A Mini campaign is certainly not all about sailing. Much of it it about onshore organisation and administration. And for that side of things there is no bigger day that February 15th. This is the day that entries open for the 2006 calendar of races.
That means running around finding entry forms on websites, e-mailing race orgnisers and trying to track down IBAN and BIC codes for sending entry fees. For those of us in the UK things are a little more complicated, relying on international bank transfers instead of cheques, exchanging pounds into euros, and depending on the British postal system as well as the French one as many of the forms need to be physically mailed in.
For me there was an additional complication as I was in Portsmouth sorting out the fitting of my keel. But thanks to some help I was able to get the forms off and am now waiting to hear how my entries have done.
The 2006 calendar for me now looks like
- 29 April - 4 May : Pornichet Select 6,50. 300 miles single handed
- 26 - 28 May : Trophée Marie-Agnès Peron. 200 miles single handed
- 3 - 10 June : Mini-Fastnet. 700 miles double handed
- 25 June - 7 July : Open Demi-Clé. 900 miles double handed
- 30 July - 27 August : Les Sables d'Olonne - Les Açores - Les Sables d'Olonne. 2600 miles single handed