As Afloat previously reported on Friday (September 26th), Irish solo sailor Mark O’Connor was forced to divert to Portugal after receiving a severe storm alert while 200 miles offshore en route to the Mini Transat start in the Canary Islands.
Irish solo sailor Mark O’Connor says a storm alert “put a bit of fear” into him while 200 miles offshore during the first leg of the Mini Transat — but he is “glad not to be caught in the violent storm.”
O’Connor, representing the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, reached the port of Cascais to wait out Hurricane Gabrielle after race organisers cancelled the stage due to worsening conditions.
“The first leg of the Mini Transat was anything but easy,” said O’Connor, who is attempting to become the youngest Irish entrant in the race.
“The sea state was brutal at times, steep, confused, and punishing. Controlling the boat became a constant battle, and letting go of the helm wasn’t an option.”
He described sailing with a reefed medium kite “on the edge of broaching with every wave” as the autopilot failed to cope. A violent spinout even caused damage to the bowsprit.
After several exhausting days, he began to recover pace and commit to a western strategy, tacking behind a cold front to dive south. “I was well-positioned and confident in the gains ahead,” he said.
“Then came the message: the depression had intensified into a hurricane. The leg was cancelled. We were instructed to head to port immediately.”
“It was a sobering moment. I was far offshore, and the idea of a tropical storm approaching was unsettling. But I made it safely into port early Saturday morning.”
“Of course, there’s disappointment. The leg was shaping up tactically, and I felt ready to push. But there’s also relief. Safety comes first — and I’m grateful not to have faced that storm at sea.”
National Yacht Club's Seán Doyle, who is supporting O'Connor, added, “With the first leg abandoned, the Trans Atlantic leg is now the race and minds are being retuned into that scenario.”
O’Connor has now resumed his passage from Cascais to Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands. The 600-mile stretch will be sailed as a delivery leg, with no race ranking for this segment.
Conditions have eased to steady downwind sailing under spinnaker. The Mini fleet is expected to regroup between Friday and Sunday ahead of the rescheduled start on 25 October.
The overall Mini Transat result will now be based solely on the second leg to Guadeloupe, with arrivals expected from 7 November and a prizegiving on 15 November in Saint-François.
A second Irish entrant, Grainne Costigan from Sutton in County Dublin, is also competing.
Race trackers remain live for followers at home.
