“I arrived in Guadeloupe and the challenge was met: crossing the Atlantic in a solo race, with no means of communication and a place in the Top 10! This adventure marked my life as a yachtsman, adding to my experience as a sailor a hat as an ocean racing skipper.
It was hard, demanding, full of discoveries and adventures, but crossing the finish line of this coveted Mini Transat is a real satisfaction!
I’m proud to have flown the FAUN colours in the Mini Transat 2023!

A detailed look back at the second leg: Canaries – Guadeloupe.

“First of all, a crucial choice, worked out with our meteorologist Dominique Vittet from Lorient Grand Large: go for a more marked option than the others to get ahead.
I wanted to make this choice, but in the end we didn’t manage to get as much of a lead as we thought. We were almost a day behind the trade winds, but it was exhilarating to break away from the fleet and try this option.

I’m obviously a little disappointed at the finish because my friends who took this route finished on the podium, but I had a few technical problems. I had to sail extra carefully to make it to Guadeloupe. I tore my 2 spinnakers during some manoeuvres, which gave me a few scares, as the seas were quite rough at times. As for my rigging, the mast step chock blew up… a rudder bearing ripped off the transom. I’ll never know if it was due to an impact or to the fast sailing speeds, but it was sporting!

It was physically tough, and the conditions were so challenging that the 24-hour Mini record originally held by a prototype was beaten by one of the series I was sailing with: 317 miles in 24 hours! My Mini FAUN managed to cover 304 miles in 24 hours, a fine performance!

Discovering the Atlantic seas

This single-handed Mini-Transat with no means of communication is a marvellous school in ocean racing, as it requires you to fight against yourself and push yourself to the limit to cross the ocean.
For me, this second leg was above all about discovering the seas of the Atlantic, and there was nothing like a long calm tack, as these trade winds were more like a real field of very crossed bumps! The wind shifted constantly, with shifts both day and night.
Not seeing anyone for 15 days is mentally tough. But surprisingly I didn’t suffer from the solitude; on the contrary, I felt good on board, sailing as a duo with my boat. I always had to aim for performance, but what was difficult was not having any reference points around me. As you don’t know where the other competitors are, you always have to be at your best, and I had to dig deep inside myself to keep up the pace on this high-speed descent.
It was a new experience, but I enjoyed the challenge. I managed my sleep well, and that’s part of the key to keeping up over the long haul. It was complicated at times, especially towards the end, as I had to sleep more during the day and at the start of the night to stay alert and deal with the squalls and the very strong wind in the second half of the night.
That’s also what the Tradewinds are all about, but I’ve realised that happiness can also be won in hard times. When you succeed in surpassing yourself, the difficult moments become a source of satisfaction,

A close relationship with my boat

I acclimatised very well on board. In terms of food, I only took freeze-dried food on board and I got used to it!
I really enjoyed sailing. The desire to push myself to the limit was always there. I knew that there were people following me behind the charts and that carried me through the whole crossing.
My equipment breakdowns prevented me from staying with the leading group and I kept that gap until the end, but I’m satisfied to have managed to be in the Top 10 given the field!
I’ve had a very close relationship with my boat. I’ve been preparing her for 2 seasons now and I’ve become very attached to her.
Living in 1 m2 with big waves and violent winds is a big commitment. They’re still tiny little walnut hulls on the Atlantic, very light boats, a far cry from the big ocean freighters!

15 days is hard and it’s a long time!

I finished 6th on the second stage, and 7th overall, despite the first stage being a bit disappointing. I realise how far I’ve come, and it’s great to have finished this race, which is known to be really difficult.
The difficulty of this race is a whole: managing fatigue, food, solitude, constant humidity…
And we also had to deal with the little niggles on board. The humidity is present from morning to night and my damaged skin at the finish bears witness to these conditions that put such a strain on the body. I couldn’t sit down for the last three days because it was so painful, and I also cut my knee in a spinnaker lowering manoeuvre in the middle of the Atlantic.
The most difficult moment at the start of the race was making the choice to head south with few competitors trying the option, thinking that the race would come down to that. When you decide to move away, you know you can lose everything… or win everything!
The loss of my spinnaker on the fourth day was also a particularly hard moment, and it put the brakes on my attack for a few hours. Between the fatigue and the emotion, I knew I had to put the cursor in the right place to be able to perform well while preserving the equipment.

If I had to sum up my race, it would have to be a race over a field of bumps where you’re driving a 4×4! Everything became difficult in terms of life on board in a very rough sea, far from the long calm tacks to sail towards the exoticism of the other side of the Atlantic. But it’s this difficulty that I came for, and I’m happy to have surpassed myself and to have taken so much pleasure in driving my steed.
My greatest moment of happiness will remain sailing at high speeds in the trade winds for hours on end without ever stopping…

This Mini-Transat is the start of a great chapter for me as a skipper, and this desire to surpass myself and to perform is deeply rooted in me!

“Hello to all the FAUN teams from the Canaries. This 3-week stopover is both a great way to acclimatize to the warm temperatures, but also a long one, with a definite desire to fight it out before setting course for Guadeloupe!

My boat is ready for the start on October 28! It arrived in good condition after the first leg, with no major work to do. I did the last little jobs today, changing some halyards, but it was more preventive than anything else.

The food is also ready, all that’s left to do is manage the fresh food and load it into the boat at the last minute. I also re-packed my sailing bag with light stuff, and switched to a summer wardrobe with clothes to protect me from the sun!

I took a week off during this stopover to wander around and fully recharge the batteries, so I’m back rested and really looking forward to setting off…

The schedule is now fully occupied with the weather. For the moment, the American and European models are diverging in terms of forecasts, and the strategy is still unclear. We’re watching every weather report and imagining several scenarios. For the moment, the trade winds aren’t well established, so I’m hoping that we’ll get the right conditions for our boats, so that we can let off some steam and get up to some nice speeds.

I want to set off and do a good stage. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to try and reach my initial goal of a Top 10 finish, so that I can take the FAUN colors to the front, because anything is still possible. I’m really motivated for this Atlantic crossing, which will be a first for me. I have no fears, but I’m heading into the unknown between the open sea and the trade winds…

I hope to bring these two years of projects to a close in style, and I’ll be in Guadeloupe to tell you all about this second leg of the Mini-Transat!”

Adrien Simon, Mini 1038 FAUN, October 24

“The start will remain an emotional moment. Racing up the legendary channel in Les Sables d’Olonne to the starting line and realizing that I was one of 90 skippers ready to set off across the Atlantic on a Mini 6.50!
On this big day, I really wanted to put FAUN’s colors in the spotlight and show that I was already in the starting-blocks. I got off to a great start at the front of the fleet, which put the spotlight on my boat and was a great sporting moment!
After this great start, we all headed for a waypoint off Gijon in Spain to avoid a big storm north of the Bay of Biscay.
The start of the race was punctuated by numerous weather transitions and wind shifts. I arrived in Gijon still well placed in the leading group, which confirmed my speed and my choices.”

Cap Finisterre : 35-40 knots and waves of over 3 metres!

“Then, for the second part of the route to Cape Finisterre, we knew we’d have strong winds for 48 hours, a tricky part to get through, during which we also had to think about preserving the boat.
This was confirmed in the zone, with winds of up to 35-40 knots and waves of over 3 meters. We had to be vigilant not to break anything, as the route was still long.
I’m still in the leading group as I round Cape Finisterre, and I’m satisfied with my performance, while taking care of my mount.”

Complicated descent to the Canaries…

“The descent to the Canary Islands is next, and it’s getting more complicated as we’re receiving very limited weather information. That’s the very concept of our race: receiving brief weather reports, having to analyze them and decide which route to take.
What followed was even more complicated, with weather that was abnormal for this time of year: the Portuguese trade winds came to a complete halt, and the wind dropped for 48 hours.
We then saw all the competitors catching up with us and passing us off to the west; we could see them on the AIS and it was very frustrating.
For 48 hours we couldn’t do anything, we couldn’t even get out of that zone to regain one with wind.
Mentally it was complicated, but I was in contact with all the race favourites, and it’s reassuring to know that you’re not alone in your corner, despite the frustration of being stuck.
Sliding under spinnaker!

Then the trade winds picked up again, and we were able to glide downwind under spinnaker towards the Canaries.
There were huge shifts in the wind, so you could win or lose everything, and right up to the end you had to be on the attack. I didn’t do too badly, I gave it my all and made up about fifteen places to finish 14th in the series (after jury) on this first leg.
There’s obviously some frustration at not meeting my Top 10 target and having a 15-hour gap with the leader, but the second leg is twice as long, so anything’s still possible!”

Ready for the Atlantic crossing​ …

“I’ll take many lessons from this first leg, starting with the exceptional weather phenomena that challenged our minds. As a sailor, I also discovered a new geographical area with its own specificities.
We had a lot of wind off Cape Finisterre, which shook the boats up quite a bit. But my boat held up well and was in great condition at the finish compared with others!

I did, however, have to climb to the top of the mast to retrieve a halyard, a complicated exercise at sea. My sails are a bit damaged, and I’m feeling pretty tired with the impression that I’ve given a lot, but I’ve just carried out a complete check of the boat and it’s ready for the second leg! I wanted to check on arrival to see if there were any parts to order, but everything’s been validated and it’s already been cleaned, so I’m ready to set off again, this time for the Atlantic crossing!

At sea, I had to give it my all all the time to keep up with my rivals. I feel as though I’ve put a lot of pressure on the man, but I’m now fine-tuning the final details and resting in the Canaries before setting off on the second leg on October 28.
I’m not too far from my target Top 10, but I’m obviously a little disappointed deep down, as I feel I sailed well and didn’t make too many mistakes. But I’m well placed in relation to the other favourites in the race, some of whom are way behind in the rankings. So now I’m focusing on the second leg, with the same desire to do well and give it my all!
Now it’s time to rest and prepare for my first transatlantic race!

Follow Adrien online​ :

Mapping link :  http://minitransat.geovoile.com/2023/tracker/

Live from the start :  https://www.facebook.com/LaMiniTransat/

My facebook page :  https://www.facebook.com/adrienvoile/

“I’m ready for the big jump! The start is approaching and my project, for which I’ve given so much, is about to become a reality! I can’t wait to get going, I can’t wait to take the start and battle it out with my friends who are about to become my competitors!
The weather looks good: windy but not too windy at this stage. The start on Sunday and Monday should be ideal, but we’re in for a bumpy ride on Tuesday due to a cyclone tail off Cape Finisterre.
On Sunday, I’ll be setting off on the Mini-Transat 2023. This solo transatlantic race, with no means of communication, is a first for me. It’ll be my first transatlantic race, and my first experience of long-distance sailing. It’s not my usual exercise. I’m going to have to know how to sail fast and alone, without having too many reference points. It’s not going to be a contact race, but a race over time, during which you have to have confidence in yourself and not doubt your choices.

The Mini-Transat is THE learning race. We don’t have any modern equipment: we receive one weather report a day by radio, and from what we decipher via this voice, we have to analyze and decide on a race strategy. It’s not an easy exercise, as it’s up to us to interpret the information we receive. We’re equipped on board with paper charts on which we plot our estimated position. Observing the clouds will also be essential for interpreting the local weather and refining the forecasts received by radio. It’s the culmination of two years’ work to understand the different weather phenomena, and it’s really exciting!

I’m very proud to wear the FAUN colors and to be there to try to do things right. The 10 days in the village were an opportunity to show the boat to FAUN customers and to talk about the project alongside Plastic Odyssey.
Now I’m going to give it my all, with my sights set on arriving in Guadeloupe in a Top 10 overall.

On this first leg to Santa Cruz de la Palma, the challenge will be to avoid material damage and killer whales off Portugal. Of course, I’m hoping to make it to the Canaries before setting off on the second leg. I’m going to try to get there with the best possible time to be in the match for stage 2.
I’m off on Sunday at 2 p.m. for around 8 days of racing, so stay tuned!”

Follow Adrien online​ :

Mapping link :  http://minitransat.geovoile.com/2023/tracker/

Live from the start :  https://www.facebook.com/LaMiniTransat/

My facebook page :  https://www.facebook.com/adrienvoile/

“When I decided to launch a Mini, I wanted to go further than just a sailing project. It was very important to me that my project should be useful. The Plastic Odyssey association is a project run by merchant navy officers like myself, who are committed to cleaning up the seas. These values are also important to me on a daily basis.

“My meeting with Etienne Blaise was a turning point, and we talked a lot about FAUN’s values and the synergies with a sailing project. Following a visit to the company in July 2021, we decided to sign up together for two Mini seasons. I’m proud to wear the colors of this fine company.”

In September 2023, Adrien Simon will be on the starting line of the Mini-Transat, a solo, unassisted Atlantic crossing on a 6.50 m sailboat. 4 050 milles (7,500 kilometers) to cover, from Sables-d’Olonne to Saint-François in Guadeloupe, with a stopover in Santa Cruz de La Palma in the Canaries.