The Transat 6,50 was organized for the first time in 1977 by an Englishman, Bob Salomon, who created a transatlantic race for sailors with very modest budgets. The rules are simple: to sail the Atlantic from Europe to Salvador di Bahia in Brazil, alone on a 6,50 meter boat, without assistance.

The Mini Transat takes several weeks of extremely fast sailing, on a little boat, that carries an enormous area of sail. For some participants to finish the Transat 6,50 is a challenge in its self. For others the Transat 6,50 is a professional race. The requirements of the Class Transat 6,50 concerning the construction of the boats, and the safety equipment they must carry, are very strict to minimize the dangers and enable amateurs to participate as safely as possible. The Transat 6,50 has launched many technical innovations to the sailing community including the canting keel, twin rudders and asymmetric spinnakers. Many of the big names in the world of ocean sailing such as Isabelle Austissier, Yves Perlier, Thierry Dubois, Michel Desjoyaux and Ellen Macarthur began their sailing careers in the Mini Transat 6,50.