It begins...
By Jesse Rowse
On the quay in Southampton ready to hit the road for the Portsmouth ferry terminal.
It feels fabulous, despite the exhaustion, to be heading back to Brittany for another season of Mini racing. I’m writing from on board the Brittany Ferry Bretagne heading south across the English Channel bound for St. Malo, France after two days of traveling from Newport, RI by plane, train, car and now boat. My fine yacht, USA176 Reality, and trusty Peugeot Boxer van are safely stowed on the car deck, and it’s a welcome relief to just have a moment to sit and collect my thoughts.
I am nearing the end of my three-day journey to get to Lorient, France with my Mini and I’m getting myself geared up for the months of challenges that lie ahead before the start of the Mini Transat on September 13th. Moving myself, my boat, and enough kit to spend two months abroad racing offshore is a logistical nightmare and would not have been possible without the help and support from family and friends both back home and here in Europe, and of course the assistance provided by my title sponsor, Sevenstar Yacht Transport.
Loaded on one of the monstrous car decks on the “Bretagne”.
I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am to get back to Brittany and start racing my Mini again. Mentally I’m in a much clearer state heading into this season than last, which is mostly attributed to the preparedness of the boat, as well as my ability to better handle the insane amount of logistics involved. Last season I was heading for Lorient one week before the start of the first race on my calendar (which I didn’t make), while still awaiting the arrival of my new sails and all new stanchions, bow pulpit, and pushpits to meet the current Mini Class rules. This season I have done a winter refit on the boat, incorporating everything I learned last year, and then spent a month sailing in harsh early spring conditions in Newport, RI, shaking out as many kinks as possible. Most importantly of all, after last season, I have completed all the qualification requirements for the Mini Transat and because of this I can focus entirely on racing instead of constantly being concerned about just completing each course to get the necessary miles. I have found that being mentally prepared is a gigantic part of racing offshore singlehanded, and I have never felt as ready as I do right now.
The Classe Mini racing scene in Brittany is unlike anything I have ever encountered in the sailing community in the States, and to me it is absolutely amazing. Small races see fleets of fifty boats and the large ones are capped at 100 boats and often have a long waiting list. Not only is it the sheer size of the fleets but the amazing mix of people from all over the world, although the vast majority (and coincidentally the top sailors) are French. Most of the sailors are using every resource at their disposal to keep their boats up to date, and often this means sacrificing personal “comforts”. Everyone is more than willing to not just help the sailor next to them but also to share ideas so that we can all improve. That being said…after the start the gloves come off and I have never encountered racing so intense and close as within the French Classe Mini fleet. During last year’s 600 mile “Mini Fastnet” I was always in sight of other boats and the top 5 boats finished within minutes of each other and were still swapping positions during the last two miles, after three days of racing. 
The 76-boat fleet before the start of the ”Trophee MAP” last season. There should be 23 more boats this year.
Besides the Classe Mini fleet, Brittany is also home to almost all the French Open 60s, offshore maxi trimarans, Class 40s, Figaros and most other classes of racing sailboats you can think of. A good number of these campaigns are based within the confines of a dilapidated, German-built WWII submarine base in Lorient, which is where I was based last season, and where I’m heading as I write this. The technical development and training that takes place in this environment surpasses anything happening anywhere else in the world sailing-wise, and is clearly evident in the absolute dominance of the sport by French sailors. Being one of the only Americans to be racing Minis here in France is a truly amazing experience and I count myself as lucky to have the opportunity to be here. Between now and the start of the Mini Transat in September I hope to shed some light upon what makes the culture of sailing in this part of the world so unique, and also to share an adventure that I hope you find as exciting and interesting as I do.
