BACKGROUND

The first Mini Transat took place in 1977 and was the brainchild of Englishman Bob Salmon. The race was conceived to foster the development of relatively affordable solo offshore sailing in response to the trend for ever bigger and consequently more expensive boats used in the increasingly professional trans-ocean races.

Since the early years the race has been staged biannually with the course varying slightly, starting somewhere in Brittany, or along the western coast of France, with a pit stop in the Canary Islands and then on to finish in the West Indies or Brazil.

Over recent years the class has evolved into a breeding ground for professional ocean racers. The 6.5 meter turbo charged rockets with only a few design restrictions such as maximum length, beam, draft and mast height, have evolved into an altogether wilder version of the Open 60s that are used in the solo round the world races. Virtually all of the current Open 60 sailors came through the mini class.

The Mini Transat class is not just about the biannual single-handed transatlantic race. In the first season of the two year cycle (even years), the events are mainly double-handed races, such as the Mini Fastnet, Open Demi-Cle, Triangle du Soleil and Mini Max. In the second season (year of the Transat) the season incorporates a lot more single-handed events, virtually all of which, as with the previous season, start and finish in France and take the sailors around Western Europe.