What is your first memory at mer??
It's difficult because we went to live on a boat in the West Indies. The sea was my life from two weeks to eight years old. My parents stopped there to work and we changed islands regularly, even though we spent a lot of time in Granada and Tortola. In these cases, I went to school with everyone, otherwise I took the classes on board.
It was a 35-foot wooden boat, pointed both forward and aft. My father was a carpenter and loved wooden boats. He had also built me a wooden dinghy.
What was the trigger that made you want to start this carrière??
To read the magazines or the newspaper for the Vendée Globe in 2004. It was a dream to sail around the world alone.
I also joined Brian Thomson's team and I did a transatlantic race with his boat. That's how I realized that I could actually make a living doing this. That it could be a job and not just a passion.
Have you had a mentor or another skipper who has you marqué??
I had a huge mentor, he was my sailing teacher at school. My parents lived on their yacht in the West Indies and I returned to England. I then took my bike to find the nearest sailing school and ran into him. He was a great sailing teacher, he saw me sailing, saw that I was doing well and advised me to do match racing training. He helped me a lot, my parents not being there. Without him, it wouldn't have been possible.
After that I had the chance to have a lot of contacts and help on my way.
Which boat left you the best souvenir??
The MOD 70 is really a boat super?! I joined the British team in 2015/2016 and we were sailing on 3 boats, exactly the same. I've done a lot of regattas everywhere, but especially on Anglo-Saxon offshore racing.
What is your greatest success with marin??
It's a tough question... I think for me it's to be able to integrate into very big teams, like Spindrift, with incredible people. I learned a lot of things.
On a daily basis, what is your practice of plaisance??
I'm a hydrofoil kite. It's not sailing, but we're being pushed by the wind on the water. Then it depends on what I do. On times like this, when I'm on standby, I have more time. As soon as I can, I'll make some.
If you hadn't been a skipper, what would you have fait??
I have no idea. I have no idea. I never asked myself that question. I would probably have done something technical in the field of boating. I lived and grew up on a boat so it would have been normal to continue in this field.
