Aina Bauza presents her project for the Mini Transat 2023 at the Palma International Boat Show.

1 de May de 2022

The sailor from the Club de Vela Port d’Andratx (CVPA) aspires to become the first Balearic woman to cross the Atlantic solo in 2023, without assistance and without using fuel, solely propelled by wind and a solar panel on board.

Mallorcan sailor Aina Bauzá presented her project to become the first Balearic woman to solo cross the Atlantic in the Mini Transat 2023 at the Palma International Boat Show. After securing funding for this challenge through the sponsorship of Ànima Negra and B&G, as well as the generosity of dozens of sponsors, including businesses and individuals, the athlete from the Club de Vela Port d’Andratx (CVPA) is now focused on accumulating the necessary miles to participate in the Mini Transat and preparing her boat, the ‘Redó, a 6.5-meter Mini with which she aims to cross the Atlantic without assistance and without fuel consumption, solely relying on wind propulsion and a solar panel on board.

Recently, Bauzá gained solo navigation experience aboard the ‘Redó’ by successfully participating in the Solo Med 2022 offshore race, covering 560 nautical miles in the waters of Barcelona and the Balearic Islands. This achievement contributed to the 1,500 nautical miles she needs to accumulate in races to qualify for the Mini Transat.

During her presentation, accompanied by some of her sponsors, Bauzá detailed the current status of the project and the upcoming steps she will take to fulfill the dream of the Mini Transat next year. This challenging ocean race requires sailors, to participate, to demonstrate having sailed not only 1,500 miles in races but also an additional 1,000 miles solo. Thus, the sailor outlined the details of her upcoming challenges, such as achieving those solo miles by sailing from Mallorca to Corsica and back, and participating in the Mare Nostrum race this summer.

The Mini Transat

With a course covering 4,000 miles divided into two stages (Les Sables d’Olonne-La Palma and La Palma-Guadeloupe), the Mini Transat is one of the world’s most demanding transoceanic races. Specifically, it is the oceanic category race with the smallest boats, 6.5 meters in length by 3 in width, without any comfort inside and without the possibility of using electronic charts or external communication, beyond a daily weather report provided by radio by the organization.

If successful, Bauzá will follow in the footsteps of Balearic sailors like Nacho Postigo, Hugo Ramón, José Linares, or Felip Moll, becoming the first female born in the Balearic Islands to accomplish this demanding challenge.

Bauzá has an extensive record as a sailor at the Club de Vela del Port d’Andratx in classes such as Optimist, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, and ILCA 6. She is part of the Spanish sailing team and recently finished fourth in the Offshore World Championship alongside Guillermo Altadill.