Micki Liebl has a dream: Cross the Atlantic on the Mini-Transat. To do this, he is now starting his first qualifying competitions - and is now working in a mobile office.
Starnberg - Even Joachim Herrmann couldn't help but wait for Micki Liebl. At the Munich travel and leisure fair "f.re.e", the Bavarian Interior Minister also inspected the skipper's boat from the Munich Yacht Club, with which he plans to sail across the Atlantic to the Caribbean in three years. "He found this an exciting project," said Liebl and spoke of the increased interest of the minister, who is also responsible for sports in Bavaria.
Unanimous tenor of trade fair visitors: "I would never do that"
The project was also very well received by the other visitors to the fair. The Starnberger helmsman had to answer numerous questions about his start at the legendary Mini-Transat, which after its premiere in 1977 now leads every two years from France to the Caribbean or South America. The unanimous tenor of his interlocutors: "I would never do something like this."
It is an adventure with a calculable risk that Liebl plunges into. The regatta runs in two stages. The start is usually in La Rochelle, France, or at the nearby Fort Boyard fortress. The stopover after up to ten days at sea has been in Las Palmas on the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria) since 2017. After a long break, the fleet of one-man boats sets off for the Caribbean. For the second section, depending on the weather, eleven to 20 days are estimated. The goal this year is Le Marin on the island of Martinique. "It's not that dramatic," says Liebl.
Preparation of a good three years begins in March in Barcelona
However, the organizers of the regatta impose a preparation period of a good three years on all participants, in which they have to make certain preliminary work. “Not everyone can just sail a Mini-Transat,” says Liebl. The standard is high for all sailors. A compulsory program for the 55-year-old this year is a 24-hour qualification before Barcelona. After the regatta, which takes place at the end of March, we continue to Genoa, where the second qualifying race will be held in the same format. The last performance test for this year is scheduled for September. Barcelona - Marseille - Barcelona is the third demanding test regatta.
"You can compare it to the Olympic Games," says Micki Liebl about the campaign. All applicants gather the necessary deep sea experience on their way and provide proof that they meet the sporting and logistical requirements that a trip across the Atlantic brings with it.
Base camp in Barcelona: Micki Liebl's mobile office in a van
Liebl has now prepared for the future challenges. He will move to his base camp in Barcelona in March. The self-employed entrepreneur has expanded a delivery van into a mobile office, from which he can also work while on the go. "If I were an employee, it wouldn't work," Liebl explains.
What he is currently missing are sponsors who are enthusiastic about his project. "There is still enough space on the sail and hull," he says. After all, Liebl already has enough suppliers to provide him with the necessary equipment.
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