Ian Lipinski wins the Mini Transat La Boulangère 2017 on Griffon.fr in the proto category. He crossed the finish line of the second leg of this single-handed, unassisted and uncommunicated Atlantic crossing in the lead today at 14:30 after 13 days 22 minutes 34 seconds of sailing and a perfect trajectory. He had already won the first stage of the Mini-Transat between La Rochelle and Las Palmas, just 113 seconds ahead of Arthur Leopold - Léger.
The favourite of the circuit and unbeaten for the past two years thus becomes the first sailor to win the Mini Transat in series production and prototype sailing, all consecutively.
"I'm very, very happy. It may not be my greatest victory (Ian is thinking about his victory in 2015 in the Mini Transat and in the series) but it's beautiful. It all started two years ago when I bought the boat with François Mounier, my friend and partner. Griffon.fr is an exceptional boat. Everything went really well for two years as I won all the races I took part in (17 victories). I experienced this Mini with a little devil telling me to push on my machine and an angel telling me to do well, because quite quickly and unfortunately some of my competitors had technical problems. I was up front and I had to manage my equipment.
After Cape Verde, the sea was rough. It was enough to break the boat. I was really careful and at the same time I was squeezing my buttocks. I spent a lot of time looking at my keel. And then the first night I caught a big fisherman's net in my keel. The boat stopped and I ripped out my medium spinnaker. I managed to get out of that net. Then I fixed my spinnaker for three hours!
This Mini was very different than in 2015 already because I was in proto but also because the route was longer. I spent my time again between the pleasure of speed balanced by the preservation of the material. I'd like to thank Griffon.fr, my main partner and all my financial supporters, my family, my friends... I'm very keen now to turn my attention to the Transat AG2R La Mondiale en Figaro. I'm looking for a boarding place, notice to the amateurs."
