Trip report

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Tim Bennet.

Entirely Average Member
Location
S of Kendal
I trust when you were in La Rochelle you stopped by the harbour to pay your respect to the 'nutters' who are gathering for the start of the MiniTransat sailing race.

Started by an Englishman years ago, it's a race for tiny 21ft boats held every two years across the Atlantic, although now run by, and dominated, by the French. The boats are completely wild, but it's the cheapest way of making your mark in the upper echelons of the singlehanded sailing world. Ellen MacArthur did well in it and started her career in this race.

However the downside is it's incredibly dangerous. One year bad weather trapped them in the Bay of Biscay and almost ten per cent of them died; about the same death rate as extreme Himalayan climbing. Despite this, and an incredibly difficult qualification process, it is over subscribed by more than double.

I have a friend who has just had one of those traumatic 'parent and teenager' moments. In this case not the usual, 'I'm on drugs' or 'I think I'm up the duff', but "Dad, I want to do the MiniTransat!'
 

friedel

New Member
Location
On our bikes!
Enjoyed reading your journal and seeing your pics. Nice to put a face to the name :smile: It looks like we have another corner of France to explore someday.
 
OP
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Cathryn

Cathryn

Legendary Member
friedel said:
Enjoyed reading your journal and seeing your pics. Nice to put a face to the name :smile: It looks like we have another corner of France to explore someday.

Thanks. It IS nice to see what people look like isn't it...I don't mean my own mug of course, but just generally!!
 

snorri

Legendary Member
Good to read your tour report Cathryn, none of this sweaty nonsense on mountain sides, just enjoying your surroundings.:ohmy:
I wish my French teachers had been as inspirational as yours obviously were.:smile:
 

Tony

New Member
Location
Surrey
"Transporter bridge".....


Though "transborder" makes an odd sort of sense, both in French and English.
 

Tim Bennet.

Entirely Average Member
Location
S of Kendal
Update on the sailing race:

" La jeune navigatrice Isabelle Joschke a passé la ligne d’arrivée de la première étape de la Transat 6,50 aprés 5J 15H 33M 30S."

So the first leg down to Funchal, Madeira (often the toughest), was won by a women. Go Girl!
 
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