Mini Transat 6.50 also known by a number of alternatives Mini, Class Mini, Transat 650 is a development measurement controlled offshore sailing primarily used for racing in the Mini Transat Race hence the name.

Background

History

The Classe Mini conceiver around the Mini Transat race is run bi-annually and first took place in 1977. The race is a solo

transatlantic Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to: Film * Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950 * Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s * ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film ...

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

race. The class rules focus on this event and encourage development while controlling both costs and design and fitout safety requirements. The size of the boat allows for more experimentation in design without the costs of larger classses.

Class Association

The class association is an owner led organization that administers the rules and co-ordinates a series of single and double handed events for the class. In response to the perceived challenge of sailing small high-performance boats the class has created rigorous trials, equipment, and inspection requirements to add promote safety. The mini Transat class is largely French in its makeup but the class has tried to encourage international entries. File:Trans-at 650 sailboats.jpg, Note the width of the sterns File:Mini transat 6.50 Actual.jpg, Typical cockpit File:Serie6.50.jpg, Pogo File:Mini-Transat 2017 (162).JPG, - File:747TeamWork_bowsprit.jpg, 2011 Mini Transat Winner File:747TeamWork front.jpg, 2011 Mini Transat Winner

Development

Mini Transat Race Design Influence

Due to the downwind nature of the racing across the Atlantic Ocean designs tend to be beamy, being nearly half as wide as it is long. The wide flat

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

is designed to promote planing similar to a surfboard. As a consequence of the wide beam twin rudders are pretty much standard so that one rudder remains in the water when heeled.

Canting Keels

The class led the way with canting keels – due to their small size there is a design requirement for them to be self-righting when

capsize Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fr ...

Scow Hull Form

The constraint of the box rule led to the introduction of the

Scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. S ...

hull form when David Raison's Mini used the hull shape to win 2011 victory, which may in fact, revolutionize open ocean racing if not sailing altogether. This design trend has now influenced the design of both the Class40 and

IMOCA 60 The IMOCA ("Open 60"), is a 60ft development class monohull sailing yacht administered by the International Monohull Open Classes Association, International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA). The class pinnacle event are single-handed sail ...

class.

Foiling

The ''Magnum'' began an even more radical 'semi-flying' scow that uses a host of design tricks, including wings/foils and a telescopic

canting keel A canting keel is a form of sailing ballast, suspended from a rigid canting strut beneath the boat, which can be swung to windward of a boat under sail, in order to counteract the heeling force of the sail. The canting keel must be able to pivot to ...

, a retractable

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word ''bowsprit'' is thought to originate from the Mid ...

and an

Asymmetrical spinnaker An asymmetrical spinnaker is a sail used when sailing downwind. Also known as an "asym", "aspin", or "A-sail" it can be described as a cross between a genoa jib and a spinnaker. It is asymmetric like a genoa, but, the asymmetrical spinnaker is not ...

, has been designed in France. This has led on to the launch of a fully foiling boats with a production foiling mini transat from pogo being launched in 2020.

Division

There are two divisions:

1) Prototype

The prototype division is more liberal with respect to dimensions, such as keel depth and mast height, and it allows for advanced technology such as "canting" keels and carbon-fibre masts. The prototype class is approximately 7% faster.

2) Series (Production)

Production boats use approved designs and comparatively conservative materials.

References

{{Reflist Development sailing classes Keelboats