Caroline Boule in Baiona

Caroline Boule and her 6.50m prototype "Nicomatic – Petit Bateau" arrived in Baiona, Spain, this morning after encountering major technical issues while sailing in the top three of the Mini Atlantique during the first leg between Les Sables-d'Olonne and Horta, in the Azores.

Benoît Marie was able to get in touch with her:

"She first experienced problems with both of her spinnakers. She then managed to continue sailing under her gennaker, but the port foil casing developed structural weaknesses, causing a water ingress. Caroline had no choice but to head for the nearest port. After a tremendous effort, she safely brought Nicomatic – Petit Bateauinto Baiona. We will now assess the damage and carry out the necessary repairs. Unfortunately, she has been forced to retire from the Mini Atlantique, a race that meant so much to her."

https://lessables-lesacores650.fr/



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)