On 9th December 2017, the winners of this year's Mini Transat were honored and medalled at the Salon Nautique in Paris. Ian Lipinski (Protos) and Erwan Le Craoulec (Series Minis) were the first to reach Le Marin in Martinique after about 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean - and are thus ranked both on the first place in the overall standing.
Favorite Ian Lipinski is repeatedly the winner of a Mini Transat
The Pole Ian Lipinski was the first to cross the finishing line in Martinique after 13 days and 22 minutes on 14th November. Having already won the first leg of the race by a narrow lead, he was able to assert himself again during the second leg across the Atlantic Ocean. Lipinski, who was already a favorite at the beginning of the race and who has already won the Mini Transat 2015 in the Series Minis, is now the first sailor ever to win both, the Protos and the Series Minis in this high seas race.
Second in the Proto classification is the German sailor Jörg Riechers, who has the best ranking ever achieved by a German sailor in the 40 years history of the Mini Transat. The third place was reached by the Swiss man Simon Koster, who had reached the finishing line after 13 days, 22 hours and 56 minutes.
Erwan Le Draoulec is so far the youngest winner of a Mini Transat ever
In the Series Minis, Erwan Le Draoulec and his boat Emile Henry from France arrived in Le Marin first after 14 days, 12 hours and 42 minutes on 16 November. Le Craoulec is thus the youngest person ever who has won this high sea race ever.
Second place in the overall standing of the Series Minis has gone to Frenchwoman Clarisse Crémer, who finished third in the first leg of the race. At the second leg, she was the second to cross the finishing line in Martinique after 14 days, 23 hours and 7 minutes, followed by Benoit Sineau, who arrived Le Marin about two hours after Crémer. The Swiss sailor Valentin Gautier, who had won the first leg of the race in the Series Minis, reached Martinique as seventh and finished the race therefore on fifth place in the overall standing.
The award ceremony for the winners took place at the Salon Nautique in Paris on 9th December 2017.