2010 Mini Pavois first leg to Riechers

by Véronique Largeau on 7 May 2010 Jorg Riechers (753 - Mare.de) has crossed the finish line of the the Mini Pavois first leg and covered the 245 miles in one day 4 hours 03 minutes and 10 seconds at an average speed of 8.73 knots. Nicolas Boidevezi (719 - Défi G.D.E) finished second... the 'new kid' in the class Thomas Normand (787 – Financière de l’échiquier) walks off with the third rank. A great achievement for him!

Prototypes podium: first leg La Rochelle/Gijón

Jorg Riechers: 1 day 04 hours 03 minutes and 10 seconds / 8.73 knots average speed.
Nicolas Boidevezi: 1 day 04 hours 38 minutes and 03 seconds / 34'53s from the first / 8,56 knots average speed.
Thomas Normand: 1 day 04 hours 55 minutes and 16 seconds / 52' from the first / 17' from the second / 8,47 knots average speed.

Jorg Riechers (753 – Mare.de): 'I’m very happy with this victory. It’s always nice to win a leg on the Mini Pavois! The forecast was very rough in the afternoon in the Bay of Biscay. There were gusts at 30/32 knots. In the beginning I was sailing with my code 5 then I have put my genaker, but it was not very wise from me... I almost did not sleep and I had to helm all the time. The last two hours when I was approaching Gijon were very difficult for me because there was no wind… Lots of wind then nothing; it is a very hard situation for the nerves! 20 minutes after the mark I had a rudder blade problem and I had to repair it with broken ropes… But I am satisfied because it did not fail!'

Nicolas Boidevezi (719 – Groupe GDE): 'I am just falling apart right now… This first leg was extreme! It started very badly when I lost my halyard in the mast after the mark. I was very upset! There was this quite strong North stream when we left the sluice. You needed to have a strong stomach! It was a crazy never-ending tack… The wind... It blew at 28 knots… I gave all I had until I decided to change my course. I had my small spinnaker all the time. I was confident because of the experience I had from last year, so I gave it all. On the other hand, I was over-confident with the forecast and I ended in the West out of the course. And I had to tack and tack since 8 am this morning under the cliff… It was a little hard for my nerves but still… I’m happy. Happy because it was difficult for me in the beginning and the beginning of the season was hard too… I was not feeling great. And now I do!'

2010 Mini Pavois:

Race: La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) / Gijón (Asturias) / La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime)
Start: Tuesday the fourth of May 2010
Nautical miles: 800 nm - two legs (300 + 500 miles) or 1,481 km.
Boats: 60 boats, two categories, series and prototypes.
Two rankings Series and prototypes.
Organization: GPO - Grand Pavois Organisation

Blog: http://minipavois2010-uk.blogspot.com

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