Mini 6.50 – Coming To America

It was in 2003 when American Jonathan McKee’s Team McLube introduced many in North America to the Mini 6.5, the 21-foot boat that has helped launch the careers of many of today’s top solo and offshore sailors. McKee was on the verge of doing the unheard – to win the Mini Transat as a rookie. This 4240-mile singlehanded race starts in La Rochelle, France, stopping in the Canary Islands and finishing in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. With a 100-mile lead, Mckee broke his mast just 500 miles from the finish.

Fast forward to 2007, and with the Mini Transat to start in September (it is held every four years), there is now an organized group in the US planning to blast into the racing scene. On 9 June 2007 the Newport Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Goat Island Yacht Club, will fire a gun to mark the start of the Bermuda 1-2 Yacht Race. Over 35 yachts will cross the line to begin the single-handed portion of the 635 nautical mile Leg 1 to St. Georges, Bermuda, and it’s to be recognized as the first time these radical Mini 6.50’s will come head to head in North America. With 8 Minis expected to participate, the US class (the governing body of the Mini 6.50 in the United States) and its members will use this long-awaited platform to showcase an established international trend toward offshore adventure sailing for the first time in the USA.

After 4 to 6 days navigating complex spring weather patterns, dodging ships and fishing vessels in busy shipping lanes at night, and battling the ever changing Gulf Stream, the solo sailors will cross the finish line to be welcomed by the St. Georges Dingy Club. After a few days of rest and repair, the yachts, this time with a crew of two, will set out for Leg 2, racing back to Newport on 22 June 2007. As for the Mini Transat, which is an exceedingly hard event to qualify for, and one where an entry limit far exceeds the numbers interested, there will be two Americans competing -Clay Burkhalter and Andy Abel.

US class website: www.miniclassus.com