Mini Fastnet Race

by Jo Gawith on 11 Jun 2006 Record-breaking British yachtsman, Alex Thomson, competing in his first ever mini race alongside Australian skipper Raeffer Govoni, yesterday took 6th place on board ‘Mini Minx’ in the Mini Fastnet Race.

Having raced together in the Sydney-Hobart in 2002, the race was intended to be a training exercise for Govani, who owns the 21ft steed and is aiming to compete in the Mini Transat 2007. For Thomson, whose Open 60 is currently out of the water undergoing repairs, what initially seemed like a fun opportunity to pass on a few tips to his friend, turned into some competitive racing with the duo reaching as high as second on the leaderboard at the half way stage.

Speaking on the shore after his arrival, Thomson commented 'With nearly 100 boats at the start we were hoping at best for a top 20 finish, so to finish 6th was a great result. Rounding the Rock was pretty exciting; we were engulfed in thick fog and couldn’t see a thing yet managed to emerge in second place. Raeffer was awesome and worked really hard and it was fun for me to be out on the water again whilst my boat is in the shed.'

The Mini Fastnet is the biggest qualifying race in the Mini Transat circuit. A staggering 98 boats lined-up at the start of this year’s event which began on Sunday in Douarnenez, Brittany before competitors took on the challenging 700-mile course to the Fastnet Rock, off Ireland, and back.

Mini number 196 ‘Mini Minx’ is owned by Australian-born Govani who now lives in London. A Groupe Finot design, built in 1998 for Americas Cup sailor, Peter Heppel, the boat was one of the lightest in the fleet (800 kg) and the only mini with a trim tab on her keel fin.

Thomson continued 'The boat’s pretty old, but it is so technical. It hasn’t got a swing keel, but the trim tab makes it interesting to sail. You find yourself constantly pulling on bits of string to try and make it go faster and you can’t even leave it alone because the thing falls over all the time! It was a bit frustrating to be passed in good winds on the last day, but on the whole, I think it performed well. It’s certainly been a change from my 60 though and I’m looking forward to a good night’s kip.'

Skipper Govani commented 'Sailing with Alex in the Hobart in 2002 gave me my first taste of offshore racing and ever since, I’ve been hooked. As soon as he agreed to race with me I knew we’d have a good time. I really enjoyed it and have learnt heaps from Alex and about the boat. This result has given me a great boost for my Mini Transat campaign and I’m very grateful to Alex for all his support.'

The race was won by ‘Vecteur Plus’ skippered by Didier Le-Vouch and Aloy Le-Claquin from France.