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After competing in the Mini 6.50, the Class40, and five seasons in the Figaro class, Robin Marais took another step forward by taking the helm of Breathe . His IMOCA is a Farr-designed boat with centerboards that was launched in 2007 and has been extensively modified over the course of its long career. It?s a well-considered choice for a skipper who prides himself on his experience as both a racer and a technician. On board, a few weeks before the 2026 Route du Rhum, he explains how he is building his project toward the 2028 Vendée Globe.
Is the Vendée Globe a recent project, or something you've been planning for a long time?
It goes way back. I didn't grow up by the sea, but in the Lyon area. I discovered sailing largely thanks to my grandfather. And from the moment I started sailing and really got interested in that world, the Vendée Globe has been in the back of my mind.
At first, it really was just a dream. I had posters of Christophe Auguin in my room, though of course I had no idea how I might ever get there.
After that, I spent my entire career in Olympic sailing, and then I moved on to offshore racing. The 2013 Mini Transat was a major milestone. It was my first Atlantic crossing, and it allowed me to see if I felt comfortable being alone at sea.
But you waited a long time before making the switch to IMOCA. Why?
I probably have a somewhat old-fashioned approach. I need to understand and master the technical aspects of a boat before moving on to the next step.
I've been seriously considering the IMOCA for about ten years now. But I didn't necessarily feel I had the credentials to launch the project any sooner.
So my career has developed gradually. I sailed on a Mini, then a Class40, and then a Figaro. In fact, when it comes to boat size, I?ve almost done things in reverse order, since I went from a Class40 to a Figaro.
But Le Figaro had been a goal of mine for a long time. After the 2018 Route du Rhum, the transition happened naturally. I thought I?d stay there for two or three seasons, but I ended up staying for five years. I wanted to compete in the Solitaire?which I felt I was capable of doing?before moving on to something else.
What made you decide to get into IMOCA racing?
I?ve been seriously thinking about it since the 2018 Route du Rhum; when I returned from that race, the opportunity arose to sail a Figaro Beneteau 3, and I?d known for a long time that it was one of the items on my bucket list... At first, I wanted to develop the VG project at the same time, but in reality, it?s very hard to do. Those who know me know that I?ve long had the sailing skills to compete in the VG, but the Solitaire taught me something else?even though my background is in Olympic sailing? it?s not quite the same thing when you?re sailing around three buoys, and the Figaro, ultimately, is really all about that?the dynamics of offshore racing. I needed that discipline, and it took a little longer than expected.
In late 2023, after the solo race, I had the opportunity to join Phil Sharp?s IMOCA project?he was finishing the construction of a foiler based on Manuard?s design?as Boat Captain. Obviously, it was a very enriching experience technically, but also, and above all, on a personal level; That?s when I truly realized that I could lead a team, that people followed me and trusted me?and in the end, that might have been the turning point!
What did your time at Figaro bring you in terms of IMOCA?
There's a lot to it from a sporting perspective. It's an extremely demanding class. Since everyone is sailing the same boat, you can't attribute a result to differences in equipment. You have to work on navigation, weather, trim, speed, and all the details.
My last two seasons have shown real improvement. In 2023, in my final Solitaire, I finished eighth overall and took third place on the first leg.
But the IMOCA requires something else as well. You have to know your boat inside and out and be able to manage many more systems.
Did you already have significant technical experience before becoming an IMOCA skipper?
Yes. I've always had this dual career as both a runner and a coach.
Even before the Mini, I was already working as a technician, mainly in the South, on private yachts?some of which were quite large. They weren?t IMOCAs, of course, but some of the technical challenges are quite similar.
More recently, I served as boat captain on Phil Sharp?s boat. There, I was introduced to a new foiler and a much more complex platform. I was involved in matters related to the foils and electronics, and more generally in communications with all project stakeholders.
This experience taught me a lot, both technically and personally. I was often on the front lines managing the team in the field. That helped me realize I was capable of taking on that responsibility. It played a role in my decision to launch my own project.
When you were looking for your IMOCA, why didn't you choose a foiler?
I asked myself that question. We looked into the possibility of buying an older-generation foiler.
But then you have to look at the whole picture. To properly use a first-generation foiler, you have to invest a lot more money than you would in a boat with centerboards. And even with that investment, you won't necessarily be able to keep up with the latest-generation boats.
Given the resources we had available and in light of our partners, I found this challenge difficult.
A boat with centerboards was a better fit for our project. This allows us to devote our available resources to a boat that we can operate properly and truly control.
Why did you choose Respire, specifically?
It wasn't necessarily the boat that was at the top of our list from the start. We had initially made a lot of progress on another IMOCA. In the end, the project couldn't be completed within the timeline we had, and the boat was purchased by someone else.
So we resumed our search. I called Manu Cousin, and he gave me a detailed account of everything that had been done on his boat. From the very first visit, the decision became quite clear.
The first criterion was the condition of the composite material and the structure. For me, that was essential. Next, the boat had undergone extensive optimization work ahead of the 2024 Vendée Globe, particularly with ?Mer Agitée? and ?Mer Forte.?
And there was another, much more practical consideration: Manu was based in Les Sables-d'Olonne and I was in La Rochelle. When it came to the handover and getting up to speed, that proximity made things a lot easier. When you're still on a tight budget, that makes a difference.
Yet the boat is nearly twenty years old. What remains of the IMOCA that was launched in 2007?
You really shouldn't focus solely on the year it was built. It's no longer exactly the same boat it was when it was launched. It has undergone many modifications over the course of its life. In particular, the ballast tanks have been updated, the rigging has been modified, and significant work has been done on the structure and various systems.
That's what makes these IMOCAs so unique. Some of them are nearly twenty years old, but they have never stopped evolving.
On board, there are also features that have become fairly standard on today's IMOCAs. A lot of work has gone into modernizing the boat's systems.
Inside, however, the atmosphere remains extremely minimalist...
Yes. We have what we need?and not much more.
There's a kitchenette and a bunk on each side. A significant portion of the space is taken up by the systems.
Behind us, for example, is a whole section dedicated to electrical management. Beneath this area are the boat's six lithium batteries.
What memories do you have of your first Route du Rhum?
Obviously, it was a great memory, even though from a sporting standpoint there was quite a bit of frustration with a 20-hour layover in Cascais after passing through several fairly active weather fronts! I wasn?t out to win, but I had a good boat and was posting solid speeds in the trade winds, which would have easily put me in the top 10...
I also remember the village and the emotions I felt when I left, and the transition?which I?d been warned about extensively but which was still difficult for me! In short, it was a rewarding experience, and all things considered, it?s still good to have gone through it once before...
As a technician, do you need to be familiar with every system yourself?
Yes, definitely. That?s part of my approach to the project. I want to know how the boat works and why things were set up the way they were. Out at sea, when there?s a problem, you?re on your own. You have to be able to diagnose the issue and, in many cases, find a solution.
That?s also why I didn?t want to rush things before moving up to IMOCA. I wanted to have enough technical experience so that I wouldn?t be completely new to this aspect when I launched my project.
Of course, that doesn't mean I already know everything about Breathe . Now we need to turn general knowledge into very specific knowledge about this boat.
Have you sailed enough since you first started sailing the boat?
Not as much as we would have liked. There's no secret to it: to get to know a boat, you have to sail. We had planned to sail a lot in August.
In the end, I also spent a lot of time focusing on technical topics that we had initially planned to address after the qualifying round. We decided to move some of them up.
So I spent a good part of August on the boat working on these various projects. That inevitably cuts into my sailing time, but this work is also essential.
With a centerboard boat, what might your competitive goal be when racing against foiling boats?
We have to be realistic. I?m coming from Le Figaro, where I ended up competing at the front of the pack, and I?ll be reuniting with some sailors on the IMOCA circuit whom I?ve known from that series. Several of them now have state-of-the-art foiling boats capable of contending for the win.
Of course, there might be a little frustration. But everyone builds their project with the resources they have.
I already realize how fortunate I am to be leading an IMOCA project. And then there?s also this battle among the centerboard boats. It?s a competition within the competition that?s really important to me.
The goal, then, is to get the most out of the boat we have rather than trying to sail exactly the same race as the newest IMOCAs.
"Respire" isn't just a sports project, though. What do you want to build around it?
For me, this project is about more than just the boat and the Vendée Globe. Obviously, there?s the athletic aspect, but there?s also the human adventure and the entire entrepreneurial dimension.
This is something I've always taken on in my projects. You have to find partners, build a team, keep the ship running, and manage to bring coherence to the whole endeavor.
Breathe It also builds on a commitment I already had during the 2018 Route du Rhum with Ma Chance Moi Aussi. This aspect of sharing is part of what I want to build around the project.
The Vendée Globe is a huge athletic challenge, but the project should also allow others to join in on the adventure.
So, what's the current status of the project's funding?
Buying a boat and having the budget to operate it are two different things.
The acquisition is complete. However, when it comes to operations, we took a gamble. If I had waited until I had absolutely all the funding before starting, there was a significant risk that the project would never get off the ground. So we?re moving forward on a relatively tight budget. The Route du Rhum project would not have been possible without the involvement of our three partners: SMW AUTOBLOK TOBLER, BLB TRANSFERT, and JPS CONTRÔLE.
The boat's return to La Rochelle allowed us to develop this part of the project. A company's schedule isn't the same as that of an athlete. Sometimes we'd like decisions to be made much faster, but we have to accept this pace.
With the Route du Rhum just around the corner, how are you approaching this first major IMOCA race?
It?s like the beginning of a dream coming true. I have very fond memories of my first Route du Rhum, in 2018, in the Class40 category. The atmosphere in Saint-Malo is pretty incredible. You also have to learn to handle the contrast between the village, where you?re constantly surrounded by people, and the moment when you leave everyone behind to find yourself alone on the boat.
This time, I'm going to get a taste of racing in the IMOCA class. Of course, I hope to be able to compete with the other keelboats, but first and foremost, this will be a learning experience.
The priority will be to reach Guadeloupe, continue learning about the boat, and maintain it. The 2028 Vendée Globe remains the ultimate goal. Until then, every race and every nautical mile should help us build toward that goal.
