Which boat did you design and are you most proud of?
Today, the most successful is the Maximum. For 6 years, I didn't know what to do to improve her. The Class40 is very good, it immediately showed its performance and Magnum was very good too.
But the Maximum has an incomparable track record! The best track record! We launched it in 2014, and it has won many races since its launch. The orders continue, with small evolutions.
What boat would you have liked to draw?
The Optimist is the best boat in the world! There is no better one. First of all, it allows young people to sail, it's accessible both on a sporting and human level... It helps personal development, the acquisition of autonomy, socialization within sailing clubs..
There are few or no displacement dinghies of this size that go this fast. Yet it is very simple, with a rudder and a basic daggerboard. Not to mention the livard sail. But it is a concept that works.
It's a boat that was visionary, simple, open source - anyone can build one - with international development.
I got my first Optimist quite late, around 11 years old, but it has this reassuring side that makes your parents let you go alone.
What is the project you would like to work on?
In terms of ocean racing, I would like to design an IMOCA. It could be fun, clearly. All the projects are interesting and I'm not after the big boats. But I still have a card to play, with my lead over the scows. In 4 years, it won't be the same.
On a more "fun" note, I had a request for a float for an Atlantic record in windsurfing. In the same style, I'd like to go after the Vestas Sail Rocket record, in a flying machine. These are not necessarily projects that have a societal or environmental meaning, but it's fun.
