2,600nm Solo Race, Unassisted, Starts 19 July.
On Tuesday I will depart from France and race 1,300 nm solo to the Azores and then back to France, totaling 2600nm. I am the only American registered in this intense offshore race.
The race starts TOMORROW 19 July!
Many last minute expenses have come up and your help is needed!
The Les Sables-Azores-Les Sables (SAS) race starts Tuesday and is a two stage 2,600 nm solo race. Each leg is 1,300 nautical miles (nm) from France to the Azores and back. This is the longest Classe Mini race on the off year from the Mini Transat (which takes place every other year).
I wish I could have written more going into this race, but the past few weeks have proven extremely challenging and busy. Preparing the boat for this race involved making numerous modifications and improvements to the boat since the previous three races this season.
Since arriving in Les Sables-d’Olonne last week, I have focused most of my time on improving the boat’s power supply. Since my fuel cell stopped working and was not fixed in time, I had to explore other options. I ended up buying new lithium batteries and replacing some of the solar panel wiring. This should provide the boat with sufficient power to keep critical systems functioning such as the autopilot, VHF radio, GPS, and wind instruments. Series boats can either have a fuel cell with AGM batteries or lithium batteries, but not both. Despite wanting to focus more on race preparation, this issue of power has been my number one concern.
Luckily I had some help the past few days. Syd Millman (Jane’s dad!) has on joined me this week to help with the preparations. We have knocked off most of the list and Terminal Leave is looking better than ever. We even got to race the boat this week together in the “prologue” (a practice race) just off the beach.
Syd Millman trimming jib in the prologue this week
The SAS race starts Tuesday at 1300 local time here in France. As with any big race, I always feel I have more things to check off the to-do list than time allows and knocking out some of these projects now will set me up for success in this race and the Mini Transat next year.
Stay tuned for the Tracking Link!!
I will send out the tracker info as soon as we receive the link!
Keep an eye out for my most recent interview on the Around the Buoy podcast. It was a great opportunity to share a little more about the mission to raise awareness for U.S. Patriot Sailing and this campaign for the Mini Transat.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support of this mission. The SAS race is one step closer to preparing me for the Mini Transat next year. And as the only American competing in the SAS this year, I am proud to represent U.S. Patriot Sailing and my country.
Please share this blog post and my mission with your friends and family. A huge THANK YOU goes out to my sponsors for their support in my efforts to bring awareness to the U.S. Patriot Sailing Team.
