Steady overnight sailing off the coast of Portugal from rookie Thomas Dolan sees the sole Irish entry in the Mini–Transat race stay in the top 20 overall. The County Meath sailor who features in this morning's Irish Times Sailing Column is currently in 19th place, dropping back one place.
Davy Beaudart (Flexirub) and Ian Lipinski (Entreprises Innovantes) had been tipped as race favourites. To date, they have not proved the predictions wrong.
Several competitors have now joined the walking wounded from the first stage. Fidel Turienzo (Satanas) is getting ready to stop in to one of the ports on the Portuguese coast between Sines and Lisbon to repair his damaged mast. Guillermo Canardo (Peor Para El Sol) should also stop in Porto. Some of the other competitiors are still holed up in ports, such as Pilar Pasanau (Peter Punk) in La Coruna, Jonas Gerckens(Netwerk) in Peniche and Aymeric Blin (Le Marin des Alpes) in Sada.
Some of the competitors are doing well, Despite their lack of experience : Edouard Golbery (Les Enfants du Canal) and Mathieu Bourdais (Tous au Large) who are racing in the Series class, both with very little Mini Circuit racing under their belts, currently lie in 9th and 10th place respectively in the provisional standings.
In other Irish offshore solo sailing news, Lough Swilly skipper Sean McCarter has launched a 2020 bid for the Vendee Globe Race
Top Five Positions on 24 th September at 18 :00 (TU+2) :
Prototypes ( Eurovia Cegelec class) :
1. Davy Beaudart, Flexirub, 353,7 miles to leg finish
2. Frederic Denis, Nautipark, 48.7 nm to leader
3. Axel Trehin, Aleph Racing, 50.0 nm
4. Ludovic Mechin, Microvitae, 54.0 nm
5. Luke Berry, Association Rêves, 54.6 nm
Series ( Ocean Bio-Actif class)
1. Ian Lipinski, Entreprises Innovantes, 439.0 milles to leg finish
2. Tanguy Le Turquais, Terreal, 19.2 nm to leader
3. Julien Pulve, Novintiss, 38.2 nm
4. Charly Fernbach, Henaff le Fauffiffon, 41.8 nm
5. Patrick Girod, Nescens, 50,.9 nm
