TZ Ambassador Jonathan Chodkiewiez debrief from the Mini Transat 2017

One year ago we presented TIMEZERO Ambassador, Jonathan Chodkiewiez. He is a seasoned sailor who grew up sailing. In this interview, Jonathan presents the reasons why he chose TIMEZERO for race preparations and days out at sea. He races in the Mini class and he recently completed the Mini Transat in 2017 for the first time!

In that race he came home in a respectable 12th out of 25 participants in 16 days and 16 hours of non-stop racing. The race starts in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands and ends at the port of Le Marin in Martinique.

In yellow, you can see the route taken by Jonathan during Mini Transat (Source : http://www.minitransat.fr/suivi-de-la-course/cartographie)

Offshore racing requires planning to minutest detail from the boat, to the on-board equipment, everything must be planned out in great detail. As for the strategic planning and preparation, Jonathan uses TIMEZERO. The rules of the Mini Transat state that on-board navigation software is prohibited and that’s why all the planning on TZ Navigator must be done before crossing the start line.

In his workshop where his Class 6.50 is receiving a makeover of sorts, Jonathan made a video in which he explains why and how he uses TIMEZERO software from the tools inside, to navigation methods, anecdotes and more. Watch the video to find out why TIMEZERO is so helpful for planning routes in advance:

Since the famous Transatlantic trip, our Mini Class specialist came home with plenty of ideas that he had cooked up during the race. Those ideas have been converted into objectives:

  • Work on the boat to be water ready by July
  • Beat the record for crossing the Mediterranean from Marseille, France to Cartagena, Tunisia on-board a Class 6.50
  • Communication training & operations for French regions: Occitanie, Var and the Alpes-Maritimes
  • Undergo work on the boat and the possible integration of foils
  • Races in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic
  • Participate in the Mini-Transat 2019

And that’s not all, as he plans to try and beat the record from New York, USA to Iizard Point, Cornwall, United Kingdom.

The Mini Class 355 in the construction yard

Follow all the news from our Ambassador Jonathan Chodkiewiez on his Facebook page here or at his website: http://jonathanchodkiewiez.com/

To learn more about TIMEZERO and the different possibilities on offer for racing and recreational use, then check our interviews page for another TZ Ambassador: