Douarnenez
ScheduleMay 31st : all the competitors in Douarnenez ( Tréboul ) ; June 3rd : departure at 11:30 am ; June 4th and 5th : arrival ; June 5th : results, prize-giving and lunch time with the crews
Registered for the MAP trophy 2010 : http://www.winchesclub.com/minis650/map/
Trophy MAP : 55 registered boats on May 3rd, 24 of which are proto and 31 of which are Serie.
10 nationalities : FRA 41 racers, GBR 2, BEL 2, USA 1, NED 3, GER 2, SUI 1, TUR 1, CZE 1 and SWE 1
Mini Fastnet 2010 Trip (about 700 miles ) Douarnenez – « Chenal du Four » - Wolf Rock – Fastnet Lighthouse - Douarnenez
Schedule : June 9th : all the competitors in Douarnenez (Tréboul) ; June 12th : prologue ; June 13th : Departure at 1:00 pm (to be confirmed) ; June 17th : estimated arrivals of the firsts ; June 19th : results, prize-giving and lunch time with the crews
Registered for the Mini Fastnet 2010 : http://www.winchesclub.com/minis650/fastnet650/
59 boats registered on May 3rd 28 of which are Proto and 31 of which are Serie
11 nationalities : FRA 48 racers, GBR 2, BEL 4, USA 1, NED 2, GER 5, SUI 1, TUR 1, CZE 1, SWE 1, NZL 1.
Points of Contact
Race contact (PC course) : race director : Philippe Coatmeur, WINCHES CLUB, Maison du Nautisme, quai de l’Yser – 29100 Douarnenez. Tél. 02 98 74 38 05 - winches@kerys.com - www.winchesclub
Press contact : Michèle Marchais, tél. 06 31 80 10 24 – michele.marchais@orange.fr ; Catherine Ecarlat, tél. 06 79 54 22 83 - catherine.ecarlat@wanadoo.fr
Photo credits : Gildas Hémon – Kerys - g.h@kerys.com