Is this your first race on this boat?
It's not the first race, but it's the first transatlantic race. We did the Rolex-Fastnet in August with Arnaud, as well as the Azimut trophy in September.
It's a boat you just bought, why this one?
Indeed, we are in the process of buying. We've been reserving this boat for several months and the purchase will be finalized upon arrival in Brazil. A lot of things led me to this boat. On the one hand, it's a reliable, strong boat that fits the budget. For me and the Setin Group it will be a first in IMOCA racing. They'll be following me until 2021, when I'll be taking part in the 2020 Vendée Globe. It's a boat that suits me well and belongs to Arnaud, a friend with whom I've been sailing for some time. All of that together meant that it was an obvious choice to choose this boat.
Are you happy with the boat? Does it meet your expectations?
Yeah, it's a great boat. I have a lot of experience to learn from Arnaud with three Vendée Globe races under his belt, including one on this boat. He knows it by heart. I'm going to have to take the measure of the boat and the format of the transatlantic race is perfect for that.
Can you introduce us to the boat?
It's a boat from 2007, a Farr design that belonged to Jean Pierre Dick. It's a straight daggerboard boat. It's called "Trimtastique" because at the beginning it was equipped with trim tabs which were supposed to be a revolution. Unfortunately, it turns out that it didn't work. The trim tab is a 2m wide plate on the stern which was supposed to speed up the start in the rough southern sea. It didn't work, maybe it was a miscalculation. So this system was abandoned. It's still in place, but it's neutralized.
It's a strong, sturdy boat. It's probably not the fastest boat, but it's a boat that's reliable and strong.
You've sailed a bit of IMOCA before?
I sailed on this boat last year with Arnaud, but I've never sailed on any other IMOCA boats other than this one so far. I did 4 years on Class 40' which is a great springboard. I took part in the previous Transat Jacques Vabre on my Class 40' and I was able to go all the way with a result that met our expectations, but it's a big first for me to do this transatlantic race in an IMOCA boat. We'll be doing the return leg together as well in order to gain as much experience as possible.
What's the plan for you and your new boat between now and 2021?
Big construction site on the way back. For the decoration and the setting in the sponsor's colours. Then, on leaving the yard, the pre-season races for the qualification for the Route du Rhum. The program is not precisely established, but there will be races to do and a certain number of training sessions.
Are there any plans to modify the boat to fit your hand?
Yes, we'll do that during the construction, for now it's still Arnaud's boat. I'm getting used to the boat as it is and I'll have a lot of feedback when I get back from this transatlantic race and the return trip. We've already got some ideas for improvements and minor changes to the boat. It will also depend on the budget we have. The budget is viable like that, but if we want, we can imagine a lot of things, like installing foils. But it all costs money. At the moment we are looking for an additional budget for all this.
Is foil foil something you'd be interested in if you had the opportunity to do it?
First I'm going to try to get the best out of the boat as it is today. There are still today 5 or 6 straight daggerboard boats, we have a few cards to play. But it's obvious that in the future, in the next Vendée Globe, that's bound to be a plus. We may have been sceptical before the start of the last Vendée Globe, but now we know that it works and I think this Jacques Vabre will be further proof of that. So why not, but it's not a priority.
What is the objective for you on this deckchair?
For Arnaud it will be to finish this beautiful story with this boat and for me it's to start it. We need and want Arnaud and I to write a beautiful story with this boat. In terms of sporting results, it would be a lie to say that we hope to be on the podium. On the other hand, we're both competitors and we're not going to give up. If we have the opportunity to make a good place, we're not going to deprive ourselves of it. It's offshore racing, we know that anything can happen. We're going to fight with our guns!
How is life on board organised between you two?
It's pretty evenly distributed. We're each fairly autonomous in the way we navigate. We're going to have a lot of discussions, one thing after another. We haven't established very rigorous or strict functions for each thing. Obviously in the end, if we don't agree and someone has to make a decision, it will be the skipper. For the moment it's still Arnaud's boat, he's the skipper, so he's the one who will make the decision. But like me, he and I are looking forward to talking, each of us bringing our own way of sailing. That will be a plus for both of us.
What's on the agenda for the last day?
I just had lunch, then I'm going to try to get a little greener because we've had a lot of solicitation this week. Like every race start. It's also a pleasure, but now the pressure is mounting, it's starting to get tiring so I'm going to rest for 1-2 hours. Then we'll have a briefing with Arnaud and the team around 16:30 for tomorrow's organisation. I'll stay a little bit with Arnaud for a last weather and routing point. Then we will enter our bubble. After 16:30 - 17:00, we will be a little bit already in our race.
[Interview conducted on the eve of departure which was given on Sunday 5/11 at 1:35 pm]
