ReVenge, an ocean-going rowing boat built entirely of carbon, embodies an innovative and emotionally-charged initiative. The story of this boat begins with a dream, that of one man, Hervé Lalanne, whose passion for sailing and the sea has left an indelible mark: to break a record for crossing the Atlantic by rowing. Emmanuelle Guillerm shares her friend's challenge, a project that she is about to turn into reality, by paying him a personal tribute.
Can you tell us the story behind the ReVenge project?
It's an innovative and atypical project, with a very singular history. To go back to the beginning, I had twins who are now 16 years old. After their birth, I needed to regain my physical and sporting condition, so I looked for a rehabilitation clinic close to home. That's how I met Hervé Lalanne, a physiotherapist with a passion for sailing. He had built his Mini 6.50 in his garage to take part in the 1997 Mini Transat. During our sessions, he explained that he was building a new boat, this time inspired by Gérard d'Aboville's 1980 rowing crossing. His goal was to build something much lighter, in carbon, to row across the Atlantic and break a record.
It was an ambitious project. For my part, even though I'm a marine biologist, I'm very interested in shipbuilding and materials like carbon. So I offered him a deal: I'd help him build the boat, and in exchange, he'd teach me vacuum and infusion lay-up techniques. We worked once a week in his garage, taking it one step at a time. Hervé had already made the molds, and together we built the two half-hulls, the bulkheads and the rowing station. The boat was based on a design by Pierre Rolland, a naval architect and friend of Hervé.
Unfortunately, Hervé fell ill. He didn't tell me, but he had cancer. He chose to end his life and left me the boat under construction with a small envelope and a letter. In it, he said that if I felt like it, I could finish building the boat and cross the Atlantic. Of course, there was no obligation, but he mentioned it in his will. As I stood before the notary, I realized the magnitude of this responsibility. I realized that if I didn't finish this project, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. It was the best way to pay tribute to him.
Did you receive any support to complete the work?
I picked up the boat in September 2021, started work on it in November and completed it in early 2024. I stayed at the KVK shipyard in Brest, where Guillaume Caudrelier and David Gourmelon supervised the construction. They gave me a roadmap every morning, and I put their instructions into practice.
Crédit Agricole also supported me, by putting me in touch with Arnaud Gourret. And Christophe Monnier, a maritime expert from Brest, came to assess the boat when I had doubts, particularly on the financial side. As the boat was expensive to build, I had even thought of selling it. Christophe encouraged me to persevere and facilitated the financing of part of the project by Crédit Agricole. Patrick Favre, who had already rowed across the Atlantic 8 times and held several records, also tested my boat and approved it. He found it very fast and easy to handle.
Patrick suggested that I make my first double-handed crossing from the Canaries to Guadeloupe, a distance of 3,000 miles, in January 2025, in an attempt to beat the record of 43 days and 15 hours currently held by a mixed English duo.
Did someone have the honour of christening your oar?
The boat was christened by Jean Le Cam during the fêtes maritimes. When my story was told to Jean, we asked him if he would be the godfather of ReVenge, and he accepted enthusiastically. On the day of the christening, he was quite stressed, because for him, if a bottle doesn't break, it's a bad omen. He banged the bottle so hard that it literally exploded and everyone was showered with champagne! It was a moment of great relief for him, and an emotional moment for me. Jean Le Cam is a role model for me, and this christening symbolizes my attachment to sailing.
