Well if there was ever any doubt that the Mini is a popular main stream class all you have to do is take a look at the entry list information that was publiched recently.  Competitors apply for each race and then have to rank which races they would prefer to sail. 

Here are a few of the numbers:

Mini-Pavois : 90 files received on D Day for 60 places
Pornichet Sélect 6,50 : 112 files received on D Day for 70 places
Demi-Clé : 84 files received on D Day for 60 places
Trophée Marie-Agnès Péron : 109 files received on D Day for 80 places
Mini-Fastnet : 144 files received on D Day for 100 places
Open Sail Simrad B&G : 97 files received on D Day for 70 places
Transgascogne : 148 files received on D Day for 75 places

Source Classe Mini

Almost all of the races are over subscribed as the number of miles required to get into the MT are rising quickly.  For the 2007 edition of the race to make the top 72 took 3100nm compared to 1300nm for the last race.  Obviously it requires a huge commitment to get these miles in. 

I’ve spent most of the weekend going over spreadsheets and stuff for the campaign and various proposals. When things are all business like this, one of the things I do to remind myself what this is all about is to visit Leo’s video thread. He’ got links to tonnes of good stuff.

For those of you who are still trying to get your head around what life is like offshore in these powerful little machines, you should check out Greg Magne’s youtube stream. He’s used video clips for his log to the classe mini for his qualification sail. This one is particularly telling…

It’s pretty cool to see your name in the local media.  A big part of this launch was to hlep with the public awareness in the Kingston area and I think we are on the right track.  Lindsey Fair has done an amazing job of getting the media on board with this project. 

We got three mentions on the local TV station and a couple of mentions on the radio which is good.  I’m going to pick up a copy of the piece on CKWS TV in the next couple of days.  I’ll upload it to youtube if the licence agreement allows.  (It probobly won’t.)

I have to admit that it’s a little weird having everyone know what’s going on in my life.  I’m still trying to find the proper response when people say, “Heh, I saw you on the news last night.  What a cool project!”  I’m generally leading folks to the MST website and the sponsorship page.  (You can download the CYA form for tax deductable donations on that page.)  It is also nice to have some money trickling in.  As nice as it is to be a “celebrity” and all, it really is about raising funds to get sailing. 

Hope everyone in Ontario is safe and sound out of the crazy weather.  It’s nasty out there.

Well last night I finally unveiled my plans to compete in the 2009 Mini Transat, and I thought that I should finally break the silence here.

I’ve been hesitant to start blogging about my plans as everything was coming together, there were so many things that I was unsure of or wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about. Now my plans are pretty laid down and I just need to execute the plan. And I want to talk about it.

For those of you who missed it, I hope to compete in the 2009 Mini Transat, a single-handed race across the Atlantic. If you would like to learn a little more about the race, check out my website.

Last night I gave a “press conference” at the club and did a talk on the race. You can get the slides here. (WARNING: big file, please download once as I’m a poor sailor.) (Edit: If you would like a copy of the slides, please drop me an email and I will send them to you.) I was going to record audio, but I forgot hit the record button. (It’s bloody nerve wracking having TV cameras in your face!)
So now it is time to get out there and start talking to people. Lindsey has had a tonne of ideas and it’s now a matter of making the calls and setting up the appointments. I’m excited to get out there and tell people about the race.

I’ll be writing more often and I hope that you will come back and read about what’s happening. I think this is going to be a pretty good ride, and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with you.