Irina Gracheva and Fedor Druzhinin have successfully completed the first qualifying race in preparation for the prestigious Mini Transat 2019 solo regatta.
The Russians took part in the single 300-mile Pornichet Select race, which was held from 18 to 23 April in France.
Irina Gracheva and Fedor Druzhinin competed in different divisions: Irina in the division of serial «mini» on the boat Cachaca, Fedor in the division of prototypes on the boat Kids 4 Freedom. Both yachts are built to Sam Manuard's design, Cachaca in 2005 and Kids 4 Freedom (former Follow me) in 2009.
Irina Gracheva is ranked 24th out of 61 in the series fleet:
«I think that's not bad for a start, for my first solo race in my life, for my boat, which hasn't been new for a long time. I'll keep trying to grow!»
Fedor Druzhinin came 11th in his division, but lost two positions due to penalty for missteps in completing the boat log and ended up in 13th place:
«I'm very upset and unhappy with the way the race went, but there's nothing to do: experience is gained among other things through your mistakes».
«Both Russian competitors admit that they made a lot of» mistakes, but learned a lesson from their first qualification.
«I learned the golden rule of the 4 R's, which I now repeat as a mantra every time I face a difficult situation, - writes Irina Gracheva. - There are 4 most important things you must always keep in your head, and it is in this sequence: Routage - check your position and route; Réglage - check tuning of the sails, Rangement - set the cockpit, be ready for the next maneuver; Reposer - as you did the previous three, immediately go to the rest».
Druzhinin and Gracheva are planning to take part in 500-mile solo race Mini en Mai on May 19-26. You can follow the progress of Russian athletes on their Facebook pages: Feodor Druzhinin's page, Irina Gracheva's page.
