Caroline Boule ready for the Mini en Mai
Sailor Caroline Boule will be on the starting line of the Mini en Mai on May 25 in La Trinité-sur-Mer aboard her flying Mini 6.50, Nicomatic – Petit Bateau. The boat is once again ready to race after being dismasted during the Plastimo Lorient Mini 6.50.
“I was very disappointed by our technical issues because it was the first competition of my season,” says Caroline. “But we quickly got back on track and over the past few days I’ve been training onboard to go over maneuvers with Benoît, get back into the rhythm, and practice simulated solo sailing. I took advantage of this forced break to spend some time sailing the Figaro Bénéteau 3 and, above all, to regain my physical condition after taking a year off to welcome my baby boy. I have unfinished business with the Mini en Mai because in 2024 I came very close to winning it and eventually finished in fourth place.”
Meanwhile, the teams at the Lorient-based start-up SKAW SAILING are hard at work around the SKAW A, the first leisure scow, which will be launched in Lorient in early July and unveiled in a world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival from September 8 to 13, 2026.
The Mini en Mai course in La Trinité-sur-Mer: 500 nautical miles, starting line and course in Quiberon Bay – Southern Brittany – Iroise Sea – Gironde Estuary – Finish in Quiberon Bay.
SKAW SAILING's 2026 program:
Launch of SKAW A in Lorient – early July
La Mini en Mai, starting on May 25 from La Trinité-sur-Mer, solo race (Caroline Boule)
Trophée Marie-Agnès-Péron (MAP), starting on June 4 from Douarnenez, solo race (Caroline Boule)
Mini Fastnet in June, starting on June 14 from Douarnenez, double-handed race (Caroline Boule and Benoît Marie)
Mini Atlantique, formerly Les Sables–Azores–Les Sables (SAS), starting on July 22 from Les Sables-d’Olonne(Caroline Boule)
Cannes Yachting Festival 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.
Caroline and Benoît’s partners in the Mini 6.50:
Title sponsors: Nicomatic and Petit Bateau
Partners: Incert, Xelians, CMAA, CFNEWS MEDIA GROUP, SEEMO, Saint Germain Audit, Goiot, Volotea, Volkswagen Lorient
Technical partners: Karver, Madintec, Nautix, Forward WIP, Cyclops Marine, Multiplast, North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT)
