A friend mentioned to me about little 21ft boats racing solo across the Atlantic back in 2002. At that time it was a saner idea than taking a 55ft round the world on my own, relatively speaking, having not sailed on my own before. I looked up what the Mini Transat was online and spent a bit of time reading about what they were. Had the opportunity to race in the Aegean Regatta just before the Mini Transat in 2003, so I bought myself a cheap flight to see for myself what the Minis were all about. It was an incredible sight when I first saw the entire fleet all similarly different and the buzz in the race village. I went down to the pontoons everyday to see if I can lend a spare hand and get to know what the boats are like and what the differences were and I was “Miss 20-questions". I thank all of those that were so patient with me. By the time the fleet left I was sold, I told myself I wanted to be on the start line in 2005 with a Mini.
Looking back I cannot ask for anymore than having made it to Bahia. All things considered as it was in 2003 my first time seeing a 'live' Mini, Feng was put in the water only in September 2004 and my first time I sailed solo was in November 2004. Time flew by for me through the time I had the sponsor to get the boat built to the week before the start of the race. All the rush to get to races, the anxiety of getting qualified and the fear of any equipment failure that would dash my hopes of making it to the start line and also the constant search for ongoing funds to run the campaign. Fortunately for me I had met great people in the Mini circle that helped me along the way guiding me along. Also the enormous and undying support from friends and family back home had kept me going and ready for the race.
Before I knew it we were off. The start for me was not as I would have liked it to be but such things happen and we are wiser for it as many events throughout the journey. I had my fair share of problems but managed to overcome them one way or another eventually and managed not to loose the plot when there was an opportunity to give up when I was in Cape Verde. At that point the goal was to get to Bahia and join the rest of the sailors to celebrate, placing was not important, getting there was. I started to truly enjoy, the fact that we were there and on the way to finishing what we started out to do almost two years ago.
Arriving Bahia was an incredible feeling that I can't describe. Happy, relieved, tired, sad, mixed, wanting to scream and shout and jump up in the air and shout we've made it over and over again. Funny though it felt a lot more real when there was friends and family there when you docked, crossing the line was just crossing the line.
What an experience it was for me and it has fuelled my desire to move up to the bigger offshore classes. One would think that it might put one off the idea totally. Well for me it wasn't.
My position in the Mini Transat 2005: 59 / 70 boats
Read my journals to find out more of my experience in the Mini Transat.