Why did you get into this Mini thing?
I used to sail a lot on 10-12m cruise ships, much heavier. I wanted a support that went faster, that was faster and that was able to go further, to go further. The Mini was a good fit because the budgets aren't too big and the racing circuit is great: mini Transat ; the Azores, etc..
I started sailing quite young, I was a sailing instructor on cruises. I needed a support that would open doors for me to go further.
The Mini-Transat came with it. It's a race that everyone is talking about, that I dreamt about a lot when I watched the videos of the other skippers.
So your goal would be to continue in ocean racing?
Not necessarily to continue sailing professionally. If I were to continue, I would continue in a Mini.
Have your motivations changed during this preparation?
When I started, I thought I'd do this to race and get to the end. But the better it goes, the more you think about the standings and the more you get caught up in the game. I'm not planning on putting in a big performance, but I'd like to not come in last. We all know each other, we know each other's boats and I know that there are a few boat numbers like 721, 483... I can name about ten that I'll probably be close to. I'd like to go faster than those. You can have a great competition without a podium finish, but without thinking that you're just doing it to finish the race.
How was your project received by your family and friends?
There are several parameters. First of all, it's a lot of money. My parents were like, "wow, are you sure you want to do this?" I had to go to the bank to borrow some money. It's a big thing. I wasn't pushed into it. But once I borrowed the few tens of thousands of euros to be able to buy the boat, I had to go. This was done in one fell swoop. It was a Saturday morning, we went to sign the papers and that's when I got going. But parents are still a little worried, but nothing could be more normal.
After the second parameter, it's that the Mini is hyper time consuming. It takes a lot of time, a lot of investment. It's not something you can do for the rest of your life. It's hard to reconcile that with a normal life.
And after the Mini, what do you think you'll do?
I'm doing this as an amateur, so after I get back to normal life. I'm going to work. I have just finished my studies at science Po and from January I will be working in a consulting firm where I did an internship. They offered me to stay at their place.
Can you show us your boat?
It's a TipTop. It's a production boat, but there's not many of us. Only three, and three very different boats. Nothing like the Pogo 2s, which look very similar. My boat has nothing original, but I find it very clean. The electricity is impeccable and works great. The pilot jacks are nickels. I've made it very reliable. I've optimised a few little things. I made a system of adjustment of the clew in 3 dimensions. I used to have a track. It's something I've done recently and it really helps to be able to move the clew away. I've seen it a lot on the Transgascogne, it changes everything. I sailed with the rail at the beginning before moving on to the 3D setting. I've seen that stretching the leech downwards while having a relatively open turn is great.
I have a lot of confidence in this boat. Until today it has always brought me to a safe harbour. I haven't always had incredible performances because it also depends a lot on the skipper, but in any case I've always gone all the way. I've never had any big problems and I hope that will continue.
And you as skipper? Are you ready to go?
The first step's fine. It's a format I know. I took part in the race Les Sables-Les Açores, so 10 days at sea I know. There'll be wind, there'll be sea of course, but just the fact that I've already been there reassures me. The second stage will be something else. I'm not thinking about it yet. As we've got a big break in between, I think we need to go step by step and stay focused on the first one. Then we'll see.
What's the program for the day before leaving tomorrow?
Now we're going to visit the aquarium, maybe run around a bit. We'll have a weather briefing at 5pm, then after rest, sleep!
