The Project
Anaëlle Pattusch is currently preparing for the Mini Transat solo offshore race and will set off in September 2023 from Les Sables-d’Olonne, aged 20. She will be among the youngest “Ministes” and the youngest Swiss woman of all time to cross the Atlantic single-handedly and without assistance on the smallest of offshore racing boats, a Pogo 3 measuring 21 feet.
Big names from the world of offshore racing such as Loïck Peyron, Michel Desjoyeaux and brothers Laurent et Yvan Bourgnon, earned their spurs in this event. Sailing is one of the rare sports in which men and women compete together, on an equal footing, in the same events, without separate categories. However, women still only represent ten per cent of those taking part in offshore racing. Fellow Swiss woman, Justine Mettraux, has nonetheless managed to carve out a place for herself in this world and is currently preparing for the Vendée Globe 2024.
The Mini Transat, created in 1977 by British sailor Bob Salmon, is a solo race of 4,050 nautical miles (7,500km) that is played out on the smallest of offshore racing boats in the Mini category (21 feet in length). It takes place every two years. This race and, above all, the preparation that goes into it, is one of the toughest events on the offshore racing circuit and puts sailors severely to the test as they must cross the Atlantic with no onboard assistance or means of communication with land (no weather routing by satellite, computers or phones). Every Mini is equipped with a satellite tracker and a distress call transmitter, if all else fails. To ensure their safety on the high seas, sailing boats referred to as “accompanying boats” follow the fleet throughout the journey. 1 accompanying boat is required for every 12 Mini vessels.
The 84 Ministes selected will set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne headed for Saint-François in Guadeloupe with a stopover in the Canary Islands. The route of the race is very tactical. Not only does it require strategy but there are also a significant number of challenges to overcome. The first section between the start and Portugal can prove to be quite invigorating due to the headwinds and the possibility of gales. And crossing the Bay of Biscay is never without its difficulties. The potential to run into killer whales is another factor not to be underestimated, as was the case for several skippers in the 2021 Mini Transat. The second leg, with its 2,700 nautical miles taking about two weeks to finish, will largely be played out in the trade winds until the finish line.
The Boat
Anaëlle Pattusch will cross the Atlantic on a Pogo 3 – a 21-foot offshore racing boat designed by naval architect, Guillaume Verdier and built in Brittany’s Pogo Structures shipyard. This boat is one of the best in the Mini Class, a production boat that has proved its worth in offshore races and particularly in the Mini Transat. Anaëlle took possession of her boat on 14 February 2022 at which point she began preparing to obtain her qualifications in 2022 in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, after which she will begin work on her performance in 2023 in the Lorient Grand Large training centre.
Preparation
Two years of intense preparation are necessary in the Lorient Grand Large centre of excellence for offshore racing, based in the heart of Lorient’s Sailing Valley. This school accompanies skippers of varying categories in their offshore racing projects, from training through to mental preparation, on-the-water courses, etc.
