What are the main missions as a member of the Race Directorate (DC) of the Vendée Globe ?
We are a team of five people in the Race Management. Hubert Lemonnier, the race director, contacted me to join the team and I quickly gave my agreement. My main tasks are mainly related to the sporting aspects and safety of boats at sea.
Our office is open 24/7, we ensure a permanent watch on skippers. We work on the implementation and compliance with the race rules in collaboration with the referees, the race committee, the jury, as well as the organizer, SAEM Vendée.
Throughout the journey, we monitor the boat’s trajectories and speeds to ensure that everything is going well on board. We are also the first contact for skippers and their technical teams, whether for questions related to the course or in case of problems.
How does your experience as a skipper play a role in the Race Management team ?
For the moment, we are living through an incredible edition. The qualification system has proved its effectiveness: the boats have sailed a lot and the skippers have prepared their machines well. This results in very little breakage so far, especially as the weather conditions have been relatively mild since the start, with a rather calm descent of the Atlantic.
My experience as a rider allows me to be comfortable in the analysis of problems that may encounter skippers. When difficulties arise, it is easier for me to project in their place. It helps me to better advise them and make the most appropriate decisions to solve situations effectively.
For the future, will this experience not be useful to the project in class 40 ?
Yes, of course. This experience allows me to follow the course very precisely, especially with regard to weather analysis and navigation strategies. Being involved in such a thorough follow-up of a course is an excellent learning opportunity and it is a real asset in terms of experience for my project in Class 40.
Do you think it is important to go through the Class40 before doing a Vendée Globe ?
The IMOCA is a prototype category where there is a lot of development work. In Class40, it’s different: the development is more limited because we are very much supervised by the gauge. This has the effect of tightening the performance of the boats, which are very close to each other. The difference is therefore very much on the level of the skipper and the crew, which makes the Class40 very attractive thanks to its particularly high sporting level. The class is also working well because costs are controlled. The budgets required for a Class40 project and an IMOCA project are incomparable. However, I would not say that passing through the Class40 is a mandatory step before launching in IMOCA.
These are two different worlds, not least because in the IMOCA it is necessary to succeed in structuring a solid project and finding sponsors capable of bearing much larger costs.
However, the Class40 offers a unique opportunity: it allows you to participate in almost all the major races open to IMOCAs, except for the Vendée Globe. This, combined with the quality of the board and the large number of courses available, makes the Class40 very interesting as a class for sailing offshore.
What advice would you give to a young skipper who wants to get on the Class40?
The Class40 circuit is well structured to offer a wide variety in the sports program, with many courses in crew. My advice would be not to hesitate to knock on doors and offer to embark on races with crew.
It is the experience gained through navigation that makes a place in a team. And opportunities, it yen has! Just meet the teams and demonstrate their motivation.
What are these ambitions for next year and beyond?
I would like to enter the IMOCA class one day, but it’s not a decision that depends only on me. My experience in IMOCA, especially with Jean-PierreDick, Isabelle Joschke and Holcim, as well as my role in the Vendée Globe Race Management are assets.
However, today I have a lot of fun in Class40 with my partner Legallais. We have a great project that will lead us to the Route du Rhum. For next season, our goal is to continue the momentum of this year, where we achieved an excellent season: 3rd on The Transat CIC, 2nd on Québec–Saint-Malo and 1st on the CIC Normandy Channel Race.
We finished the year off in style with a win over the NCR, in Normandy, at my sponsor’s. By 2025, the goal is to start the season defending this title.
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