SORC

Mini qualifiers - Overview

Qualifying.
 
1) 1000 miles around preset course, choice of 2, Atlantic course is Coninbeg (Ireland) -> Rochebonne -> Ile de Re, start and finish anywhere as long as it is the same place. Falmouth is probably the favorite UK start/finish, french usually go from La Rochelle, Lorient or Pornichet.
 
On the qualifier you have to do a minimum of 8 log entries a day, 2 chart plots a day + 2 celestial fixes on the trip.
 
2) 1000 miles in classe mini races, no other races are accepted other than official classe mini. At least 1 race over 500 miles and at least 1 solo race, in addition at least 1 race in the year that you do the transat.
 
In the event the race is oversubscribed then the date of entry takes priority, for those who enter on the same day it is who has the most official miles, this is why everyone who is serious enters on the day entries start, ie 1st day of the paris boat show. For anybody who is unqualified then you get onto the list in the order you qualify, hence the reason why I went off to do my 1000mile qualifier mid march last year.
 
It is worth looking at the history of why classe mini instigated the current procedure, it came about after the 99 transat because there were so many retirements, however there are certain things I am not hugely in favour of, all the above has to be in the boat you do the race in, fine if its a proto, but there were at least 2 insurance writeoffs that did the last race, they were rebuilt and raced because of the qualifying miles.
 
Last race saw 84 starters and  79 finishers!!! Only 2 of the non finishers were structural rest were electronics, I think thats pretty impressive.
 
Keith