Which boat did you design and are you most proud of?
Choosing one means abandoning the others, but I'll play the game. My first 6.50, my first Class40 and my first IMOCA. It was a great feeling. Boats are also designed with guts, that's important.
The first boat I made TipTop in 2000. When we launched her with my friend Seb Roubinet. We did a race that brought together the top names in the 6.50 class. We were very intimidated to see the field on this race. And we won it. It was a great satisfaction. We didn't know what it would be like. I sailed this boat in my corner, without really knowing what it could do.
I really enjoyed the first Mach I did with the JPS yard in La Trinité. It was for Aloys Claquin. It was the first Mach 40, the first of a really interesting series.
When we launched this boat, we felt like we had made a big leap forward compared to the Class40s that existed. The first race, we won all the races with a big lead. It was very nice to have this feeling of success.
The first trip on L'Occitane was also great! To be side by side with other IMOCA boats. The boat was going fast, it was great. It's great to see her sailing. It takes a long time to design a boat, to build it.
When you see the fruits of your labor, of the labor of all the people who were involved in the project... it represents a lot of effort! And when it works, it's great.
What boat would you have liked to draw?
There are probably many, but the one I think of most obviously is the Joubert/Nivelt Surprise. I think the story is great. These guys making a very original boat, totally out of the canon of the time. The boat was a total hit. They sold more than 1,000 of them, which is really great.
This boat has been used by many people and many have had a blast on it. The story of the Surprise is a story that I find very beautiful.
What is the project you would like to work on?
I'm involved in IMOCA projects, which is really interesting. It's very, very stimulating. I would love to work on multihull projects, Multi50s. I've already worked on some preliminary projects and unfortunately they didn't go through, but I'd really like to.
I've sailed Multi50s as a sailor, as a designer. What is absolutely brilliant about sailing is that there are completely different boats. The interest of sailing and designing is to be confronted with this diversity. I really enjoyed sailing on Multi50s. If I had the opportunity to design one, I would be really happy.
