First participation in the Route du Rhum 2018 and first victory in the Class40. What is your ressenti??
I am necessarily satisfied because the result could not be better. It is the result of a project for which we built the boat, approached the sponsor to find partners for the future. It's very satisfaisant?! It has marché?! I made a bet on the future, betting everything on this Route du Rhum to write the next part. I put everything into it, my energy, my family... It was a big project for us.
Can you tell us about your boat, its spécificités?? There are only two copies on the market, it is ça??
Louis (Editor's note: Duke) bought the same one in 2017 and I must admit that it was when I saw him take part in the Route du Rhum in Class40 that it started to turn in my head. I thought a lot about it during the Jacques Vabre race I did in IMOCA in 2017.
Christophe Breschi
I found the boat pretty and met the Gepeto Composite shipyard in Lorient. I really liked the way they worked. We had a very good relationship and we made a commitment. I was quickly able to see Louis' boat again to validate my choice and choose the modifications I wanted. Veedol-AIC is a modified version of Carac, especially in the cockpit.
It's a Lombard drawing, with a big hydrodynamic study. There were far more resources than in any other Class40. It is a very beautiful project and the site that built it is magical, of a formidable precision. All the composite specialists found the work done remarkable.
The boat is solid and was quick to get started. As soon as we were launched, we took part in the Drheam Cup, which we won. I had studied the model well, because I was also hesitating with a Mach 40 V3 JPS. I found the profile fast, and he demonstrated it at the start of the race, reaching and downwind. He goes very vite?!
Alexis Loison who had made the beginning of the Jacques Vabre with Louis Duc had also confirmed my choice by telling me "Go ahead, that's for sure, it's a avion?!"
Sealaunay
Even if the boat is a rocket, it doesn't do everything... It's the combination of a good skipper and a good boat that leads to success non??
The boat plays a lot. I come from a difficult circuit and in the complicated conditions of the start, I was almost happy. That's what I like, I can handle. I am also the one on the plateau who had sailed the most.
So it is the alliance of the two. I'm proud of my boat. He hurt others, he is cleaner, more stripped down - there's nothing in it that's pure performance -, more neat too. I felt that there was a psychological impact on the other competitors, even at the pontoon. People find it "hard", just by visitant?! I put it to work and we managed to do what I dreamed of.
I suffered a lot during the race, but that was my vision of the boat. It is hard to live, vibrates a lot, makes a lot of noise. It was really hard, I had trouble sleeping, something I rarely met. I had to wear a earmuff and my marble cushions were not enough, you need mattresses. It's the discovery and on this point, it was a bit of a failure.
The comfort was really lacking, there was a big impact of the boat on my physique. You have to be sheathed and have a solid physical preparation to withstand these conditions, which I didn't necessarily have because I only had a short time. I quickly felt like I was in pain, because I'm more of a cool guy.
Alexis Courcoux #RDR2018
