Aina Bauza, out of the Mini Transat 2023

The majorcan sailor, Aina Bauza has become, for at the moment, the Mini Transat 2023 will be on the starting line in Les Sables d'Olonne on 24 September to set sail for La Palma, the first stop on the Mini Transat 2023.

The organization of the Mini Transat has published the official list of participants of this edition,  in which 90 sailors will set sail onboard of their ships of 6,50 meters, in solitary and without any assistance nor commodities, a total of 4.000 miles. After two years of working on this project and fine-tuning her mini "Redó by Ànima Negra", sailing thousands of miles with it, the Majorcan sailor, Aina Bauza, is currently fourth on the waiting list.

Bauza has presented more than a year ago before the nautical sector, particularly at the International Palma Boat Show, her plan to be the first balearic woman to travel across the Atlantic solitary and without fuel consumption, only by wind energy and a solar panel on board. A feat that has been achieved in previous editions of the Mini Transat by other Balearic sailors such as Nacho Postigo, José Linares, Felip Moll and Hugo Ramón, who is currently preparing to repeat the feat in 2025.

During an interview with the radio program of Passion for the Sea, Bauza, knowing how difficult it is to qualify for this offshore race, acknowledged that "80% of the Mini Transat is to be on the start line". And there are more requirements to be one of the lucky sailors who will cross the start line in Les Sables d'Olonne on 24 September for La Palma, the first leg of the Mini Transat.

Some of the criterias are more known that need to be fulfilled by future participants in the Mini Transat are proof of having sailed with the vessel written in the 1.500 miles in regatta and another 1.000 in solitary. But, moreover, before the 31st of July, as well as the sailor and the boat must fulfill the established Mini Guide R-12 and provide all the documentation for the Mini Category 6,50.

After achieving the financing for her project, thanks to the sponsorship of Ànima Negra, B&G and other companies, entities and individuals, other than her own club the Club de Vela Puerto Andratx, Bauza has been during a year and a half adapting her vessel to her needs, participating in different races like the Solo Med or the Calvados Cup, to accomplish the classificatory miles demanded by the organization of Mini Transat, and promoting her project, with the goal to get more sponsors that will help her achieve this complicated challenge.

In fact, Bauza was a couple a months ago updating her status of her project at the facilities of the Club de Vela Puerto Andratx. A presentation that came numerous media attracted by this courageous feat, but unaware that at that time, without the official list of participants having been published, the Majorcan sailor was already on the waiting list, the majorcan sailor was on the waiting list to participate in the Mini Transat 2023, as already indicated in the official press release sent to the media.

Currently, and according to her social media, the majorcan sailor is found in France making some changes on her boat to “fulfill with the rules” as she herself explains in an Instagram story, perhaps in the hope of being part of the fleet that will take part in the Mini Transat 2023 at the last minute. 

Mini Transat

The Mini Transat is a demanding transoceanic race with nearly 4.000 miles of route divided in two periods (Les Sables d’Olonne-La Palma and La Palma-Guadalupe). The participants in this regatta will sail for 15 days on a boat of category Mini of 6,50 meters of length of three punctuations, without any type of commodity in its interior and without the possibility of using electronic mapping and external communication, more than a daily weather report provided by radio by the organization. The sailors that go on this adventure they also prepare themselves physically and mentally to be able to face all kinds of weather conditions that they will encounter during the crossing on their own and with hardly any time to sleep.