Questions for our skippers

How did you keep yourself occupied during this week of waiting?

Clément Giraud (Coup de pouce - Giffard manutention): "On Sunday just after the announcement that the start was postponed, I took the train home to Toulon. Early in the week, I did some windsurfing, yoga and a run in the mountains. The, I rushed back to Le Havre before the storm to secure my boat and I have been her ever since."

Jean-Baptiste Gellée (Primonial): "I went home to spend some time with the family, which was not what I was expecting. It’s all a bit strange, as you can’t look too far ahead. It was a bit like being on stand-by at home, and I tried to keep myself in shape: stretching exercises, building up my muscles and a 20-minute jogging session.,

Achille Nebout (Amarris): "I needed to get some rest, as the first leg was very intense and took a lot out of me. We needed too to carry out a thorough check on the gear. That was what I did early in the week.  After that, it was not very clear, as we didn’t know when we would be setting off again, so it was hard not knowing exactly what to do: should I remain focused or take it easy?  Now we know we’ll be starting on Monday morning and so we’re back in race mode. This weekend will be for looking at the weather and supplies, etc…”

Have you ever been sick during a race?

Clément: "I can get sick at the start of races, often with the pressure. During the first few hours of racing after the start, the pressure starts to drop off and you settle in. That is even more the case when you haven’t sailed a lot on the boat for a while, but you soon get over it.”

Achille: "It happens sometimes to me too, a bit like Clément. I get sick at the start of the race with the pressure, in particular when conditions are rough and you set off in heavy seas. I think that happens to most skippers."

 How do you keep yourself busy at sea when there is no wind?

Clément: "When there is no wind at all, that’s the worst moment. You keep looking for the smallest adjustment and when there is very little wind, the autopilot doesn’t cope well, so you take the helm. You wonder what you’re doing wrong. A lot goes through your mind. That’s when you can forget to rehydrate yourself. You don’t sleep and don’t eat. In light conditions, if things work well, it’s a happy time for the sailors. You can enjoy it and look at everything around you.”

Jean-Baptiste: "It is a paradox, but when there is the least wind, it can be the time when you use up the most energy, as you want to get out of the calm area. It involves a lot of trimming, finding the right sail and trying to edge ahead. These are times when we are kept busy On the other hand, when the wind is steady, that’s when you can relax a bit and listen to a podcast."

What are your favourite podcasts or books?

Achille: "Personally, I don’t take any books with me, because we live in the damp and I can never get them out, but I do listen to a lot of music. I draw up some playlists with things I don’t know, leave it at random, and that is how I discover lots of things. Apart from that I listen to podcasts, "Court cases” from France Inter radio that I never have time to listen to when ashore.

Jean-Baptiste: "I love that programme too. Someone suggested a programme for modern men, which is interesting to listen to. You pick up things here and there from sailors or people around us to get a podcast library together, so that you have plenty to choose from at sea."

Clément: "I go randomly for a podcast. I like listening to long interviews about politics or economics. I don’t always understand (laughs) but they are the experts. It gets you thinking about what is happening ashore for when you get back there."

Do you have any lucky charms on the boat?

Clément: "Manu (Cousin) has an octopus aboard. My daughter lost my lucky charm which I took with me ever since my Mini-Transat in 2005."

Achille: "I do have a lucky charm with me. It’s a little statue of a lion that my nephew, Leo gave me for my first Figaro 3. I then took it aboard my Class 40. It’s the only ‘pointless’ object allowed aboard and weighs around 200g.”

What animals have you already seen at sea?

Clément: "In the Transat Jacques Vabre, 2 years ago, we had a bird like a heron, which was completely lost. He struggled to get aboard off Africa. It was about 50cm tall and spent 24 hours aboard."

Achille: "It’s true we often encounter birds that appear to be lost. You wonder how they ended up in the middle of the ocean. Sometimes they get aboard to get some rest, which is nice. Then there are a lot of dolphins near the coasts. Recently in the Azores in the summer, we saw fifteen or twenty whales not far from the boat, which was quite impressive. Fortunately we were not going very fast, as I’m always afraid of hitting one. It doesn’t often happen, but you forget the race for a while and make the most of seeing them."

How many calories do you consume each day?

Jean-Baptiste: "It’s something of a paradox, but the times you need the most energy are when you can eat the least. Typically, in the first leg, we didn’t even manage to heat up some water for coffee. Eating fluctuates a lot. When it is very rough, we tend to go for fast food, cakes, some sugar to keep going.”

Achille: "I don’t have any exact figures, but I’m a bit like JB. When it’s rough and you are slamming, it’s very hard to get food ready. So that’s when I have some energy drinks, which give me some nutrients."

Do you have any treats aboard?

Clément: "I still remember my Vendée Globe. I wasn’t used to eating a lot of sugary stuff. My team had prepared a box for Halloween with sugar, sweets and Nutella. After two months at sea, I dived into the box and in less than a week it was empty."

What was your worst moment at sea?

Jean-Baptiste: "The worst moment is when something breaks. The moment when you don’t know if you’ll be able to continue. You start to have doubts and usually conditions are not nice at that point. That’s the worst time for me."

And the best?

All three: "When you cross the finish line, whether you have won or not."

Which song would you choose to describe this race?

Jean-Baptiste: "In the first leg, I’d definitely say Rage Against the Machine (all three laugh) and then a French song by Nino Ferrer, Le Sud, which means the South. The place where it all goes smoothly at 25-30 knots in the trade winds. It’s warm and you’re just that bit closer to Paradise!"