The Magenta Project click
Born in 1992, Anne Mouget has the classic background of an amateur yachtswoman. Born in Nancy, she spent her vacations in Brittany, where she sailed with her family. Then came her studies, which she completed in Rennes. Closer to the sea, she took the opportunity to sail more regularly and began double-handed racing in a skiff. Although she was tempted by the idea of racing further offshore, there were still some psychological obstacles to overcome. She tells us how 3 days in Lorient opened up her horizons: "The Magenta Project, which promotes gender diversity in sailing, was organizing a 3-day event in Lorient, aimed more at women who already had plans, but I applied and they accepted me. There were 50 of us taking part. We sailed in a Figaro 3 and had various speakers like Karine Fauconnier. And I realized that there's nothing impossible about the Mini."
An opportunity with Wevo 6.5
The young woman began by taking shares in a Mistral 7.50 condominium, which gave her her first bearings, she explains: "It's a plywood boat inspired by the Mistral 6.50, a Mini. The owner had equipped her well, with a horn mainsail, a steerable bowsprit... It was a good start. In 2022, I did 3 double-handed races in a Mini, but going solo and finding a budget isn't easy."
Italian boatbuilder Cima Boats, a recent arrival on the circuit with its Wevo 6.5 model, is helping him take the plunge. They were looking for a skipper to promote their boat on the Mini circuit, by taking part in A-class ocean races. Anne Mouget applied and was selected: "My boat is the 9th in the model, but the majority are in Italy. Not all of them race and none of them have done an A Class race, which prevents the boat from moving up to the Series. So my first goal is Les Sables -les Açores - les Sables 2024, then the Mini Transat 2025."
From dinghy to Mini
After helping to finish the boat at the Cima Boats shipyard, Anne took part in 3 races in the Mediterranean, including her first solo race. An enriching experience," she explains: "The transition from dinghy to Mini is going well. When sailing, the feel of the helm and the sensations are similar. The experience for the relaunch is rather positive, and the Ministes who arrive from the liveaboard sometimes go through the dinghy to train. What's new is sailing and managing energy and sleep. For my first solo race, the weather was fine, but there were a lot of sail changes. We had to trust the autopilot, which isn't easy. During the 1st nap, I fell asleep on the remote control, which resulted in an alarm and a luff start under spinnaker! I was able to see the limits and maneuvers to work on, with the impression that I've reached my current limits, even if tomorrow I'll already be doing things differently."
Work and discover the boat
From now on, Anne will be concentrating on making progress and hopes to join a centre in Lorient or Concarneau in the autumn, once she has qualified. With a boat that's still confidential, teamwork is essential," the skipper concludes: "The boat is a semi-scow, a good intermediate between the Pogo 3 and the Maxi. But it's a small series that lacks joint training to find the right settings. In addition to the shipyard, I have three technical partners, Amare, Solbian and Dériveur Service. So one of the next points is also to find sponsors to work on the project."
