Press release ·
Finish of La Boulangère Mini Transat 2023: “Racing the Mini is a huge experience”
The celebration was beautiful and moving in the tropical night as Jacques Delcroix finished in 5th place on the 2nd leg of the Mini Transat!
Jacques, a member of the Actual Ultim 3 Team, held his own with his 2009 Mini against much newer boats. Despite a first leg finished more than 9 hours after the leader, he could end this Mini Transat with a 6th place in the overall proto ranking. Jacques, an engineer within the Actual team, thus proves that his position at the forefront of the 2022 and 2023 races was no coincidence, and that his pugnacity knows no bounds.
A painful first leg
He had clearly announced it on the eve of the start of the first leg in Les Sables d'Olonne on September 24th: the desire to perform with humility and joy for his very first solo transatlantic race.
The first leg to La Palma (Canary Islands) was a real ordeal that cost Jacques dearly. He had prepared very well for his race but clearly suffered a lack of luck.
He finished this leg in 5th place in 14d 13h 22m 36s.
His cumulative time over the two legs is 24 days 18 hours 57 minutes.
“Everything went wrong for him in a row. It's complicated in the Mini class; conditions were very unstable, and competitors have no information during the race. He made a succession of choices that weren't easy to make and didn't pay off. He had a huge lack of luck. When he headed back towards the coast along Spanish and Portuguese waters, it was actually the moment to head offshore. From the outside, we know what he's doing isn't what should be done, and it's hard to watch him do it! Obviously on board, without information, it's not easy. Being 10 hours behind the leader at the finish is a really severe penalty given his capabilities. But that's racing.”
Yves Le Blevec
Director of Team Actual
An extraordinary pace in the second leg
Right from the start of the second leg in La Palma on October 28th, Jacques showed how comfortable he was: he kept up the pace with his older-generation boat, staying in the lead pack against competitors with much newer and faster boats. The speed gaps between new-generation boats and his are huge.
He finished this leg in 5th place in 14d 13h 22m 36s.
His cumulative time over the two legs is 24 days 18 hours 57 minutes.
“He managed it extremely well. He got off to a great start, made the right tactical calls, stayed well in the race throughout, and remained super stable in the top six of the fleet.”
Yves Le Blevec
Director of Team Actual
From one adventure to another
Jacques will rejoin Team Actual at the beginning of December in Brittany to prepare the Actual Ultim 3, skippered by Anthony Marchand, setting up the Ultim configuration for the Arkea Ultim Challenge – Brest (a solo, non-stop round-the-world race starting from Brest on January 7, 2024).
The Actual Ultim 3, currently racing in the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie – Le Havre, is expected in Fort-de-France, Martinique, on Wednesday, November 15.
Jacques Delcroix's first words upon arriving at the pontoon
“It's complicated, there are so many emotions mixed up. The welcome is incredible. There were highs, there were lows, difficulties. Today was a horrible day. I snagged a lobster pot before rounding Petite Terre, and then two minutes later I hit another one between Petite Terre and the finish line. It was tough, it just needed to end. I'm pleased with 5th place. If someone had told me that before! I'm the first 'pointed nose' boat, leaving a few scows behind me. I'm super satisfied, I think I did things my way out on the water. I had quite a bit of frustration too, like not being able to step on the gas at times. It was very intense right from the start. When we hit the Trade Winds, it was blowing a steady 20 knots and we had to go for it! A big spinnaker tore 5 days ago, a winch broke... Today was hell: autopilot failure, a Chinese gybe in a squall, a trawling spinnaker... I had a blast! I didn't have time to think about anything other than the sporting side. There were only about 3 quiet days in this leg. After that, it was either windy or squally.”
Jacques Delcroix
Engineer and Skipper of Mini Actual
About Actual group
Today, as the 5th largest player in the labor and employment market in France, Actual group is a French group with a resolutely humanistic vision, working every day to make the right to work accessible to all. Organized around 4 core businesses – temporary work, recruitment, guidance, and training – the group is No. 1 in social inclusion staffing in France. Led by Samuel Tual, a committed entrepreneur, Actual group has developed real expertise in supporting people towards employment across France, as well as in Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland, through employment and skills development solutions. The group also offers a comprehensive range of HR solutions to support companies and find or create the skills they need. Thanks to its 4,000 employees and more than 600 agencies across the territory, Actual group currently supports 33,000 companies and 156,000 job candidates, generating a revenue of €1.5 billion in 2024. Its ambition is to build together the work of women and men, everywhere in France.
Contacts, information and practical links
Michaël Draï
Actual group Press Service
Tel: 06 60 41 86 78
Email: drai@uneidee.com
Guillaume Neron Bancel
Actual group Communications
Email: guillaume.neronbancel@groupeactual.eu