You're going into the Figaro, what attracts you to the circuit?
What attracts me is above all the level of ocean racing. I left the dinghy and Olympic sailing in 470. I was confronted with the high level of the dinghy. I wanted to change and learn new things. I wanted to compete and learn directly from the best. So the Figaro won the day. This is where all the skippers concentrate. Especially this year with a hell of a plateau. It's a renewal for me, completely different.
So what are your first impressions?
I wasn't lied to, it's hard! Both men and women are technically and strategically very skilled. They're used to it and it doesn't forgive mistakes. As I'm just starting out, I'm making a lot of them. But that's the interesting thing, when you make a mistake, you avoid making it twice. You learn good things right away, even if sometimes it's a little difficult to stay behind. You have to keep the motivation and start from the bottom of the ranking. There are only possibilities to evolve.
You received the boats late in the season, for you who had to prepare the boat AND discover offshore racing, how did you focus your preparation?
I joined Marc Guillemot's structure, the mixed duo. We were able to share the preparation with Mathieu who trains with me. He has much more experience in preparation and was able to guide me. We also had a préparateur for both boats. But indeed, time was very limited and fortunately we had this structure because if I had to do all this alone, I couldn't have done it. Teamwork has been a great asset to me.
We tried to get organized as best we could, by doing things in order. Starting by preparing the boats. Upstream we had tried to anticipate everything we could: electronics, Adrena, the weather... it gave us a week to take them in hand. I've learned all the basic manoeuvres of the boat, how to manage the headsails - there are 5 of them - I'm far from knowing everything, but at least I know the basic manoeuvres so I can apply them during the races.
Do you feel ready to go on this Solitaire du Figaro?
I don't think you're ever completely ready. There are always details to be fine-tuned, things you would like to improve, especially for a first year where we discover a lot of things. You have to be able to prioritize, it's super hard. I'll make do with what I have.
Do you have any particular concerns? Any difficulties you're going to have to face?
Yes, I have some of them. Like sailing with the current and the rocks, managing all this with lucidity. It is true that in a dinghy there is no current problem or sleep problem. When you spend a night, when you're wet and it's cold, it's hard.
I'm also worried about having a technical problem, something that breaks on the boat and having to deal with it alone. I still don't have a lot of skills to handle all this. If I ever have a big electronics bug or break something on the mast, or any big technical failure, it scares me.
What do you think of this new boat, the Figaro 3?
For me, who comes from the dinghy, I find it quite responsive and pleasant to sail. It makes you feel good. Less when you're below 8 knots, because he doesn't wear on his foils, but as soon as he gets on the foils, he sends back a lot of sensations. Since he's balanced, you're not freaking out every minute. The boat is quite stable. As soon as there is a little wind, he wants to accelerate, he glides, it's very pleasant. It reminds me more of a modern boat with the reactivity of a dinghy.
What is the objective for you on this edition of the Solitaire du Figaro?
Given the little preparation and time we've had, it won't be about aiming for a big performance. You have to be realistic about your objectives. For this year I don't have enough experience to have a result objective. But I remain a competitor and in the long run I hope to be able to play with the others.
What will your program be after this Figaro?
If all goes well in September there is the Tour of Brittany, then we will start again on a season where we will have more time to prepare and take charge of the boat. In the long term, my objective will be to achieve good results. But for this edition, the objective would be to learn as much as possible, to store as much information as possible and to get out of the way as we move forward.
If I can play in the rankings, that's great, but for now the idea of getting out of there and thinking I've given everything I can.
Does this year's exceptional plateau bring additional pressure?
It's exhilarating, they're guys I used to see when I was 8 years old in the Vendée Globe. It's very rewarding, but I don't take it as pressure, because I know they have 15 or 20 years of experience behind them. It's a great asset to have such a varied set, to be able to learn from these guys and talk to them on the pontoons.
How do you manage your life on board?
I have trouble eating as soon as there is a little wind when we are in the meadow and we are brewing. I was able to find products that are easy to eat, powdered products that add water and provide the energy for a complete meal. At least when I don't feel hungry and I'm not well, I eat this thing and it keeps me from being in loss or deficiency. In times when there is less wind and I am hungry, I take small dishes or salads that I have prepared in advance. We worked with "la cauldron de Lanig", they are small salads made from seaweed with quinoa, it's quite complete. I'll take this for the moment I can eat. I complete with fruit that can be preserved, apples or things like that.
Otherwise I also like the Kinder maxi.
As far as sleep is concerned, I have no problem sleeping and I think I sleep a little too much after 20 minutes when the alarm clock goes off I want to turn it off and it leaves me alone. I manage to sleep very well and let go, my problem would rather be to wake up and reboost myself to leave again.
Can you tell us about a significant event you experienced on this boat?
Probably my first time at the Raz de Sein where I put a big, big vomit on my yoke at the end! I came out of the descent folded in two, I was at the end of my life. I beat myself up because there was a big sea and the boat was lying down. I really wondered what I was doing there.
Or, my first spinnaker sending to the Solo Master Rooster, there was 20 knots of wind and everyone was sending. It was the first time I had done it. It cocooned. I had trouble gybing because I had never done it before.
But the bad moments pass quickly and there are many other good moments like during the Solo Master Rooster with all the dolphins playing in the foils, the stars, the plankton, it's really too beautiful. The last time I saw any was in Mexico along the beach. I've never seen them at sea before. When you take a lot of water and some people get on the boat, it's beautiful. I was like a kid. These are things that cannot be photographed and shared.
