Paul Meilhat (SMA) arrived in Guadeloupe on Friday night (November 16-17) (20:23:18 Guadeloupean time) with a race time of 12 days, 11 hours, 23 minutes and 18 seconds. Alex Thomson - who arrived in the morning at 8:10 a.m. - was given a 24-hour penalty after using his engine to get off the cliffs from which he had run aground, leaving him in first place in the overall classification, with a race time reduced to 12 days, 23 hours, 10 minutes, 58 seconds.
It was a great victory for Paul Meilhat, who was doing his last race with his current sponsor SMA. The sailor who was considered an outsider at the start of Saint-Malo, a candidate for the podium rather than for victory, knows that a good performance could open the door to the 2020 Vendée Globe. He is indeed leaving on SMA the 2010 VPLP-Verdier design, with an eloquent record of success, has kept its daggerboards straight and at certain speeds makes two to three knots for the foilers.
It seems that the cocktail of talent and motivation has allowed the skipper to find the solutions to get to the front of the pack and to hold on to it, after being Alex Thomson's best competitor for twelve days. At the start of Saint-Malo, he shares with Alex Thomson an essential characteristic, that of accumulating the most miles on his boat, taken in hand four years ago. But unlike the British sailor, Paul, who was unlucky in the last Vendée Globe (he was forced to retire after breaking his boat in third place), has already won IMOCA races.
Sailing in contact with Yann Eliès and Vincent Riou, he never left the trio, to take the lead.
Paul Meilhat's first words on his arrival on the pontoon
"This victory has the taste of exhaustion. We all gave a lot, especially during the last five days. It's also the taste of four years of working like crazy on this boat with the team. There is a kind of communion with this boat. This is the first major solo race I've won. It rewards all these years of work and that's what I remember, it pays off and that's great! Right now, it's the emotion that prevails. I don't realize it yet but people are happy and I'm happy to see them after 12 days at sea."
About his race
"I didn't take the race as a last one with my partner. I felt like I could have a great race. I wanted to enjoy it. I tried to do it my way, not try to control. I tried to take the right shifts, to take the squalls and try to lose as little ground as possible. I tried to win small like in a Figaro. It's exhausting but very nice. In the end, I didn't make any big mistakes. It's the end of a cycle where I learned a lot about the boat, about myself, about the weather. I felt good on this race. But these boats are complicated. When you start, you can't push the cursor too much. But the more you learn, the more you have automatisms, the more you can put yourself in the red, in the lack of sleep, in the risk."
The pressure of victory
In the last few miles, between playing for the podium and winning, the pressure mounted. At the beginning of the approach to the island, I said to myself: "we must calm down". I fell into the wind of the Soufrière, but so did Yann. In fact, I think the guy who invented the Route du Rhum is crazy for putting the circumnavigation of Guadeloupe at the end!"
About Alex Thomson
"Alex's mishap, it cooled us down because we were attacking like crazy. These are not easy moments. We'll talk about it among ourselves. In the end, he did well, because 100 meters further on, it could have been worse. When you get as tired as you are, it can be costly. I am a big fan of Alex. He does incredible races, his options, his speed, his style and he's a really nice guy. I'm glad he's doing well and that his boat isn't in the trash. What you have to remember is the talent he has. You have to take into account what he did during the race. He is the extraordinary character, whether he won or not. It feels really good to have guys like that with us on starting lines."
More
"In 2019, ideally, I want to continue to progress towards my goal of being at the start of the 2020 Vendée Globe. I am open to any proposal! Building a new boat, modifying this one, anything is possible!"
