Ryan will be focusing most of his sailing time over the next year on an Open 6.50 more commonly know as a Mini.

The Open 6.50, aka a 'Mini', is a 6.5 meter (21' 4") pocket rocket ocean racing sailboat. Hugely popular in Europe, the Mini has launched the careers of many of the top professional skippers in offshore ocean racing. In racing car parlance, Minis are to the big Open 50s, Open 60s and VOR 70s what Go Karts are to Formula 1 cars. Ryan purchased Mini 252, a carbon fiber proto Mini last raced in the 2001 Mini Transat, a bi-annual, 4,300 mile, single-handed race from France to Brazil. In his first race on 252, the Bermuda 1-2, Ryan finished first in both legs, racing with fellow New Orleanian Clark Thompson on the double-handed leg back from Bermuda.

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