At the end of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021, the Virtual Regatta game announced the launch of the Virtual to Real program, to enable one of its players to take part in the real thing, aboard a Class 40, in the 2023 edition. Among them, Basile Buisson seized the opportunity and sums up his journey to the pontoons of Le Havre for the start of the Transat, as well as his discoveries and expectations.
What was the selection process for the Virtual Regatta co-skipper?
I received the e-mail sent to all the participants, and I said to myself that if I had one chance in my life to do this race, this was it. So I replied. There were a thousand of us. After a second selection race on Virtual Regatta, there were 250 of us, who then had to submit a file and a video presentation. Of the 70 entries received, 20 were put to a vote by the public and the jury, after which 10 of us met in Le Havre for a live selection.
There were then physical selections, based on knowledge of J80 and Class 40 sailing, and then we were 3 finalists to leave for 24 hours with Kieran, the skipper, for a round trip between Le Havre and the Isle of Wight.
All in all, it lasted a year and a half, with periods of intense activity and other quieter periods.
How did you get started playing Virtual Regatta, and how much practice do you have?
My first race on Virtual Regatta was the 2016 Vendée Globe, then a few before the 2020 Vendée Globe. Then I started playing very regularly, with 2 to 4 races a month. With the time needed for updating and routing using the different weather models, it takes a lot of time. Virtual Regatta is based on the GFS model, but by supplementing it with other models, by going to local sources in Australia for example, we can get a head start. I play in a team with Extaz'Sea. There are about fifty of us, and we're currently ranked 2nd in the world. What I like is that we can exchange ideas on the subject together.
And in "real" sailing, what's your background?
I started Optimist sailing at the age of 7, then went on to SL 15.5 and Open 5.7. I did a bit of IRC and classic sailing, and today I sail J70s, but always between 3 buoys. Never offshore, and almost no cruising.
What was the preparation like and how can you reconcile it with your professional life?
The selection took place at the end of May. I'm a sailor in the Merchant Navy. So I had to go sailing again the next day for 4 weeks, but then my employer let me go until the end of the race. We alternated heavy training sessions with technical preparation of the boat. It's a Verdier design, number 88, which won the Route du Rhum with Thomas Ruyant. We did the Fastnet as a qualifier. It was a good test, in strong winds. We had quite a few breakages, but we made it to the end. It gave us a chance to get to know each other.
In August, we continued with our physical development and our search for partners, with the arrival of Google Chrome.
What surprised you about this preparation?
It's a beautiful, powerful toy, but it almost feels like a dinghy. But the powers involved are not the same as on a J70, and you can't make up for mistakes by hand. I had and still have a lot to learn about sleep management and DIY. As far as seasickness is concerned, we did a test on the Fastnet, and it worked! I can stay at the chart table when everything's flying around. The most complicated thing is sleep and the cold, when you have to be attentive to everything around you at night.
What does the Virtual Regatta experience bring to the duo?
Weather and routing analysis. Apart from Virtual Regatta, it's impossible to do 20 transatlantic races in a year to test yourself. Then, on Virtual, the boat is always 100% polar, not in reality. But Kieran knows the boat well enough to find the right settings.
What are your sporting and personal goals for this Transat Jacques Vabre?
From a sporting point of view, it was already a question of being at the start and getting to the other side without breaking or hurting ourselves. We're the 2nd oldest boat, so we're not going to aim for the top of the ranking, but the aim is to play with those closest to us.
From a personal point of view, the program is called du Virtuel au Réel, but I'd rather call it du Virtuel à l'Irréel. Racing in a transatlantic race has always been a dream of mine. I'm going to gain experience that can be transposed to other boats. For the moment, it's just a one-shot operation. If it continues, so much the better. After the race, I'm also going to discover the West Indies with my family. The project was born on Virtual Regatta and it's really nice to get the community on board with us and exchange ideas.
