A mini adventure gets underway
A fleet of 90 mini transatlantic racers set off from Les Sables D’Olonne on 25 September bound for the Canary Islands, the first leg of this epic transatlantic race.
The solo racers were forced to endure a 24-hour postponement after bad weather was forecast off Finisterre before barrelling out into the Atlantic in these tiny racing machines.
The event, founded in 1977 by UK sailor Bob Salmon, is viewed as one of the ultimate tests of seamanship and is rightly seen as the breeding ground for future stars of the sport. It is undertaken with no weather routeing permitted.
As usual, the crossing takes place in two stages, starting in Les Sables d’Olonne, stopping over in Santa Cruz de La Palma in the Canary Islands, then an arriving in Saint-François in Guadeloupe.
As we went to press, the first boats were arriving in La Palma and by the time this magazine hits the book shelves, leg 2, will have just started (28 October). You can follow the race at minitransat.fr.
SailGP to supercharge women’s sailing pathway
In a year that has seen explosive growth in the interest and investment of women’s sport, the Women’s Sports Group (WSG) is joining forces with SailGP, the world’s most exciting racing on water, to supercharge its game-changing Women’s Pathway.
The Women’s Pathway wants to push for greater gender equity within sailing and was pioneered in 2021 as part
