You did very well on the Solo Maitre Cop (second in the overall ranking), does that give you confidence for the Solitaire, or is it an additional pressure?
Clearly it builds confidence. I didn't expect that at all. I never imagined I would have made a place on the podium, especially on the Solo Master Rooster where there was the whole Solitaire field. It's a very good thing that has two effects: it restores confidence, it's great, but it also puts pressure on you. It would be nice to do the same thing or not far away. But it's a mistake to say that to yourself, because in Figaro with a new boat, nothing is certain. I was good on the Master Rooster, but it goes so fast, we learn so much that if there are sailors who have already found other keys in the meantime. Maybe I'll get a big slap in the face. Today, we don't know enough about the boat and the platform to be sure to repeat the same operation. So I keep my head cold. I'm happy with what I've taken, but the Solitaire will be a new race.
You didn't have much time between the reception of the boats and the first races, how did you organize and prepare yourself to get there?
It was a little peculiar. As I was sick last year, I spent the whole winter in hospital to have an operation on a problem in my skull. I had surgery in September and I wasn't sure I could do the boat again in January. So I didn't project myself too much into this early season. Finally when I received the boat, things were starting to get better. I started sailing slowly in January, but I didn't get to the bottom of it until February or even March.
At the start of the Sardinha I had not sailed much yet. But it finally allowed me to arrive fresh with energy and without pressure, zen and calmly. I didn't sail much, but when I went there it was efficient. In the end, I didn't try hard, I went to the right place right away, preparing the landings well and it worked. Before I tended to go sailing every day without being structured.
I come from the Mini 6.50 and with this boat, we are very close to the Mini series. There are some Mini tricks that we were able to quickly set up on this boat. The same goes for the handling of the boat, it's similar. It is clear from the fleet that the skippers from the IMOCA or Mini are doing well.
What is your objective on this Figaro?
I hate that question[laughs]. I'm not going to give you a result objective because I haven't set one for myself. I want to have no regrets. I've prepared myself well, I know about where I'm going and I want to do everything I can to avoid any regrets. Sailing as I feel, doing my strategy, managing and adjusting my boat well and if all this goes well normally the result should follow and I should be able to enter the top 10. That would be great!
But I don't want to tell myself that I absolutely have to fit in the 10, because if I don't fit in I'm going to be disappointed. The result depends on so many things in Figaro, even sailing well is not always enough, you also have to rely a little on your lucky star to make everything happen.
What do you think of this new boat?
Honestly, I think it's great! He is very seaworthy and you feel safe on him. It was a little bit my fear when I discovered the boat, would we feel safe? Finally yes. The Figaro 2 was a super safe boat, but they managed to make a Figaro 3 more powerful, more fun and always as safe.
The foils are great, the sailing game is great and top. There are still youth problems on the boat - especially on the spreaders - it costs us a lot of time, energy and money, but it's part of the game of a new boat with foils. When these problems are solved, it will be nothing but happiness.
Many people are reluctant to accept the comfort of the Figaro 2 that we don't find on the Figaro 3, but personally I'm very happy about it. It looks more like a real racing boat. Le Figaro 2 was more like a caravan next door. The Figaro 3 is hard, but we're here to play sports, so it's perfect. If I were 30 years older, I might not say that.
The proposed route is very northern, what will be the difficulties to manage well?
I was just studying the route before you arrived. It's going to be furious, very hard. Even in Figaro 2 it would have been very hard. Stage 1 takes us very far north so there is more risk in terms of weather. Stage 2 is not complicated in terms of trajectory, but it is very long. Stage 3 will have two crossings of the English Channel, we go through the breast raz, there will be a lot of play with the current. We might pull our hair out. And the 4 explains Sylvie Ernoult. stage, same thing: two more crossings of the English Channel. If we do all the steps as planned, it's going to be incredible, but it's going to be very hard.
But several routes are planned and can be adapted according to the weather and fatigue. Even today the race director does not know the boat. We still don't know today if it is possible to do all these routes with these boats.
Are you a little apprehensive?
No, because we're all in the same boat. I'm pretty hard on evil. At the limit if it's stuffy, I'm comfortable in these conditions. Even if I'm not physically in great shape, I'll be able to compensate by finding tricks. It suits me very well, but I know we'll end up tired, but it's the principle of the Figaro!
What will your programme be after the Solitaire du Figaro?
It happens very quickly. I am doing the Trinité-Plymouth in Class 40' then the Cowes-Dinard to qualify for the Jacques Vabres. Then I have two weeks to repair the boat and we leave for Douarnenez-Horta en Figaro.
With the Queguiner group we signed for a year, but they bought the boat with the idea of renewing it, and if it goes well there's no reason to stop it. It's possible that after that I'll do 2, 3 or even 5 Solitaire. Their objective is to win it. If I'm not up to the task, they won't hesitate to change skippers, but as long as I'm up to the task, they'll keep me. No pressure at all. Especially since I pass behind Yann Elies, and he in 4 years of Figaro with Queguiner he won 3 times! But it's not completely the same story either, they wanted a young person to come up - even though I'm getting older and older. I didn't get them used to it, on the first solo race we did together[the Solo Master Coq NDLR], we did 2, so now they're convinced I'm going to win. But I'm not putting pressure on myself. Six months ago I was told that I would never do a boat again in my life. Just being there, I'm very happy and if it stops with Queguiner because I don't do good enough results, it doesn't matter, I would have taken advantage of all that and I'll do something else.
How do you organize yourself in terms of "everyday life" on board with the 100kg weight limit on board?
It's quite complicated to reach 100 kg. So I load up on food like a sick person and I'm only 80 kg. I'm really enjoying myself. I have nothing fresh because it's so good, you like it and you only have it at the beginning. So when there are none left, it makes me feel bad. That's the kind of detail that matters. Others will say to themselves that it's always that way, but it makes me so sad that I don't have any good food anymore that I prefer not to take any at all.
But I eat well enough. All I have to do is appertise it - freeze-dried zero. Desserts, brownie, crumble... I have tabbouleh that I mix with cans of tuna and I feel like I'm eating at home. I have bread and rillettes, a lot of dried fruit, one chocolate bar per step, brioche and honey for the morning. I also have a lot of energy bars. Often during the first 24 hours, we don't take the time to eat, I take this kind of bar to get a big dose of calories all at once. It replaces a meal.
I worked quite a bit with a nutritionist who explained to me that in offshore racing, you regain your fitness weight. Those who are a little chubby lose weight, but I gain 2 kg each time I run. We exercise, we eat a lot at regular times. In everyday life, I tend to skip meals. At first I didn't think it was normal, but it's actually fine.
Did you have to adapt your life rhythm compared to the Figaro 2?
I sleep a lot less, but we'll have to find a rhythm. The boat is very demanding and I can't get it under pilot. The appendages are very thin: rudders and keel. As a result, despite the foils, the boat stalled and skidded. If you sleep at this time, you don't see it and you go one knot slower than the others. I hope that in the long term we will find a way to operate the boat without the appendages stalling. We won't be able to sleep then. Anyway I think that after 24 hours of racing the driver will steer better than me.
In your opinion, what will be the determining criterion for performance?
It might be the technique: succeeding in doing all the steps with a 100% boat. You can pull on the boat without being particularly fast, but without breaking it will make the difference. We saw on the first small races in fairly light conditions skippers breaking sails and lots of little tricks. So you take pawns.
I could see on the Master Rooster that I was going fast, but not particularly fast. I don't blow everyone up, but I don't have any problems on the boat. It's going well, I'm doing the right tack, the manoeuvres are well done and it's enough to be in front.
We must also remain clear-sighted. But to be lucid, you have to sleep and if you sleep you lose places. You have to accept to lose a few places. It was my big problem on the Master Rooster, I was in front with Armel and when you have a guy like Armel next to you, you won't sleep or you're sure he'll double you. I collapsed into lucidity at the end, I didn't understand anything anymore. You have to be smart - already that basic for me, it's not easy[laughs].
