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3 Sailors for the same Mini Transat
The Frérots Sailing project was triggered by a well-known name in French ocean racing: Jean Le Cam. After a first Mini Transat in series in 2019, Julien Letissier becomes the Breton skipper's preparer for the 2020 Vendée Globe. "I was already planning to return to the Mini by building and supervising the launch of a proto boat. When Thaïs, Jean's daughter brought her Armagnac into the shed to prepare it, we got to know each other and as she was also thinking about doing the 2023 Mini Transat, she asked me questions and we started talking. Then came Valentin, a friend of Thaïs, with the same project. As there are almost no more places in the series, the solution of a collective project in proto seemed very good to qualify. To build 3 identical boats in proto" says Julien Letissier.
Thus was born the company Frérots Sailing which brings together the 3 partners - Thaïs Le Cam, Julien Letissier and Valentin Noël - to carry their Mini Transat project. The 3 sailors having found their sponsor for the operation, they definitively joined their structure, while continuing the search for partners.
3 Mini 6.50 proto from the IDB Maxi 6.50 molds
All that remained for the 3 brothers was to find the boat. They turned to David Raison's design for the Maxi 6.50. After discussions with Denis Bourbigot of the IDB Marine shipyard, an agreement was reached to build the 3 boats in carbon. "It's interesting because we can build the boats in infusion in a female mold. It is rare in Mini proto, the price of the tooling being too high for the traditional budgets. Valentin was hired at IDB Marine and we benefit from the know-how of the shipyard" underlines the skipper.
If each one has his speciality because of his background : Thaïs for the communication and sponsoring, Valentin for the technical aspects and the supplies and Julien for the preparation and production aspects. Once the hulls are made, the fittings and the equipment will be done by the 3 companions.
A technical and financial interest
Working with 3 skippers has advantages on several levels. If they did not succeed in the approach of a single common sponsor, the partners also see an interest in meeting each other and creating a dynamic between the companies.
On the financial side, economies of scale are possible on the purchase of material during the construction, but also afterwards during the sailing season. "We can have a common truck, spare parts and spare sails. Today, a proto built turnkey is around 280 keuros. Our goal is to reach 200 keuros, but we have to take into account that we will work on it" says Julien Letissier.
The interest is also to sail "as a team", although alone on board, to learn faster. "The group will also allow us to make up for the short schedule. The first boat, Thaïs', will be launched at the end of April. We will sail together to see the details and improvements. The next two boats will be built from August for a launch at the end of 2022. Having the 3 boats will allow us to be very qualitative in training" says the sailor.
See you in the summer for the first answers.
