euros less than a month before the start, what is your state of mind?
We are ready. We were able to order a complete set of sails. A first for a transatlantic race. We designed our sails with the necessary hindsight. We have sailed the boat quite a bit since we returned from the Vendée Globe and acquired it. It's a boat with great potential.
What are your ambitions for this Jacques Vabre, now that you have a new Valley Office in your hands?
The competition is seriously enlightened on the latest generation boats with skippers who have participated in the Vendée Globe with them. We're going to try to do well, but we still don't have all our bearings. We're going to learn even more about the "boat" and play in the group.
Why did you choose to buy l'Occitane and what is your assessment of your sailing experience on board ?
With the Covid, the new boats were launched late. It was complicated. And in spite of everything, the boat L'Occitane has been around the world. It was launched in February. There was not much time for fine-tuning.
We did a few matches together and we were amazed at the speeds he could have. It has a huge potential. His hull shape with a scow bow, with a spatulate front has worked very well in Mini 6.50 and Class40. So there's no reason why it can't be the case in IMOCA. It's a simple boat design, but relatively easy to evolve, develop and manage. The foils are super big and bulky and well established. In light airs, because they extend high up on the hull, you have the ability to retract them.
Sam Manuard also has a great reputation and has done a lot of naval architecture work on other classes of boats. The boat has performed superbly despite Armel Tripon's problems. She still has the speed record on the return trip between the Deep South and the Equator. It brakes less in the waves and it holds high average speeds. And he is beautiful!
Did you do a winter yard on the boat?
We've done a fairly major refit. The reinforcements installed by the previous team were quickly installed during the summer before the 2020 Vendée Globe. We have redone everything perfectly. We also carried out a major research project to try to work on the ergonomics on board, and in particular the management of repeated shocks to the body.
This is one of the counterparts of the spatula bow. It's very violent and you have to take this factor into account to avoid injury. We have reviewed the ergonomics of the watch stations and the place where we sleep. We have made the electronics more reliable, modified the ballast systems to fill them in under all conditions, even upwind when things are not going very fast. The rigging has been completely changed, as have the sails. We've changed a lot of things.
Why did you choose Davy Beaudart as co-skipper?
We know each other quite well on the water. We have already participated together in the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2019. We've also known each other personally for about fifteen years. Professionally, we have always been very close. He prepared my boat for the Route du Rhum in 2010. We get along very well. It was also the first to take out a scow in Mini 6.50. He is very strong technically and he is a very good trimmer. All the boxes are ticked, from competence to pleasure.
What are the constraints and advantages of a double-handed race format compared to solo or crewed racing?
When you get to know a boat, it allows you to share your feelings. It challenges you more. You learn faster. You're less hesitant to change your sail configuration, to make adjustments because we're going to wonder if we're still at the top of the speed range. When you go to sleep, you rest fully. Your teammate is on deck, adjusting, watching over you. You share moments of life with him, the pleasures as well as the difficulties.
What do you think of the new race courses? What will it change?
The course is very close to the classic Jacques Vabre course, at least until Fernando. We're going to turn a mark near the classic course. On the other hand, on the way back from Fernando, it will be an open reaching course. This is perhaps not bad for powerful boats with efficient foils. This second part of the course may allow us to lengthen our stride for this type of boat.
Will we be able to go directly on course on this section or will we pass the doldrums again by its entry point due east? Will the trade wind be due east or will it be a little north? Potentially, we'll be tacking at 120° to the wind, in 15 to 20 knots of wind. That favors the big foils.
We benefit from the precedence rule. Our foils are bigger than the new rules, in return, we are no longer entitled to our 5° incidence on the rake. We are limited to 3°. The new rule also allows us to go to 7° of rake ( Editor's note: mast inclination in relation to the vertical ), we are forced to stay at 4°.
How do you feel about the competition, both in personal and material terms (boat)?
We don't have the same knowledge of our machine as 4 or 5 potentially very fast boats. Apivia, LinkedOut, Charal, are very efficient with skippers who know them by heart. They have participated on board in the Vendée Globe and have sailed a lot on them. They have a better knowledge of the settings than we do. We'll be a little bit behind them when it comes to finding the right settings.
On the other hand, we know each other very well with my teammate. We have sailed the boat a lot. Even if we have less hindsight on its ability to withstand shocks. Maybe we'll be taking our foot off the gas sooner than the others. The goal is to complete this Transat Jacques Vabre and to fight with the others. We've got a lot to play for with a fast boat!
After the Transat Jacques Vabre, what are your plans?
We will sail to the West Indies with the sponsor and return by sea before a big winter refit to optimize the boat. We will then participate in the whole season, with the Route du Rhum, a moment we are waiting for.
In 2014, I finished 5th in the IMOCA race. I started with this race. I'm on the ball after a retirement in 2018. In addition, we are from Saint-Malo, it is a very important race for me!
