Reality Sailing

The Mini Transat 650

The mini 650 is a 6.5 meter (21 ft) high performance singlehanded offshore racing sailboat. The boats are designed within a box rule much like their bigger and better known brothers open 50’s and open 60’s. The boats are split into prototype and series classes. Prototypes allow all carbon construction, canting keels and water ballast. The series boats are approved fiberglass designs with aluminum spars and fixed keels. There are currently over 600 registered minis throughout the world with the vast majority located in Europe.

	Being designed within a box rule means that the boat must fit within a given set of maximum dimensions for length, beam, draft and rig height. The boats also must comply with a variety of safety and stability requirements to be allowed to race within the mini class. All the boats, although different in many ways, race against each other within their respective prototype or series divisions with no handicap. This type of sailboat racing is very different than typical one design or handicapped racing. The design, setup and preparation of the boat is as important as the actual sailing and for a skipper to be truly competitive he must be involved in all stages. The mini has been a testing ground for new concepts in high performance sailboats throughout the class’s history. Canting keels, water ballast systems, asymmetrical and gibing daggerboards and the wide flat surfing hullforms that are now common in large offshore racing boats all developed first in the mini class. Minis are constantly pushing and breaking the limits of what is controllable and safe leading to boats that are now capable of speeds over 20 kts.