What is your first memory of mer??
I have memories of cruising with my parents and siblings, especially in southern Brittany, on the Breton coast, aboard a Symphony ( Editor's note: a 9.40 m Jeanneau sailboat built in 1974 ).
What made you want to get into this carrière??
When I arrived at university - the architectural school in Southampton - a friend of mine invited me to sail the Tour de France. That was in 2003 and it lasted until 2006. It was my first real sailing competition and we were sponsored by Alfa Laval.
I also took part in Nicolas Lunven's preparation for the Figaro single-handed race. She was a childhood acquaintance. I ran into him in the winter, and he told me he was looking for a technical trainer. So I've been with him all season. I told myself that I would do this race and that's what I did three years later.
Have you had a mentor or another skipper who has marqué??
My father sailed quite a lot and he did some competitions, like the Duo Solo Altantic ( Editor's note: current Transquadra ) that I was following. He introduced me to all this.
I discovered competitive sailing with Nicolas Lunven's project. She was managed by Charles Caudrelier and it was he who lent me his boat for my first solo sail. He's influenced my way of doing things quite a bit. I think part of my seriousness, rigor and calm comes from him. Nicolas Lunven was like that too.
I also did 2 Jacques Vabre deckchairs with Damien Seguin who taught me how to have a geek at sea, how to never let go.
Which boat left you the best souvenir??
In 2011, I had the chance to sail in the MOCA with Vincent Riou on his current PRB - the boat was 3 years old - from Port-La-Forêt to Barcelona. I've discovered someone who is very technical, who takes care of his boats down to the smallest detail and who is capable of lining up incredible speeds on this type of boat. We were doing wave-jumping in 45 knots of wind.
After that I went back to the IMOCA during a delivery trip on the Istanbul Europa Race and I took part in the first leg. It was a very good experience and my first real sailing on a racing boat, in the full sense of the word.
What is your greatest achievement at marin??
Winning the Solitaire du Figaro. It will remain the most important event for me, even if in the eyes of the public, the victory over the Rum is more important. I've always wanted to win the Solitaire. To this day, it still sounds like incroyable?! We fought for it. It's probably one of the most difficult races. The level is extremely homogeneous, everyone trains in centres, we sail on monotypes that we can't make evolve... It's quite extreme. We're in serious mode: training, stretching... This is the school of travail?!
Moreover, this experience was very useful for me, as on the pontoons in Lorient, before the start of the Rhum, we were the first boat to go out to train and the last to return. We prepared in Figaro mode. It brings rigor.
Really, Solitaire comes at the top of the list of races I'm most proud to have won. I'm also very proud of this Route du Rhum 2018 and what I've experienced with everyone. It was a complete project, with about 50 people involved. In a project like this, we take people with us. It takes discipline, rigor, advice.
What is your daily practice of plaisance??
I love the cruise. When I'm not running errands, I try to do some. My parents have a boat in southern Brittany and I take advantage of this to sail in the Atlantic and discover small islands.
I also love to introduce my friends to sailing, as they don't know anything about it. I'm lucky enough to know how to drive a boat in small creeks that are not easy to access and it's an incredible opportunity to have this mastery.
I also really like the Moth with foils. It's been a few months since I've done some, but from this winter, I'm going to start again in Lorient or Quiberon.
This is also the idea behind this desire for a structured project ( EDITOR'S NOTE: after his Class40 victory in the Route du Rhum, Yoann Richomme hopes to find a lasting project ). It's about being able to enjoy it, to get back to a social life. I've made a lot of sacrifices for this project and I'd like to stop doing so.
If you hadn't been a skipper, what would you have fait??
I still have a dream of being an entrepreneur. I love competition, but also project management. I like the human side and the management side. I might be tempted to do that afterwards. I considered that I had stumbled upon the ocean race. I could even manage another runner's project.
As long as it's progressing and I'm having fun, I'm going on with my career and when the time comes, I'll move on.
