What is the Mini Transat?
The Mini Transat is a 4050 nautical mile solo race, without assistance, from Les Sables-d'Olonne to Saint-François in Guadeloupe, with a stopover in Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands. This transatlantic race is carried out on the smallest ocean racing boats, which measure 6.50 metres. The Mini Transat is a race organized every odd year. It was created in 1977 by Bob Salmon in order to revive the spirit of adventure: the Atlantic crossing is done without weather routing by satellite and there is no contact with land.
The pleasure of being at sea, especially in a regatta for Sasha
Sasha Lanièce discovered sailing at the age of 14 in Les Glénans. At the age of 18, she passed her monitorat to become a volunteer instructor at Les Glénans. Being very young, it was suggested that she continue sailing to train. She then began her engineering studies. The good news is that there is an association in her school that offers cruises in the Mediterranean. She decided to join and became a skipper for 4 consecutive years, in charge of managing the boat for 2 full weeks. Then it will be 3 years without sailing.
Sasha Lanièce, who holds a doctorate in physics from the École Normale Supérieure de Paris, decided to put her engineering career on hold for a year. "The call of the sea was stronger than anything" sasha confided in us. She decides to spend 6 months at sea on a "stop boat", from September 2018 to February 2019. One hell of an adventure that leads her to sail to the Canary Islands and then between Panama and the Galpagos Islands. After this trip, she decides to settle in Saint-Malo and to pass her YachtMaster Offshore diploma at Le Crouesty.
She follows the World Sailing training, the PSMER, passes her CRR (Certificate of Restricted Radiophony), trains at the Blue Sailing school and obtains her diploma of Yacht Master Offshore in June 2019. She spends all her weekends between April and September 2019 doing local regattas in Saint-Malo in Muscadet and also participates in the 2019 season of the RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club). "I don't have a boat, but I had this desire to discover the regatta. I was lucky enough to meet many people who allowed me to be part of their crew and I developed a real passion for racing."
In September 2019, she decided to leave her career as an engineer and to devote herself to sailing with one goal in mind: to take part in the Mini Transat in 2021.
VIDOC is forcing it to revise its objectives
Determined to take part in the 2021 Mini Transat, Sasha will register at the Lorient offshore racing centre in September 2019. She will be attending training courses to prepare her for ocean racing. (Adrena software / Routing / Weather management / GPS waypoint / Pharmacy / Electricity...) and will be monitored by the sports coach Tanguy Leglatin, a trainer for ocean racing professionals.
At the same time, Sasha is looking for a sponsor. Indeed, a Mini Transat project has a cost: between 80,000 and 250,000 euros depending on the boat (new or second-hand) and the preparation with the registration for the races to be validated beforehand. After a long process of canvassing companies, "the aim being to propose a relevant commercial offer in an authentic approach" she's about to sign a contract with a sponsor in March 2020. She launches a promotional campaign on Ulule enabling her to collect 10,000 euros and thus be able to register for the first races. Then, France found itself confined. « The health crisis stopped everything. Back to square one: without a sponsor, without a boat, it was impossible to qualify for all the races prior to the Mini Transat... I had to accept that I wouldn't be able to take part in the Mini Transat in 2021".
Believe in your dreams and stand up for a cause
Despite this news, Sasha is not giving up on his dream. "I've decided to push back my goal to 2023, which will allow me to prepare in the best possible conditions".
Sasha is determined to take part in this Mini Transat and wants to put his project at the service of a cause that is dear to him: the integration of women into male professional circles. She is therefore taking advantage of the confinement to follow all the online training courses at the Turbale centre and is continuing the search for sponsors. She has joined up with miners who are looking for teammates to train with. In July and August 2020, she takes part in several training sessions, does mini convoying and participates in September 2020 in her first official mini race as a teammate on "La Duo Concarneau".
Sasha Lanièce managed to sign its first sponsorship contract in November 2020, it is also accompanied by several equipment manufacturers and is in the process of signing with its main sponsor who will notably take charge of the purchase of a new Mini in series production: a Maxi 6.50. This Mini with the round bow at the front designed by David Raison is built at the IDB Marine shipyard in Concarneau. Once the boat is built and delivered, she will be able to start the qualifications for the Mini Transat.
The Mini Transat adventure therefore begins well upstream from the start line. It is a long process (project definition, search for sponsors, physical preparation, technical training, training sessions...). Sasha is only at the beginning. But as we often say, it is the path we take to reach our goal that is the most important! We wish him to succeed in validating all the steps to reach this dream.
