We met Luke Berry in Pointe-à-Pitre the day before departure on his boat. In the middle of his preparations for the Atlantic Challenge transatlantic race, he answers a few questions
Since this interview, the Class40 Lamotte - Creation Module dismasted on 24 March while 180 miles off the coast. The decision was made to abandon the race and the boat is sailing under jury rigging.
Why participate in the Challenge Atlantique??
It's always nicer to go boating than to bring it back by cargo ship. It also allows us to continue racing in winter. For a matter of time, I don't think I would have brought him back on a ferry. If the boat had been brought back to France, we would still be under construction or training would begin. Now, we're going to have a transatlantic training session, which is not insignificant.
The Atlantic Challenge allows you to sail with other people on a deckchair: your friends, the team - Ludo has worked hard on the boat and has a Mini podium - and learn from them. It is also an opportunity to invite Pablo, a reference in Class40 and to try to continue to improve with him.
Does the format of the race with a stopover in Horta present a avantage??
Yes, that's part of the advantages of this race because it allows you to change crews during the race. It allows me to sail with other people. I can sail with friends, people known in the industry and also partners. In all, six people will sail with me during the race.
On the second stage, my two title partners come. The bosses of Lamotte and Module Création. It's nice and it shows the involvement they have in the project. They want to improve and I also have things to learn from them since they have quite a few transats to their credit.
After the Route du Rhum, did you participate in the race circuit caribéen??
After the Route du Rhum, the boat was taken out to Basse-Terre for the winter refit. We had some concerns about the rudders and rigging before we got back. Ludo and Arnaud came ten days before the Caribbean 600 to work on it.
It was the only race we participated in, for timing reasons. In addition to being fun, it is sporty and interesting, with several Class40s.
How did you build your équipage??
On board, Pablo Santurde del arco knows the Class40 very well. He has many podiums to his credit and can bring us a lot of performance. Ludovic Mechin knows the boat very well - he is the builder -, he sails very well too - he finished 3rd in the Mini Transat 2015 - and we get along very well. Yannis Troalen is an engineer at Pixel sur Mer, a marine computer and electronics company. He worked for a long time at Spindrift and Banque Populaire. It is important for him to sail and thanks to his engineering side, he has something to offer us on electronic performance.
Everyone likes it and it's an opportunity to bring people who have less experience on the boat, but who are just as involved in the project.
Four people on board, isn't that a hindrance to the compétition??
Four of us will be more competitive. We're going to make two teams: one person at the helm and one at the adjustments and we'll be at 120% all the time. From my experience in Quebec - Saint-Malo, with three of us, I find it quite tiring.
We also had a lot of discussions with Pablo, who sailed many times with a crew, and who validated this choice. And as long as everyone agrees, it's principal?!
We find the podium of the Caribbean 600 on this Atlantic Challenge, there is a challenge retour??
Good sûr?! We finished 6 minutes behind the first two in three days of racing. I don't mind being six minutes away from the others, but if I can be a few minutes ahead it's still mieux?!
I have also surrounded myself with the winner of the Caribbean 600, Pablo (Editor's note: who was part of Earendil's winning crew).
How did you plan the retour??
It depends on the interaction between the high and the depression that will occur. Depending on the models, the estimate is eight to ten days to reach Horta. We'll know more by the middle of next week.
The departure is comment??
We're on a weak trade wind regime, with 15/18 knots. On the Caribbean 600 we were rather in the 18/22 knots. There's not much swell either, but it's good to get back in. It's been a few weeks since we've sailed.
What is your state of mind a few hours away from départ??
I am much more serene than in a solo race. It's still really nice. We spent our week having fun and I hope that the atmosphere remains the same at sea. The boat is well prepared even if there are still two or three things to refine. There is always something to do. However, I cut my finger two days ago and I have a few stitches, so it's good to be with others.
Photo credits: Bateaux.com
