Mini Transat Race

Mini Transat is a solo transatlantic yacht race which typically starts in France and ends in the Caribbean.[1] The race uses small 6.5 metres (21 ft) long yachts conforming to the Mini Transat 6.50 class rules which gives considering scope for development[2] More recently this has led to the formation of two divisions within the class: the production class that limits development and costs, and the prototype class which allows for more flexibility in dimensions and technology.

Mini Transat Race
First held1977
Typesingle-handed offshore race
ClassesMini Transat 6.50
StartDouarnenez
FinishPointe-à-Pitre
Length4,020 nautical miles (7,450 km; 4,630 mi)
Competitors72 (2015)
ChampionsFrancois Jambou (proto)
Ambrogio Beccaria (série)
Websiteminitransat.fr/en/
Mini transat 2007

Background

History

Bob Salmon developed the idea of a mini-transatlantic race in the late 1970s in England with the intent of promoting affordable offshore solo racing. It was partially conceived as a response to the trend for bigger and more expensive boats such as sailed in the OSTAR race that seemed to exclude ocean racing for sailors with moderate budgets.

The first Mini Transat started from the Penzance Sailing Club in 1977 and races have since been run biannually in odd-numbered years. There was a move to Brest, France in 1985, and since then, it has started at various locations in France, such as Brittany, La Rochelle or Charente-Maritime, with a stop in the Canary Islands or Madeira, ending in the West Indies or Brazil.

The Miniclasse 6.50 closely monitors the craft but applies minimal design restrictions, such as length (6.5m), beam (3.0m), draft (approximately 2.0m)[3]

The race runs in odd-numbered years, and was most recently completed in 2019. Sailors had to qualify by covering one of two specified 1,000 mile courses along with having 1,500 miles of ocean racing experience, much of it solo.

Two Mini 6.50 sailboats along the Spanish Mediterranean. Note the width of the sterns that allows minis to reach high speeds by planing.

Race culture

There are no prizes and the Mini Transat is not necessarily considered a race for the win. Sailors are competitive yet mutually supportive during training and preparations, they tend to be closely grouped during the race, and a race completion is seen as a personal or national victory that comes with intangible rewards. Non-completion means, at very least, loss of the mini. The race is considered dangerous and there was a drowning during the first leg of the 2009 race. Racers typically sleep only 20 minutes at a time and rely on computerized autopilot systems to keep the craft on course while they sleep. The class is considered an incubator for professional ocean racing as a proving ground for sailing skills, as well as a test platform for larger ocean classes such as the Open 60.

Other than the single-handed transatlantic crossing, there are a number of other races held for the class. In-between years see double-handed events, such as the Mini Fastnet, Mini Barcelona, Select 650 and Open Demi-Cle. The Transat years incorporate more single-handed events.

Equipment

Mini Transat 6.50

Classe Mini Logo, Mini Transat 6.50, unofficial logo

For its intended use, racing across the Atlantic Ocean, the Mini 6.50 is very short and beamy, being nearly half as wide as it is long. Its width carries to the stern, providing sufficient stability that the boats can plane as a fast motorboat does: Minis are capable of sailing as fast as 25 knots. They typically have two connected rudders and a narrow steel or iron fin keel with a lead bulb at the end, with a mast height typically twice the Mini's length. They also have a retractable bowsprit that extends a spinnaker-genoa "kite" two or more meters beyond the bow. Minis must be self-righting when capsized, and this is tested by pushing the end of the mast under water with the vessel's hatches open; this design avoids the possibility of turtling.

There are two divisions: production and prototype. Production boats use approved designs and comparatively conservative materials.[3] The prototype division is more liberal with respect to dimensions, such as keel depth and mast height, and it allows for advanced technology such as "canting" keels and carbon-fibre masts. The prototype class is approximately 7% faster. By far, the most successful mini design is the commercially produced Pogo 2 designed by Jean-Marie Finot of Groupe Finot (now Finot-Conq) in 1995.

Criticism

View to cockpit from stern

In response to the perceived challenge of sailing small high-performance single handed boats, Classemini has created rigorous trials, equipment, and inspection requirements to add sanity to the race. Also, it might be said that the division within the class, production vs. prototype, unnecessarily divides the race. The mini Transat remains a largely French race with only about 30% non-French racers.

The 650 class is admitted to be a "test bed" for mechanisms to be used on bigger and far more expensive open classes. On the other hand, David Raison's Mini introduces a whole new hull shape with its 2011 victory, which may, in fact, revolutionize open ocean racing if not sailing altogether;[4][upper-alpha 1] and the 2011 race suffered no casualties.

Course

Route Maps
YearWinning TimeCourseDistanceRef
197738d 11h 10m Penzance / Tenerife / Antigua
197932d 08h 10m Penzance / Tenerife / Antigua
198132d 20h 22m Penzance / Tenerife / Antigua
198331d 14h 45m Penzance / Tenerife / Antigua
198531d 14h 45m Brest / Tenerife / Pointe-à-Pitre
198730d 06h 41m Concarneau / Tenerife / Fort-de-France
198928d 07h 33mConcarneau / Tenerife / Fort-de-France
199129d 04h 37mDouarnenez / Tenerife / Fort-de-France
1993 Brest / Funchal (Madère) / Saint-Martin (Antilles)
199527 j 07 h 21 min Brest / Funchal (Madère) / Fort-de-France
199738d 11h Brest / Tenerife / Saint-Martin (Antilles)
199924d 15h Concarneau / Puerto Calero (îles Canaries) / Rivière Sens (Guadeloupe)
200130d 00h 23mFort Boyard-Puerto Calero-Salvador de Bahia
200329d 13h 25mFort Boyard-Puerto Calero-Salvador de Bahia
200524d 21h 36mFort Boyard-Puerto Calero-Salvador de Bahia
200723d 03h 51mFort Boyard-Funchal-Salvador de Bahia
200924d 23h 40mFort Boyard-Funchal-Salvador de Bahia
201126d 03h 28mFort Boyard-Funchal-Salvador de Bahia
201318d 13h 01m(Douarnenez)-Sada Pointe-à-Pitre
201519d 23h 19mDouarnenez-Lanzarote-Pointe-à-Pitre
201720d 20h 31m 57sLa Rochelle-Las Palmas-Le Marin
via Cap-Vert
201921d 21h 50m 55sLa Rochelle-Las Palmas de Gran Canaria-Le Marin

Winners and equipment

Winners and Equipment Used (Overall References [6][7])
YearCategorySkipperBoat NameBoat DesignBoat DesignerTotal TimeRef
1977 Overall  Daniel Gilard (FRA) "Petit dauphin" (Production) 38d 11h 10m
1979 Overall  Norton Smith (USA) "American Express" (Proto) 32d 08h 10m [8]
1981 Overall Jacques Peignon "Iles du Ponant" Berret (Proto) 32d 20h 22m
1983 Overall Stéphane Poughon "Voiles Cudennec" proto Lucas 31d 14h 45m
1985 Overall  Yves Parlier (FRA) "Aquitaine" proto Berret 31d 14h 45m
1987 Overall Gilles Chiorri "Exa" proto Berret 30d 06h 41m
1989 Overall Philippe Vicariot "Thom Pouss" Jean-Marie Finot (Proto) 28d 07h 33m
1991 Overall Damien Grimont "GTM Entrepose" Jean-Marie Finot (Proto) 29d 04h 37m
1993Overall  Thierry Dubois (FRA)"Amnesty International" Rolland (Proto)
1995Overall Yvan Bourgnon"Omapi-St Brévin" Jean-Marie Finot (Proto) 27d 07h 21m
1997Overall Sébastien Magnen"Karen Liquid" proto Magnen 38d 11h
1999 Overall Sébastien Magnen"Team Jeanneau-Voile Magazine" Sébastien Magnen (Proto) 24d 15h
2001 Proto Yannick Bestaven (FRA)Aquarelle.comMagnen-Nivelt30d 00h 23m
SeriesOlivier DesportMy WorkplacePogo-1
2003 Proto Armel Tripon (FRA)Moulin RotyFinot-Conq29d 13h 25m
SeriesErwan TymenNavy LestPogo-2
2005 ProtoCorentin DouguetE. Leclerc-Bouygues TelecomManuard24d 21h 36m
SeriesPeter LaureyssensWellmentsPogo-2
2007 Proto Yves Le Blevec (FRA)ActualLombard23d 03h 51m
Series Hervé Piveteau (FRA)Jules-CartoffsetPogo-2
2009 Proto Thomas Ruyant (FRA)Faber FranceFinot-Conq24d 23h 40m
SeriesFrancisco LobatoRoff TMNPogo-2
2011 ProtoDavid RaisonTeamwork EvolutionRaison26d 03h 28m[9]
SeriesGwénolé GahinetVoiles OcéanPogo-2
2013 ProtoBenoît Mariebenoitmarie.comAMCOGroup Finot18d 13h 01m[10]
SeriesAymeric BelloirTout Le Monde Chante Contre Le CancerNacira21d 09h 12m[10]
2015 Proto Frédéric Denis (FRA)NautiparkLombard19d 23h 19m[11]
Series Ian Lipinski (FRA)Entreprise(s) Innovante(s)Ofcet 6.50Bertrand22d 09h 36m[12]
2017 Proto Ian Lipinski (FRA)Griffon.frRaison 201422d 23h 52m 46s[13][12]
Series Erwan Le Draoulec (FRA)Émile HenryPogo-324d 19h 06m 30 s[14]
2019 Proto François Jambou (FRA)Team BFR Marée Haute JauneRaison 201420d 20h 31m 57s
Series Ambrogio Beccaria (ITA)GéomagPogo-321d 21h 50m 55s

References

Notes

  1. The Magnum begat an even more radical 'semi-flying' scow that uses a host of design tricks, including wings/foils and a telescopic canting keel, a retractable bowsprit and an Asymmetrical spinnaker, has been designed in France.[5]

Citations

  1. "Historique | Mini-Transat La Boulangère". www.minitransat.fr. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  2. "Miniclasse 6.5 organization".
  3. "Class Rules".
  4. Raison, David (November 18, 2010). "Vidéo à la Hune" (Video) (in French). Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  5. Boyd, James (September 19, 2015). "The semi-flying Mini scow". The Daily Sail. France. Retrieved March 5, 2016. We look at Simon Koster's new weapon, penned by Michel Desjoyeaux's design firm Mer Forte
  6. "Excel Spreadsheet of Competitors". Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  7. "All Races".
  8. https://www.afep-marine.com/pdf/Mini_Transat_3.pdf
  9. "David Raison remporte la Transat 6,50 sur TeamWork Evolution".
  10. https://www.ffvoile.fr/ffv/sportif/ClmtCompetDet.asp?clid=96713
  11. Patricia Jolly (2015-11-13). "Mini-transat : Frédéric Denis remporte la deuxième étape et s'impose au classement « prototypes". Le Monde. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  12. "Mini Transat: Path to Glory >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News". 13 November 2017.
  13. Ian Lipinski signe un doublé inédit sur la Mini-Transat site equipe.fr
  14. Philippe Eliès (2017-11-16). "Mini-Transat. Erwan Le Draoulec : "Je me suis vraiment fait mal !"". Le Télégramme. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
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