A conversation with Classe Mini skipper Ambre Hasson about her 2025 Mini Transat campaign
by David Schmidt 19 Aug 16:00 BST
August 19, 2025
Franco-American skipper Ambre Hasson is the lone American-flagged entry in this year's Mini Transat Race © Manon Le guen
It's amazing to consider that Ambre Hasson, the skipper of Mini 618 and the lone American-flagged entrant in next month's Mini Transat Race, didn't know how to sail six years ago. But, a pandemic, a major career change, a move back to her native France, two Class Minis prototypes, and countless shorthanded, doublehanded, and singlehanded miles later, Hasson is now in the final countdown before she engages the dream that she has been chasing for the last five and a half years.
While hers has been a near-vertical learning curve, and while the lessons haven't always been kind (case-in-point: her first boat ended up on the bricks), Hasson has shown grit, determination, and a deep commitment to improving her skills.
Gone are the days when Hasson couldn't keep up with her training partners, replaced instead by improving racecourse results and the kind of preparation needed to cross more than 4,000 nautical miles of North Atlantic brine, alone, aboard a 21-foot offshore speedster.
This is the sixth interview with Hasson in her lead-up to her transatlantic adventure, and I checked in with her, via email, to get the latest on her campaign.
The first five interviews can be found here:
Can you please catch us up on your the sailing that you're done since we last corresponded in April?
I wrapped up the Mini Fastnet in June, which was one of the big prep races for this season—and one of the most technical [races that] I've done.
We had it all: big transitions, thunderstorms, shredded sails... the works. But we came through and finished 24th out of almost 80 boats, which felt like a real moment. The boat and I have come a long way.
What about boat work? Have you made any further improvements to your platform or built any new sails?
Yes! I just ordered a new mainsail and a Code 0 through a partnership with Quantum Sails—a big step, both technically and financially. Scott Nixon has been a real champion of the project, and their support means a lot, especially as the only American on the start line.
[Last] winter, I also took the boat down to bare carbon to reinforce key areas, and while I was at it, I gave her a full repaint. She's now bright yellow—and turning heads on the dock!
The Mini Transit starts in about a month. How prepared and confident are you feeling?
I feel ready. It's been two and a half years of work—sailing, fixing, learning. There'll be surprises, sure—but I've done the work, and I trust what we've built.
That said, I'm always thinking of ways to tweak or improve something.
But like Lin Pardey says: "Go small. Go simple. Go now."
You'll never feel completely ready—and if you wait for perfect, you'll never leave the dock. The work is done. The boat and I are going.
You mentioned last time that weather strategy and navigation were relative weak spots. What have you been working on in the last four months to improve in these areas?
A lot!
The Mini Transat is unique because we don't get high-res weather or routing—just low-tech single-side-band forecasts, [transmitted] over radio, that we hand-plot onto charts.
I've been training specifically for that in a class with other mini sailors: understanding large-scale weather, interpreting charts, and learning to make solid decisions with very limited info.
How do you plan to spend the next month onshore—between sailing, working on the boat, and also living/enjoying the rest of your life?
We're in the final stretch now, so it's a bit of everything.
[I've got] one more big solo training block, [which involves] delivering the boat to Les Sables, installing the new sails, prepping gear—and squeezing-in a few partner events and some quiet moments with friends before I go across the pond.
It's hard to balance everything, but I try to stay focused on what really matters at this stage.
Looking head at your race, what parts of sailing alone across the Atlantic in a 21-footer are you the most excited about? What about any trepidations?
What excites me most is the simplicity of it all — just me, the boat, and the sea for weeks on end. It's rare to be that alone with yourself, and I'm curious to see what that feels like.
As for fears, this is my first Mini Transat and I've never spent so long at sea, so of course there's some unknown. But I've done the work, and that gives me a quiet kind of confidence.
What are your personal goals for the race? Also, how do you hope to grow as both a sailor and a person as your journey across the Atlantic?
Goal #1 is simple: make it to the start line — and I'm nearly there.
Goal #2: finish. After that, it's all bonus.
I want to sail hard, stay present, and reach the other side knowing I gave it everything. And I think a crossing like this-alone, on a tiny boat—changes you. I'm curious to find out how.
Is there anything else about your campaign that you'd like to tell us about, for the record?
Just that the support around this project has been incredible.
I've been lucky to bring on new partners like Guardrail Mining, Julien Sénéchal (MMA Insurance), and Quantum Sails recently, and the buzz is building.
We also just launched a bag collection with 727 Sailbags—as a a way for people to carry a piece of the story with them (www.727sailbags.com/us/9909-727-sailbags-x-ambre-sails). And for anyone who wants to be part of this last stretch, I'm still looking for a few final sponsors and donors to help close the gap before the start line.
[Editor's note: Hasson's website is www.ambresails.com, her email address is ambre@ambresails.com, and her Instagram handle is @ambre_sails.]