The Transat Jacques Vabre is a double-handed sailing race from France to the West Indies. Now divided into 3 different courses - from 4,600 to 7,500 miles - the race welcomes 4 classes of boats, from the giant Ultims to the more accessible Class40. It is one of the most followed sailing races with the Route du Rhum and the Vendée Globe and makes the eyes of many enthusiasts shine. In parallel, the Virtual Regatta platform - editor of regatta and offshore racing simulation games - offers the opportunity to thousands of players to participate virtually in the race.
Moving from the virtual to the real
During the press conference of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021, Philippe Guigné, director of Virtual Regatta made an announcement that did not go unnoticed. Going from virtual to real. Indeed, a virtual player of this edition of the TJV will have the unique chance to participate in the race in 2023 as a co-skipper.
"We want to give a chance to someone who dreams of doing the Transat Jacques Vabre, but can't. We know that in the game we have a very variable population: practicing or not, men, women, young, old, French, foreigners... But all are interested in the Transat Jacques Vabre or they would not play. We have a large community and we had to be able to organize this for them. Thanks to this large community, we will be able to find sponsors to finance all or part of the operation and convince a skipper who will be able to host a player on his boat." comments Philippe Guigné.
Opening a real place on the Transat Jacques Vabre 2023
The game publisher worked closely with the race management, who were very excited about the idea. And this two-year project will start during the virtual regatta. Among the players of the Transat Jacques Vabre, 1,000 people will be able to apply for this future position of co-skipper.
"Everyone will be able to register. We will then retain the first 1,000 in the ranking among the registrants and select the files in the 4 categories - Ultim, Ocean Fifty, IMOCA and Class40 - that is to say the first 250 to arrive per class and who have applied.
It's such an innovative project! In sailing, no one has done it. We've already had the example in the automobile industry, with the Nissan Academy and the Gran Turismo game." explains Philippe Guigné.
Certainly, up to this point, the project is commendable, but sailing - especially professional sailing - is not for everyone. It requires reflection, strategy, analysis, strength, mental strength... So how can you be sure to choose the right candidate? And above all, how to become an ace of the sea in a few months?
"We know that we have no information about the sailing skills with Virtual Regatta Offshore. But we already know that the person is a good router, who knows how to analyze the weather situations and optimize his route. We will take several criteria into account: the physical condition of the person, his shape, his resistance to seasickness, the fact that he is at ease in navigation without necessarily being very strong. But who wants to discover this world" explains Philippe Guigné.
The qualification process
At first, it will be necessary to achieve a good score in regattas. Then, the files will be analyzed and the motivations detailed. A dozen or so applications will then be selected to lead to a qualification system in the "physical world", on a boat.
We will have to wait for the prize-giving ceremony in Le Havre in January 2022 to know the complete details of the device. And in particular the class chosen. Because it is hard to believe that a "novice" in sailing can sail in Ultim or Multi50, even in IMOCA, which are very physical boats and whose skippers have real sporting ambitions. Will they agree to accept someone with no experience on board their latest boat? The Class40 would seem more appropriate for this type of challenge, with more heterogeneous profiles.
"Virtual Regatta is precisely the challenge of a game like this. There are many people who dream of doing the Transat Jacques Vabre or the Vendée Globe, but who don't have the time, the money, the skills and do it virtually, because it's much simpler, less expensive, less time consuming, less risky. Our players are not virtual. They are human beings, sailing fans, practicing or not, and we offer them the opportunity to participate in this race in a totally free way", concludes the director of Virtual Regatta.
