Caroline Boule is 100% ready for the start of the Mini Atlantique.
Caroline Boule will line up for the start of the Mini Atlantique, formerly known as Les Sables – Les Açores – Les Sables, on 22 July at 1:30 p.m. Following an impressive victory in the Mini Fastnet alongside her long-time sailing partner Benoît Marie, the French skipper will be aiming to claim the Mini Atlantique title after an outstanding performance in the 2024 edition, where she set a blistering pace but narrowly missed out on the overall victory. The Mini 6.50 Nicomatic – Petit Bateau is now fully prepared ahead of the first major offshore leg between Les Sables-d'Olonne and Horta, which marks the opening stage of the 2026 Mini Atlantique.
"I led the second leg in 2024 with a 100-nautical-mile lead over the second-placed boat, only to be caught in the final stretch when the wind completely died," says Caroline Boule. "During the first leg, I broke my boom. While trying to fight my way back, I set a new 24-hour Mini Class record by covering 322.7 nautical miles. So I'm returning to this race with a real sense of unfinished business and, quite naturally, the ambition to win it. It's one of the best races on the circuit, with plenty of downwind sailing and long offshore sections. We'll have opportunities to sail at high speed, which suits Nicomatic – Petit Bateau perfectly, as well as tactical challenges, especially on the approach to Horta, where the wind is often very light. Our victory in the Mini Fastnet, after a mixed start to the season, has given me a real confidence boost. After a year focused on motherhood and on developing our company, SKAW Sailing, I feel ready to perform again without putting unnecessary pressure on myself."
The 2026 Mini Atlantique will cover 2,600 nautical miles over two legs and will bring together 70 skippers, including 13 women, on the starting line.
Programme :
Lundi 13 juillet : Présence des bateaux à Port Olona
Mercredi 15 juillet : Ouverture du village
Dimanche 19 juillet : Parade en baie des Sables-d’Olonne
Mercredi 22 juillet :
10h30 : Sortie des bateaux
13h30 : Départ de la première étape
Mercredi 29 juillet : Arrivée des premiers concurrents à Horta
Dimanche 2 août : Remise des prix de la première étape
Lundi 5 août : 11h00 – Départ de la deuxième étape
Lundi 12 août : Arrivée des premiers concurrents aux Sables-d’Olonne
Samedi 15 août : 11h30 – Remise des prix
https://lessables-lesacores650.fr/
Programme 2026 de SKAW SAILING :
Mini Atlantique, anciennement Les Sables – les Açores - Les Sables (SAS), départ le 22 juillet des Sables d’Olonne (Caroline Boule)
Salon de Cannes avec le SKAW A – Septembre
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)
