2023 Mini Transat: What You Need to Know
The 4,050 nm unassisted solo race in a 21’ sailboat across the Atlantic Ocean starts on 24 September
The 24th edition of the Mini Transat will consist of 90 skippers from 17 different countries and I am the only American competing in this year’s race. This official list is finalized with 59 series boats and 31 protos all crossing the starting line at the same time. See the full registration list here.
I am racing in the Mini Transat as an ambassador for U.S. Patriot Sailing to raise awareness for this incredible non-profit team.
U.S. Patriot Sailing supports the veteran community navigate the hardships of transition to civilian life, rehabilitation after injury, and the complex life challenges associated with combat deployments. The organization accomplishes its mission by welcoming veterans back onto a winning team, provides camaraderie, a sense of mission accomplishment, and new dynamic experiences
Photo from the 2021 Mini Transat start
Race Overview
The Mini Transat is a 4,050 nautical mile solo ocean race on 21’ sailboats (Classe Mini 6.50) across the Atlantic Ocean. Starting from Les Sables d’Olonne, the first leg is 1,350 nm to Santa Cruz de La Plama. This is the westernmost island of the Canary archipelago off the west coast of Africa. With an estimated duration of a little over a week, this first leg is known for strong winds and challenging weather conditions.
The second leg is 2,700 nm long across the Atlantic to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Sailing through the trade winds, this leg should take about two and a half weeks to finish. These boats are designed for the downwind and reaching conditions; the Mini Transat is the pinnacle race for this fleet.
Key Dates
12 Sept: Race village opens / boats arrive
20 Sept: Parade of Minis in the bay (“prologue”)
23 Sept: Boat christening ceremony at 11 am
24 Sept: Start of Leg 1 (France - Santa Cruz de La Palma)
28 Oct: Start of Leg 2 (Sant Cruz de La Palma - Guadeloupe)
Leading up to the start in Les Sables d’Olonne, there is a large race village set up by the race organization and an incredible send off for the fleet. Everyone is invited to come check out the festivities and see the boats before the race! If you are interested in coming to France to cheer me on at the start, please email Jane (jane@pgnoceanracing.com) to coordinate dates, travel and logistics.
Docks full of spectators leading up to the 2021 race
All Minis depart from the famous Vendée Globe pontoon
After 8,000 nautical miles of racing and training on Terminal Leave I am ready for the Mini Transat
This year the Mini Transat was open to 90 boats, an increase from previous years. The registration process for boats qualifying was intense due to the continued growth of this fleet. With over 150 sailors signing up, each series boat that earned a spot completed at least double the minimum number of qualifying race miles required going into the 2023 season. The number of race miles in Classe Mini events are the greatest determining factor for registration. Fortunately, after racing the past three years in France, I secured my entry at the end of my second season. Certainly it has not been an easy journey. However, I believe it is all working out for many reasons and I feel way more confident in the boat and myself going into the big race. I am proud to represent U.S. Patriot Sailing out on the ocean and continue to raise awareness for this great organization.
Peter racing on Terminal Leave in France (Photo: Manon Le Guen)
The Mini Transat prohibits the use of any satellite communications, laptops, phones, or chart plotters. What does that all mean for the skippers? We have a basic GPS (with no chart display capability) that provides us with a Lat/long for positioning. We then apply that position information to paper charts. Since we cannot receive weather updates by downloading GRIB files onto a computer, the race organization provides an audio forecast once a day over the Single Side Band (SSB) radio. While we do not have the large SSB radio transmitters, we do carry the small radio receiver. This allows us to get forecasts even while in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! Below are the different zones that the race organization uses to describe the forecast by using the center point of each box. They also provide the approximate Lat/Long of the high and lower pressure systems with their fronts. We take all of this data and apply it too our charts to update our route planning.
Weather forecasts are provided by the race organization once a day over SSB radio using these zones
While the skippers are restricted from satellite communications, we will have a GPS tracker onboard for you all to follow along, we just cannot see that information (the link will be provided once available). We can only see the boats within about ten nautical miles through AIS since we all have transponders and receivers. We also carry EPRIBs, which are satellite emergency beacons for if in distress, in addition to a significant amount of required safety equipment. All of this equipment is thoroughly inspected by the race organization before the start.
Check out the podcast!
Hear all about racing in the Classe Mini 6.50 fleet and my journey to racing in the Mini Transat. I will record new episodes throughout the race and upload the recordings after each leg. Hit the follow or subscribe button wherever you listen!
We made SAIL Magazine!
Read the full article I wrote for SAIL Magazine: https://www.pgnoceanracing.com/blog/we-made-sail-magazine
Are you following PGN Ocean Racing on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Yet?
We still need your help!
A Mini Transat campaign is not cheap. Everyday we make financial decisions balancing costs, performance, and safety leading up to the start. If you are able to help, please consider donating through U.S. Patriot Sailing for a tax-deductible donation or through our GoFundMe page.
We have some awesome sponsors supporting this mission, mostly through providing some of the equipment required to race, but there are a lot of operational and logistics costs we still need your help with from the qualification process and going forward throughout the race. Thank you!
