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Caramel remains quite similar to the Grand Soleil 43 as it came off the shipyard. To tackle a round-the-world voyage via the Cape Horn, Cape Leeuwin, and the Cape of Good Hope, Sandrine prioritized autonomy, redundancy, and adaptability to high latitudes. The preparation was carried out with the support of Grand Soleil France, completed in two phases, and validated through practical experience.
A Grand Soleil 43 that was refurbished in stages rather than rebuilt
To take Caramel around the world from east to west, Sandrine didn't try to turn her Grand Soleil 43 into an expedition sailboat. The preparations were carried out gradually, preserving the boat?s overall design while making modifications to a few features deemed essential: self-sufficiency, steering, rigging, heavy-weather sails, and heating.
This approach is also a result of the boat?s history. Sandrine bought Caramel in 2022 with a much less ambitious plan: a trip around the Atlantic. She set sail in 2023, completing several solo crossings and spending several months in the Caribbean. The Odysea project, which set sail from Marseille on September 19, 2026, would come later.
In the meantime, the boat is racking up the miles. Sandrine estimates that she sailed between 15,000 and 18,000 miles on board before setting off on her round-the-world voyage. So she already knows her boat?s strengths, as well as how it operates on a day-to-day basis and what it needs.
This experience largely explains why preparations have proceeded without any major disruptions. Rather than starting from scratch, the goal is to make an already proven boat more reliable and adapt it to a much colder, more isolated, and sometimes solo racing program.
A steel structure that played a key role in the decision-making process
This generation of the Grand Soleil 43 was designed by Botin & Carkeek. Its construction features an interesting design element for an offshore yacht program: an internal galvanized steel frame is integrated into the boat?s structure. In particular, it absorbs the forces transmitted from the keel, the mast, and the shrouds.
Caramel also has a carbon mast. Despite the radical change in plans, Sandrine Levet therefore did not undertake any widespread reinforcement of the hull.
However, the question did arise. Sailing through the canals of Patagonia?with the unique anchoring and mooring challenges of those regions?could have justified additional modifications to the deck fittings. The idea of reinforcing or adding cleats was considered but ultimately abandoned.
The decision, therefore, is not to treat the boat as indestructible. Rather, it involves building on its existing structure and sailing history to avoid making modifications whose usefulness has not been sufficiently established.
Adding equipment does not automatically mean greater reliability. Every new installation adds weight, connections, wear-and-tear parts, and sometimes a new source of failure. With Caramel, the approach is one of targeted evolution.
The Atlantic Tour served as the first phase of preparation
Much of Caramel's offshore equipment was not installed specifically for the three capes. It dates back to the preparations for the Atlantic circumnavigation.
In particular, Sandrine had installed four 90-watt solar panels, for a total rated power of 360 watts.
A Schenker water desalinator with a capacity of 30 liters per hour had also been added to the inventory.
The third important decision concerns the pilot. For her flight across the Atlantic, Sandrine had already installed a backup system.
Even before conceiving of Horn or Leeuwin, Caramel already had an initial design for a large cruising yacht: electrical power generation, water production, and autopilot redundancy.
Heating and a staysail for changing latitudes
However, the shift from an Atlantic round-the-world race to a round-the-world race via the three capes has brought new challenges to light.
The most obvious example is heating. It?s hard to think of this equipment as merely a comfort feature when a route takes you through Ushuaia, the Patagonian channels, and then on to the southern latitudes. So Sandrine installed one before the Odysea set sail.
Another significant change is at the front of the mast, where a staysail has been installed.
On a large cruising sailboat, this small headsail is useful in a variety of situations. Its small sail area helps maintain a balanced sail plan when the wind picks up, without having to rely solely on a tightly furled genoa. Its position, closer to the center of the boat, also helps bring the center of effort closer to the rig when the sail area is reduced.
But setting up a staysail isn't just a matter of attaching a furler and a sail.
The forces generated by the forestay must be transferred to the structure. Caramel was therefore fitted with a chainplate tie-down under the tack of the staysail. This component transfers the loads from the forestay to a load-bearing part of the structure and prevents the deck from having to bear the forces on its own.
The preparatory work also involved elements that are much less visible. Sandrine replaced the running rigging. The standing rigging was also replaced.
Caramel still uses a symmetrical spinnaker, but that is not Sandrine's sail of choice when she sails alone.
She much prefers her asymmetrical spinnaker, which she uses with a sock. The sock allows her to deflate the sail before lowering it, thereby simplifying a maneuver that can quickly become physically demanding on a 43-foot sailboat.
Making an existing boat more reliable rather than building an expedition sailboat
For her round-the-world voyage, Sandrine focused primarily on the basics: generating power and water, being able to take the helm in case the main autopilot fails, having a reduced sail area suitable for heavy weather, maintaining a comfortable temperature on board, and bringing the rigging up to standard before setting sail.
The result is less spectacular than a complete refit, but it is part of a process that has been underway for several years. Cape Horn and the Patagonian channels will be the first major milestone in these preparations.
