Horsfield Finishes 7th in Pornichet Select

Prysmian, scow-shaped Mini 650 that finished second in the Proto class in the 2013 Pornichet Select Race. Photo by Bruno Bouvry.

My sometime skipper and Seattle sailor Craig Horsfield just put in an amazing performance in the 300-mile Pornichet Select Race sailed from Pornichet, France. He finished 7th of 48 competitors in the Series class. The French dominate this end of the sport and are sailing in home waters. As if racing singlehanded amongst islands, commercial traffic, fishing nets and about 70 other competitors wasn’t enough, Craig did it without a working autopilot much of the time. It’s a big moment for Craig, who bought into a partnership on a Pogo II last year. The boat has been named Naked Resorts in honor of a new sponsor. We’ll be hearing more from Craig in the months to come as the Mini Transat race approaches. The winner in the Series (production boat) class was Justine Mettraux. The winner in the Proto (one-off) class was Gwénolé Gahinet, and second in the Proto class was the famed scow-bowed boat (sail number 747) Prysmian, skippered by Giancarlo Pedote. Details on the Select here. Craig’s web site is here.