Jean-Marie Patier is an amateur sailor. Like many boaters, he loves regattas and cruises. But his sailing career changed when he offered Jean-Luc Van den Heede the opportunity to accompany him to repatriate his sailboat Adrien from Australia.
In 2003, skipper Jean-Luc Van den Heede, nicknamed VDH, tried to sail around the world backwards on a tall aluminium sailboat Adrien. But a dismasting stopped him under Tasmania, which he managed to reach with a makeshift rig. From there, he rebuilt a makeshift mast with a post found on the spot and took Jean-Marie on board for a double delivery to Les Sables-d'Olonne. A navigation that will last 77 days. Since then the two men have become friends.
Participate in the Route du Rhum
Jean-Marie Patier has long wanted to participate in the Route du Rhum. And in love with beautiful boats, he was looking at the Red Cigar which for 10 years rotten on the dock in La Rochelle . In 2017, he proposed to the port to buy it back. This proposal will trigger an auction that he will win as the only one to acquire.
Under construction in Caen
So here he is, the owner of the Red Cigar, which he renamed with the Maritime Affairs Department. The boat is towed and reassembled at the V1V2 yard (Caen) for a refurbishment: "At first, I thought I was only doing aesthetic work, but as the yard progressed, we finally refurbished everything!
A construction site full of surprises
When unlocking, it is impossible to unscrew the bolts. The keel is full of water. It had to be cut to put it on the ground. Finally, it is Michel Desjoyeaux's Foncia keel that will be adapted. This keel change leads to major structural changes. Originally, the keel was in a well that went up to the bridge. Now it is bolted under the boat on a brand new carbon structure.
Everything to change
On the quays of La Rochelle, the sailboat had been completely looted, so all the hardware, rigging, sails, electronics, engine... everything is new! The saffron is also being redesigned with the help of the Lombard Architectural Office. "The sailboat will look exactly the same as it did originally with its yawl rigging and red color, but it should be more efficient because it is lighter, with a lower center of gravity and appendages with the best profiles.
And then what?
And after the rum? Jean-Marie does not yet have a very precise plan, he has not really asked himself the question. He admits that 4.20 m of draught does not facilitate the transformation into a cruising sailboat! Today he is happy to re-ship a "historic" boat and give it a second life. He hopes that this story will inspire others to embark on this kind of adventure.
VDH as a sponsor
The launch of this "new" Red Cigar is scheduled for May 14, 2018 and the christening is scheduled for June 24 with its sponsor Jean-Luc Van den Heede, one week before his departure for the Golden Globe Race..
