The Ocean is calling, the “ministeamers are answering,” in fact there are 90, divided between Prototypes and Series, skippers leaving Las Sables d’Olonne for the Mini Transat 2023. The race is divided as always into two legs, this leg 1 will end after 1351 miles in Santa Cruz de La Palma in the Canary Islands. The second of about 2,400 miles will have the finish line in Saint-François in Guadeloupe.
As per tradition, Italian sailing also answered the call of the Mini Transat, appearing on the starting line with three skippers in the series category: Alessandro Torresani with the Pogo 3 Porco Rosso, Francesco Farci with the Pogo 2 Gin Tonic, and Luca Rosetti with the Maxi Race Care.
Mini Transat 2023 – Italians in the race
The most experienced of the three is Luca Rosetti, who comes to this Mini Transat after placing 18th in the 2019 edition when he raced a Pogo 2. The Romagnolo class of 1995 is one of the possible outsiders in this edition, with a desire to try to get into the top 10 now that he can fight with a new generation boat that could be particularly fast in the second part of the first leg, if there is a Portuguese trade wind, and throughout the second always on the condition that a stable and strong trade wind shows up.
Alessandro Torresani, a Roman born in 1992, is a Mini Transat rookie. With his Pogo 3 he made his mark on the Italian regatta circuit, winning the Archipelago 650 and placing second at the Italian GP.
A top 10 finish would be a coup but it is a difficult result to achieve, otherwise Torresani seems to have the right temperament and the ability to attack that can allow him to have a good race and play it out in the top 20.
Francesco Farci with his Ginto is a bit of a surprise this 2023 among the Minis in Italy. He won the Italian GP, paired with Pietro Mureddu, and the 222 Mini Solo. In the airs the Sardinian proved unbeatable, but in the Ocean it is a different story and he is also a rookie. Seeing it on the attack in the first part of this initial leg would not be a surprise, especially if there is light wind, harder to assume a top 20 race considering even the second leg, where the Pogo 2 will pay in terms of power compared to the new generation boats.
Mini Transat 2023 – The Weather
Postponed departure by 48 hours due to a particularly stormy Bay of Biscay, miners will have the first 24 hours in medium-light wind conditions coming from the south and gradually turning to the west. A rather significant front is moving off Cape Finisterre, which will transit the hypothetical race route in about 48 hours with southwesterly winds of 30 to 40 knots. If the first part of the race actually proves to be rather slow the passage of Finisterre could become particularly challenging, but past the front the wind turns to the northwest and the carrying gaits will begin.
Whoever first emerges unscathed from the passage of the trough, net of assessing its development in 48 hours with respect to the position of the fleet, could cash in on the first lead of the race.
