The only thing "mini" is the boat.
Single-handed. Trans-Atlantic. 6.5 meters. (That's just a hair over 21 feet of boat, for you non-metric users out there.) The only thing "mini" about this race is the boat. For the racers who cross the Atlantic alone on a boat this size, their courage and self-reliance is probably better described as "ginormous."
The 2009 Mini Transat ended recently in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The race started from La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast of France on September 13, and ending in Brazil on October 22, after a brief stop at Funchal on the island of Madeira in Portugal. This year's prototype-class winner Thomas Ruyant of France completed the 4,200-mile voyage in a total of 24 days, 23 hours, and 38 minutes over the two legs. This achievement represented the culmination of 2 years' work by the 28-year-old Ruyant.
Race History
The Open 650 (or Mini) is the smallest Open-class yacht. It has been described as "the most dingy-like yacht or yacht-like dingy," but in either case, why would anyone try to cross the Atlantic, alone, in a boat this size?
It all started in the 1970's, when Briton Bob Salmon began to realize that transoceanic yacht racing was starting to be a sport where only ever-larger, more expensive boats could have a chance to win. Although Salmon was by no means against sponsorship per se, he wanted to make sure that beginners could break in and learn the sport on a relatively small budget. His answer? Hold a trans-Atlantic race open only to small boats. Thus was born the 6.5-meter class.
In the fall of 1977, the first Mini Transat was held, and Salmon was among the competitors sailing from Penzance, U.K. to English Harbor, Antigua, in the West Indies. This route was chosen to take advantage of the trade winds; the time of year chosen to follow, and thus avoid, the worst of the hurricane season in the tropical Atlantic.
Since then, stronger interest in the class has gradually shifted from the U.K. to France, which is where the race is currently headquartered. There are now two classes within the class, the Series class and the Prototype (or "proto") class. The protos are about 5% - 10% faster than the series boats, or roughly 2 - 3 days faster over the course of the Mini Transat.
2009 Mini Transat
The 2009 Mini Transat (official name: "Transat 650 La Charente-Maritime - Bahia") saw over 80 competitors from 14 different countries, all willing to spend a month alone aboard a tiny yacht, traveling some 4200 miles from start to finish.
Race rules require single-handing aboard a boat no longer than 6.5 meters. The rules also prohibit long-distance communication, such as satellite phones, and on-board computers. This means competitors must chart their progress the old-fashioned way, using paper charts and GPS, and have no clear idea of where they stand in relation to competitors until they get to port. All they really know is where they are, and where they need to go.
Because they are using such small boats, living space is tight once competitors have stowed their food and water for the journey. Stores must be shifted as they are consumed so as to maintain a good balance to the boat. And sleep is at a premium. Even with a good autopilot, a small boat feels the waves more, making it hard to sleep well during the Mini Transat. Combined with the ever-present noise and dampness, competing in the Mini Transat has been described as "living in a washing machine!"
The Mini Transat has truly achieved founder Bob Salmon's goal of creating a race for new up-and-comers to prove themselves. A long list of accomplished ocean racers, single-handers, and round-the-world racers have made their first mark in the Mini Transat, among them Ellen MacArther and Michel Desjoyeux.
The Mini Transat has now become the event in which a racer can prove that he or she is ready to step up to the next level in ocean racing. 2009 winner Thomas Ruyant of France has just done so.
