October, 8th 1977, Penzance (United Kingdom), 24 21 feet saling boats sail off with only one skipper aboard to Antigua via Tenerife (Canary islands)…
The smallest offshore racing boats were born and so was their favourite race: the Mini Transat. Every odd year, they would meet on their favourite playground: the Atlantic Ocean.
Every year, French sailors are getting more and more numerous.
The organization has thus finally crossed the English Channel. In 1984, Jean-Luc Garnier, journalist passionately fond of these mini racing boats took over Brit Bob Salmon who wished to quit after having organized four editions. Voiles 6,50 an non-profit making association affiliated to the French Sailing Federation has then been created and organized the Mini-Fastnet, an annual race leaving Brittany to the Irish Rock and back. A new birth was given to the Minis.
In 1985, the Mini Transat started and arrived in France, from Brest to Pointe-à-Pître with a stopover in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Counterpart of the Mini-Fastnet in the Mediterranean sea, the Mini Max was created in1986. In 1988 a new race has come to supplement the calendar, the Transgascogne starting from Port Bourgenay. In 1991, Dominic Bourgeois and Loïc Ponceau have created the Challenge Mini so that skippers can meet every year.
In 1994, Voiles 6,50 has been divided in two different structures, separating the Race Organization (Cap Transat) and the sporting management (Classe Mini). The same year, the Italians who were getting more and more numerous, have created their own class, in association with the French Classe Mini that keeps all the responsibility regarding the rules.
In 1998, Cap Transat did not wish to organize anymore the Mini Transat. The Classe Mini has then delegated the organization of its main event to independent organizers answering a bid and committing themselves in respecting the specicification defined by the Classe Mini.
This procedure is now used with all the different organizers.
There has been a little revolution in 2001. The Mini Transat made an infidelity to the Caribbean islands after 12 arrivals, and crossed the equator line for the first time to arrive in Salvador de Bahia (Brazil).
Nowadays, the Classe Mini gathers an average of 300 members, most of them competitors coming from all kind of professions, from the carpenter to the engineer, the nurse to the steward, the journalist to the professional skipper.
The Classe Mini is above all the association of all the persons fond of these wonderful little boats who want to share the great surfs, the budget problems, the days waiting for the wind and all the moments of happiness that the Ocean gives us.
Note: Voiles 6,50 was the original non-profit association created in 1984 and affiliated with the French Sailing Federation (Fédération Française de Voile) that initially organized the Mini-Fastnet race. In 1994, it split into two entities: Cap Transat for race organization and Classe Mini for sporting/class management.
Today, Classe Mini is the active successor organization managing the Mini 6.50 class, while the Mini-Fastnet race is organized by the Winches Club in collaboration with Classe Mini.
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