What is your first memory at sea?
I don't really have any. The first time I went to sea, I was 2 weeks old! I was born into a family of sailors. My paternal grandfather was a submarine commander during the war, at only 26 years old. My maternal grandfather had a shipyard in England. He had built a boat for my parents. He himself raced motorboats, which was very dangerous at the time.
My parents had planned to go sailing during the summer vacations, but I was born a little early. So they waited 2 weeks before taking me on board. Since then, I have always lived around the sea and boats. It is my daily life.
What made you want to start this career?
During my high school years and then during my engineering studies at Cambridge University, I was sailing for fun. It was a family hobby. I did some competition, but it was just for fun.
I have always been lucky enough to be present at the start of races such as the Whitbread (former Volvo Ocean Race), the World Cup or the Fastnet. So I have always seen these magnificent high-tech boats. Even if it intrigued me and made me dream, I never imagined myself as a crew member.
I saw myself more as a naval architect or a calculator in a design office. So I did all my studies with the idea of joining a boat design team.
Then, in 1989, Tracy Edwards led the first all-female crew around the world in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race and finished in 2nd place. It was a wonderful thing. That win showed me that it was possible for me to be on one of these magical boats and not just part of a technical team.
Did you have a mentor or another skipper who marked you?
There have been several. First, Tracy Edward, the British woman who shone in the Whitbread with her all-female crew. Each crew member had a very important role. That really made an impression on me.
A little later, I was lucky enough to be able to count on the support of Michel Desjoyeaux. My first IMOCA was his old boat. He was also racing in IMOCA. We were sort of competitors, but he was also my mentor. When I had questions about the boat, I called him. He gave me a lot of advice.
Which boat left you the best memory?
My current boat, the IMOCA Initiatives-C?ur. It's the best performing boat I've ever had and I'm lucky enough to be able to sail it. I've already experienced a lot with it. I'm very happy with this boat. It's quite old, but we'll be able to make it perform well with these new large foils and the work of my team.
What is your greatest achievement as a sailor?
We're lucky to have done this all our lives, so it's hard to distinguish one moment. Finishing my first Vendée Globe 2012-2013 in 4th place is great. It wasn't much fun in terms of the marine sensations, but I had an old boat and it was a huge success.
There wasn't really a special moment, it was the race itself that was special, even if the finish in the channel in Les Sables-d'Olonne is incredible. There are about 80 skippers who have finished the Vendée Globe.
On a daily basis, what is your practice of boating?
Not enough to satisfy me. I've always lived around the sea and I'm lucky to live in front of the beach. I've been SUPing since 2009, but basically my sport is swimming. I am a former swimmer. Sailing was on vacations and weekends. So I continue to practice freestyle swimming.
Every summer, I practice boating, with my companion Romain. We take a week for us on a boat. We have also rented François Gabart's RM for the last two years, with our son. He too is passionate about sailing. We want to transmit him this passion which can be done in family. It's a real hobby that brings us real pleasure. It's a lifestyle. My parents live on an 18 m boat so my son loves to go there.
What is your favorite and dreaded sailing area?
My favorite cruising area is Brittany. Along the coast: Houat, Belle-Île, the Gulf of Morbihan and a little bit of North Brittany. I used to cruise there with my family. I have many memories there. I also raced a lot in this area, in the Solitaire du Figaro.
Then, in a broader sense, I love sailing in the Atlantic.
There are a lot of areas I fear, for different reasons. In the Volvo Ocean Race, I was afraid of areas where there were pirates. The unknown dangers scare me, especially in the Indian Ocean, the China Strait and Malaysia.
In another register, I am not very comfortable in the South Atlantic, off Brazil, or in the Mediterranean.
If you had not been a skipper, what would you have done?
I would say, even if it's a dream, to work in everything that is science and exploration I would not have wanted to be a pilot, but the one who calculates all that. For an engineer it's a dream.
