Readers now know Hugo well. This young Frenchman who produces videos in English under the name The Sailing Frenchman (#TSF) made himself known by sharing the complete renovation of his Écume de Mer that he bought for a can of beer. With this sailboat, starting in the Mediterranean, he crossed the Atlantic before sailing throughout the Lesser Antilles. Always accompanied by his camera, he told us about these adventures (and galleys) and above all the pleasure of minimalist cruising (in the end, he had no engine anymore!).
Then Hugo began a new adventure by being selected to embark on the Clipper World Race. Second on a 70-foot one-design, he told us about this particular race from the inside. A complete account with even a few stage victories at the end. But alas, the COVID crisis has passed by, forcing the race to stop in the Philippines and wait for the end of this health crisis.
Already during the race, Hugo had expressed the desire to take part in the next Mini Transat (start in October 2021). The interruption of the Clipper World Race brought this issue back to the forefront and Hugo back in France decided to rent a Maxi 6.50 for the next 2 seasons. This small boat, which enters the Mini 6.50 series class, is built by the IDBmarine shipyard. It has the particularity of being designed by the architect David Raison, the one who brought back the round bows to the taste of the day (in the Mini we talk about round nose as opposed to the pointed nose of the "old" Mini).
In this episode, Hugo presents his project and sails for the first time aboard his new mount. This first navigation is done in double with the owner of the sailboat. But our offshore sailor is waiting for one thing: to set sail single-handed..
