Tom Dolan Fights for Mini-Transat Third in Volatile Weather Conditions

13th November 2017

Tom Dolan – fighting flukey winds and fatigue as Mini-Transat approaches final stage

Ireland’s Tom Dolan held on to third place over the weekend as the Mini-Transat Production Class leaders closed into the final third of the Transoceanic leg, with the northeast tradewinds providing difficult sailing in increasingly volatile conditions writes W M Nixon.

But with different areas of the ocean temporarily experiencing better winds, his ranking this morning by been displaced by Tanguy Bouroullec well to the south, and currently logging 11.0 knots to put him up to third, while Benoit Sineau is lying fourth in a position slightly to the north of Dolan, and sailing at 9.0 knots.

Dolan himself is currently on just 8.5, but all are within striking distance of each other in terms of placings, and all have closed slightly on second-placed Clarisse Cremer. But the “Enfant Terrible” of the Mini-Transat Production fleet, 20-year Erwan Le Draoulec, sails serenely at 10 knots on well clear of everyone, and all of 90 miles ahead of Cremer – and he has just 511 miles to go.

Further ahead, Proto-type leader Ian Lipinski in the “super-scow” Griffon.fr is now in a race of his own. With only 268 miles to sail, he has the finish at St Marin in Martinique in striking distance, sailing at 11.7 knots with 90 miles in hand on second-placed Jorg Riechers in Lillienthal.

Race Tracker here

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