If you haven’t followed the 2011 Charente-Maritime/Bahia Mini Transat 6.50, we have posted many news about the race and the racers. Simply follow this link to live the race again!

If the main story is the journey of these amazing sailors facing the elements single handed across the oceans, we have found some inside stories, some naratted by the skippers with always a touch of humour. Just follow the links below to read them! (more…)

None of them have shaved in 3 weeks. They are all exhausted and their faces, as they meet the world again, show all signs of relief after a long tiring and stressful journey across the Atlantic. One man, one boat and 45oonm, that is the Mini Transat! Enjoy the photos of the racers as they finish.

The Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 (aka “the Mini Transat) started on September 25th from La Rochelle. The first leg of the race represents about 30% of the race and ends in Madera, off the coast of Portugal. (more…)

As we continued our visit in La Rochelle, we definitely had to stop and say hello to Jean-Marie Oger, skipper of Pogo 2 FRA 774. Jean-Marie is not only one of the best Pogo 2 racer in the world, but he also helped us last year in France as we were getting ready for the US Built Pogo 2 project. JM didn’t do so well on the first leg: his boat hit a large aquatic mammal (maybe a whale), which took off one of his rudder. He had to stop in Portugal to repair. JM still finished the first leg, behind everyone else. It’s not over for the racer from Brittany – with a little more than 1000nm to go, JM is currently 4th place in the Series fleet, only 25 nm behind the first boats! Go luck JM and see you soon!!

Open Sailing was in La Rochelle just before the start of the 2011 Mini Transat and got the chance to talk to a few racers. We met with Emma again (last time was just before her boat was shipped to France) and enjoyed talking to her. She seems very well prepared: after 8 months in France preparing for the race, Emma seems serene and a lot more experienced for 45oo nm solo sailing!

Enjoy this little interview and stay tune for other interview, coming soon on the Open Sailing News section!!

Early July,  we had a little report about the Mini Fasnet. The Mini Fasnet is a 500nm double handed race. Due to strong winds up to Fastnet Rock, the Race Committee sent the racers south to the BAX buoy and back. The first 7 series Mini were all Pogo 2s with the first three boats finishing a minute 20 from each other! Thanks to FRA 472 with Xavier Macaire and Kan Chuck, follow the 3 boats sprinting to the finish. (more…)

The 2011 Mini Transat is coming fast. With a start on September 25th from La Rochelle in France, the 84 single handed racers are getting ready to face the worse! Open Sailing will be in La Rochelle before the start to give you some unique and inside news from the racers! Until then, enjoy this video from the 2009 Mini Transat! Go MINI !!!

46 Open 5.70s competed in this years “Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale” – the largest gathering of sportboats in France. Check out the article in “Voiles et Voiliers” and these great pictures from the event.

The Mini Fastnet is a very well known race in the European Mini Circuit that usually takes the sailors (double handed on the Mini) from Douardenez, France to the Fastnet Rock, in Ireland, and back. The weather is considered the toughest for the mini sailors, and this year, because of gale force wind in the English Channel, the race organizers decided to send the racers to course “B”, that is all the way down to the Gironde Estuary, in the South West of France, and back. The race was about 480 nm with still plenty of breeze.

In a fleet of 75 boats where over 30 boats were racing in the “Serie” class, the Pogo 2 proved, once again, to be the best Production Mini out there. The Top 7 finishers are all Pogo 2 which confirms that the 2003 FINOT design has still many years of racing success still ahead! Peraphs the most impressive is that, the top three arrived within 1 minute and 7 seconds… ! Xavier Macaire (last year’s winner) and Kan Chuh (Vmax) arrived 21 seconds before Benoit Mariette and Grégoire Mouly (Odalys vacances) whom crossed the finishing line 46 seconds before Davy Beaudart and Nicolas Bunoust (Innovea Environnement).

Great racing! To read more about the 2011 Mini Fastnet, please follow this link.

Also, more photos of the race by Ricochets 17 or some practice in the breeze before the race by Gildas Hemon.

This year there were 35 Open 5.70 at the Worlds held in La Rochelle, France. Be sure to check out all the photos and the results.

The 2010 Open 5.70 Worlds are to be held in La Rochelle, France and will be hosted by EVR (Ecole de Voile Rochelaise). Racing takes place from October 30th through November 1st. The NOR (in French) for the race is available online. Last year there were 20 Open 5.70s competing including 3 teams from the US. The number of entries is expected to be much higher this year especially as La Rochelle is considered the home of the Open 5.70 as the French factory, Phileas Boats, is less than 20 miles from the venue.