Caroline Boule, back in action
The sailor and co-founder of the Lorient-based startup SKAW is returning to competition after a year-long break due to maternity leave. This year, she will take on a full racing program on the Mini 6.50 circuit aboard the prototype Mini “Nicomatic - Petit Bateau” - a fully foiling sailboat that finished second in the 2025 Mini Transat with Benoît Marie, Caroline’s partner in life, naval architect, and reigning French champion.
Together, they aim to put their offshore racing expertise to use to make sailing more accessible to everyone.
Caroline is approaching her season with humility. She did not sail a lot in 2025, does not have the same sailing experience as Benoît, and plans to gradually build up her performance in order to be fully ready—both physically and competitively, for her main goal of the season: the Mini Atlantique, a solo round trip between Les Sables d’Olonne and the Azores, starting on July 22.
“I obviously have some strengths on my side. We have a boat, ‘Nicomatic - Petit Bateau,’ which proved itself in 2025 with Benoît. I had a strong 2024 season, including the 24-hour Mini 6.50 record— which Benoît recently broke —but I didn’t sail much last year, focusing on family and on running our company, SKAW Sailing, which will be launching the SKAW [A] this summer, an innovative cruising yacht. So I’ll need some time to regain my physical, mental, and technical reflexes. It’s a post-partum challenge, so I’ll need to be patient.”
The Mini “Nicomatic - Petit Bateau” will also return to the water later than planned, following significant technical issues during the Mini Transat: a torn foil well after an impact and a heavily damaged bowsprit.
“We did a lot of composite work this winter to ensure we have an operational and reliable boat as soon as the season starts”, explains Caroline, who will begin sailing double-handed with Benoît on April 9 on the Plastimo Lorient Mini.
“This first race will allow me to absorb what Benoît learned from his excellent 2025 season, particularly in terms of autopilot settings. I’ll then continue solo with the Pornichet Select, the Mini en Mai, the Trophée Marie-Agnès Péron, I will do the Mini Fastnet again with Benoît, and finally the solo race Mini Atlantique, where I have a score to settle.”
Indeed, in 2024, Caroline broke the 24-hour record during the first part of the race and led the fleet for five days, before losing the lead at the very end by just three minutes.
SKAW in figures:
2: founders Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie,
6: number of employees,
10: number of service providers,
56 the department of Skaw,
1067 the number of the Mini 6.50,
2 Benoît's place in the last Mini Transat,
40 feet the length of the future Skaw A
352.7 miles the record distance covered in 24 hours in a Mini 6.50 by Benoît Marie
SKAW SAILING's 2026 program:
The Plastimo Lorient Mini (PLM), departing from Lorient on April 16 as a double-handed race (Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie)
The Pornichet Select, departing on May 2 from Pornichet as a solo race (Caroline Boule)
Launch of SKAW A in Lorient - Summer
La Mini en Mai, starting on May 25 from La Trinité-sur-mer, solo (Caroline Boule)
The Marie-Agnès-Péron Trophy (MAP), starting on June 4 from Douarnenez, solo (Caroline Boule)
The Mini Fastnet in June, starting on June 14 from Douarnenez, double-handed (Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie)
Les Sables – the Azores – Les Sables (SAS), starting on July 25 from Les Sables d'Olonne (Caroline Boule)
Cannes Boat Show with SKAW A – September
Caroline Boule : Born in Warsaw in February 1998 and raised in Poland, Caroline Boule began sailing at a very young age, notably in the 49er and Laser Radial classes.
She continued her studies in the United Kingdom at Imperial College London, where she specialized in materials science and nuclear engineering, while joining the university's sailing team.
After graduating in 2020, she moved to France to begin a PhD at École Polytechnique while developing racing projects.
Caroline made a name for herself by building and sailing her own mini foiling sailboat, “Bill,” in the Mini 6.50 class, an innovative vessel capable of “flying” above the water thanks to its foils.
She competed in the 2023 Mini Transat aboard this prototype, finishing 20th.
In July 2024, she broke the 24-hour record in the Mini 6.50 solo category, covering 322.7 nautical miles and becoming the first woman to set this record in all categories in this class.
Benoît Marie : A professional skipper and French engineer born in 1987, he is passionate about innovation in sailing, particularly flying sailboats (foilers).
He made a name for himself by winning the 2013 Mini Transat, a solo transatlantic race on a Mini 6.50, on his first attempt.
Since then, he has competed in numerous high-performance sailing competitions, including Moth International, Class A, Class C, ETF26, and Ultime—categories where boats “fly” above the water thanks to foils.
He is also a specialist in the technical development of hulls and sails, designing and optimizing cutting-edge projects (such as the Nicomatic-Petit Bateau prototype).
In 2025, he achieved remarkable performances, notably breaking records for distance covered on a Mini 6.50 in 24 hours during the Mini Transat.
