the race

The Mini Transat is a single-handed yacht race from La Rochelle France to Salvador Brazil that is sailed in two legs. The race usually takes five weeks including a one-week stop over in the Canary Islands. The race is run on odd years, and I will be campaigning for the 31st edition of the race in 2009.

The Mini Transat was first sailed in 1977 when a British man, Bob Salmon, had the idea to create an extreme trans-Atlantic race that would allow average sailors to participate in the usually elite and expensive world of single-handed sailing.

In most offshore races today sailors have access to the Internet and satellite communications. The Mini Transat is unusual in that skippers can have no outside communication. Skippers get daily weather reports and limited position reports via shortwave radio, but are otherwise forbidden to communicate with the outside world.

Today, the race is limited to 86 competitors by the French authorities, making this the biggest offshore fleet in the world. The fleet has a wide mix of sailors, ranging from amateur adventurers to professional sailors.

The class has become a proving ground for aspiring professional sailors. Many famous sailors such as Ellen Macarthur (www.teamellen.com), Yves Parlier (www.parlier.org), and Alex Thompson (www.alexthomsonracing.com) have moved from the Mini Class to races such as the Around Alone, the Volvo Ocean Race and various other professional campaigns.

our sponsors include...

the race

Sheila Murphy

Roger Healey

Mark Ellemers

Peter Dalton

David Page