Feet in the water since childhood
With his salt-grey hair and sun-cracked eyes, you can tell that Fred Duthil has spent time at sea. And for good reason, since his childhood, he lives with it. Born in Normandy near the sea, and spending his vacations in Brittany, we can say that the sea spray is never far away.
"I was rocked by this environment" he says.
His father introduced him to sailing through cruises on his boat. At the age of 6, he had his own Optimist and was already sailing solo.
However, around the age of 10, trained by his older brother, he abandons the hulls to take a passion for windsurfing âeuros sport in full expansion and evolution at the time. "I was sailing on a board my father had cobbled together. With a cut mast and a sail that was a bit ragged."
At the age of 14, he took the start of his first regattas in Ouistreham. At that time he was a youngster, but he was quickly noticed. "I quickly made good results, which allowed me to be selected for the French youth championships and the youth world championships. I ended up joining the French Olympic windsurfing team when I was 19, in 1993 just after the Barcelona Games." This is how he will follow 8 years of an assiduous Olympic sailing curriculum, for the Atlanta and Sydney games, without being selected for either one. The hard law of Olympism fixes only one selected by nation.
"At 26, I had already spent quite a few years of my life doing this. I decided to end my career as a top athlete to get hired by an insurance consulting firm, which recruited me primarily for my sports profile." But every enthusiast knows: chase the natural, it comes back at a gallop. It took him 2 years before the call of the sea and the desire to be on the water was too strong, as he explains: "In 2002, I went to my boss and said, 'Look, Paul, I'd like to keep working, but if I could do the Mini on the side that would be nice.'"
In 2002-2003, he won almost all the pre-season races, but despite being the favorite, the transatlantic race did not go very well, as he dismasted on the second leg.
But the story doesn't end there: these two years of Mini allowed him to get back on a boat. Following his dismasting, his partner agreed to follow him in the Figaro. "I've done ten editions in a row!" With no less than 8 podiums and 4 stage victories, always keeping this philosophy of not putting all his eggs in the same basket. During all these years, he has always kept a job: "I would get off my boat in a suit and tie" he says I kept this stress from the time when I was in the French team and I had bet everything on it, without having studied, wondering what will happen afterwards. I didn't want to go through that again. This ability to keep my job on the side gave me peace of mind."
But in 2013, it becomes difficult to reconcile everything: sports life, professional life, and, as life goes on, the family that is built around it.
2016 : he takes over the sailmaker Technique Voile. "By necessity, when you run a sailmaker, you have to sail, be up to speed and spend a lot of time with your customers, and in series like the Figaro to fine-tune the sails." And to be at the level, there is nothing like âeuros¦ starting again for a season. Thus, in 2020, he took the helm of the brand new Figaro 3, released in 2019, and finished 2nd behind Armel Le Cléac'h. "In 2019, with the sailmaker, we had decided to put energy into this new support to be able to come out with a set of sail that works. We worked with Alexis Loison, Pierre Leboucher who were the leaders of the series. The regatta sails we make today give credibility to our know-how with boaters, who will come to see us because they know they will have a quality product."
Flash back on his beginnings in the world of figarists
The first time Fred climbed aboard a Figaro, the biggest names in ocean racing were competing on this support: Yann Eliès, Michel Desjoyaux, Alain Gauthier, Armel Le Cleac'h, Charles Caudrelier, Sébastien Josse âeuros¦ the line-up is impressive! And it is Sébastien Josse who is going to put his foot in the stirrup, by inviting him for a 24-hour race on his Figaro 1. "He had invited me because he was also a board enthusiast. I've never done the Solitaire on the Figaro 1, but on the Figaro 2, I've worn out my trousers. It's a boat I know by heart!
However, his beginnings on the race did not necessarily smile to him. Winning a leg of the Solitaire is earned, and requires skills that require several years of experience: you have to manage the delicate balance between being on the ball and knowing how to rest so as not to arrive at the finish line exhausted. Because if the Solitaire is raced in stages, the time of the stopover is not always sufficient to leave at 100% of your form. "I remember passing the mark ahead of Charles Caudrelier at Wright Island, I was like a madman. It was my first year as a rookie. I had the impression that I had a good level, but I fell flat on my face when I finished 22nd. I was a bit disgusted with the result, but the Figaro is high level, it's hard!"
But like many, a few days later, he agrees with his partner to return.
Year after year, Fred progresses, accumulates podiums and builds memories and experience. "The most striking memory of all the editions I have done is the stage I won in Les Sables d'Olonne in 2007. We crossed the Bay of Biscay in 35-45 knots of wind: a steep stage physically that marked everyone. Winning ahead of Mich' Dej' [Editor's note: Michel Desjoyaux] was incredible. I had managed to take the boat all the way to the end - while a Figaro had turned over. We had very tough conditions. A stage that by its hardness marks, but winning it âeuros¦ I have great memories of it." Despite everything, an energy problem will make him miss his third stage and he will finish behind Michel Desjoyaux in the general ranking. Because winning the Figaro also requires some luck âeuros¦ or success.
Among the other memories that have marked him, we can also mention this time, during the 2006 edition, when he fell overboard during a spinnaker maneuver. "I don't know how, I hung on to the balcony at the back and managed to get back on the boat as best I could. All night I was scared to death, unable to do anything. I keep this adventure in my memory. From now on, when I go to the front, I am more on all fours than standing."
What future for this sailor?
According to him, the 2022 edition will be the last. It was an opportunity that he was able to seize. But, since the purchase of Technique Voile by the Incidence group, he thinks he has less time to sail.
But let's be wary of sailors' promises, because the past has shown us that the call of the sea can often be stronger than promises. "You go from being stressed to being tired, which is very intense. There are moments when it's pretty cool, but overall we're always in a tough spot. What's crazy is that when you set foot on the pontoon at the finish, a few hours later, you just want to go back there. It's a bit addictive. That's why I like this race
