Anne-Claire Le Berre is one of the sailors taking part in the final selection phase of the UpWind by MerConcept project, aimed at building a 100% female crew on the Ocean Fifty UpWind skippered by Francesca Clapcich. She answers our questions about the project and her participation.
How do you come to apply for a project like UpWind by MerConcept, and what motivates you?
It's an exceptional project. Especially for a woman to have access to such a well-defined Ocean Fifty project. I did 3 Olympic campaigns between 2000 and 2012 in 470, Yngling and then match racing. When the mixed Nacra was chosen as the Olympic series, I did a season in Viper to train in multihulls, but in view of the French competition, I didn't do a 4th campaign. Nevertheless, I continued in Formula 18, with 3 years of multihull racing before moving on to ocean racing with 8 years with Initiatives C?ur in the design office and then as technical director, before returning to ocean racing. But access to multihulls is not easy. There aren't many Ocean Fifty and let's not talk about Ultims! That's hard enough when you're a man, and even harder when you're a woman. Offering this to 4 to 6 women is a great opportunity.
Is it necessary to go 100% female?
On the last 3 transatlantic races I did, it was always because there was a quota or a sponsor with a female crew objective. On the Niji 40, where there was none, even with Class40 experience, I couldn't find a place. Projects like UpWind by MerConcept will enable us to improve our skills to compete with the best male sailors.
How do you prepare for such a selection?
We're getting ready for it long before it happens! Already, it's come at the right time in my career. I've been devoting myself entirely to sailing for the past 2 years, including physical training and time on the water. First of all, you have to see if the project fits in with yourself before applying, and then give it your best shot.
What skills are you looking for?
First of all, that of offshore multihulls. There's a gap with the small multihulls I used to sail. It's technically simple, but you have to find the right balance between safety and performance.
It's great to be with a team like MerConcept, which has broken records and has mastered multihull sailing. Having machines that are at the top of their game helps a lot with confidence.
The different backgrounds of the different girls, Francesca's background, the exchanges with UpWind and all the MerConcept teams, it's rich.
I'm obviously looking for sporting, strategic and technical skills. If we want to be at the level of Arthaud or MacArthur, we're going to have to wake up. Since McArthur, few women have done as well in multihulls.
What can the project bring to women's ocean racing?
There's something for every profile and every age. Behind it, women's sailing will grow. It's not a solo project. Single-handed sailing is great on the water, but there's a team behind it. This will enable offshore crews to work faster and bring a wealth of profiles and professions.
