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A benchmark for the Mini class
In a sailing couple, it's quite rare for a skipper to take over a record from his own wife. This new record, set between Tuesday, October 28 at 08:00 and Wednesday, October 29 at the same time, wipes out the one set by Caroline Boule in July 2024, on the same boat. Benoît Marie, already the winner of the 2013 Mini Transat, once again demonstrates that he excels in the art of sailing a Mini 6.50 to its maximum potential.
Currently sailing some 250 miles north of Cape Verde, he continues to extend his lead over his pursuers. As of Wednesday morning, he was 40 miles ahead of Mathis Bourgnon (Assomast) and 50 miles ahead of Alexandre Demange (DMG Mori Sailing Academy 2).
An optimized boat and a sharp sailor
Benoît Marie's Mini foiler, optimized for long glides in the trade winds, proves its full potential. But this record is also that of an experienced sailor, capable of maintaining high average speeds without breaking, solo, on often unstable seas.
Such a figure is more than just raw data: it testifies to precision piloting, impeccable weather anticipation and total physical commitment. On these ultra-light and powerful machines, maintaining such a speed for 24 hours is as much a matter of sporting performance as of mental endurance.
An impressive historical trajectory
Twenty years ago, a record of 273 miles in 24 hours, set by Thomas Ruyant in 2005, already seemed out of the ordinary. In 2011, it was David Raison, aboard his revolutionary round-bow proto, who pushed the bar back to 284 miles, marking an architectural turning point in the class. In 2020, the first foilers began to seriously shake up the figures, peaking at over 320 miles, like Tanguy Bouroullec on his Pogo Foiler. This trajectory illustrates not only dazzling technological advances, but also the growing commitment of skippers to an ever more radical quest for performance.
