FR
EN
Seb just describe your big picture strategy and where you made your winning gain?
During the start we wanted to just stay with the fleet as the weather was strong with quite big waves and we knew we did not have to push too much because we knew that when we would get to Madeira the wind would drop and there would be a re-start and so we knew that. At Madeira we were a little bit behind so we were a little bit disappointed but we went west of the island and made some gains in the west. We tacked for one or two miles and the others were all to the leeward side of the island and for us it was a gain as if they came back they would have had to go behind by ten or 20 miles.
That decision at Madeira, your weather router Marcel van Triest briefed you this was the best options before the start?
Before the start we had discussed it with Marcel, he suggested we should go to the west and we agreed. We worked and always tried to be able to go west there.
We lost a lot of miles to Ascension though because SVR Lazartigue was better in these conditions, medium winds, 16kts, upwind and also I think the weather was a little more stable for them behind, we were ahead in a kind of transition zone, so it was not so stable. They were a little faster, had a little more wind, a little more stable wind that is really I think why they came back at us.
And what about this speed advantage you showed downwind VMG on the South American coast, what was this?
We discovered it during the race, there and then. We did not think we were so strong there but we really found it on that downwind. It is a secret what we did. It was about finding a good balance and that is about trimming everything to balance the boat, that is trimming the foils, the sails, everything. The key is stability. Once you find that mode, where you are going fast it is easy on the boat, the balance is perfect
This is a special story for you both, especially for you after what happened with Gitana?
It is a good story, it is good for Armel. He never won a multihull race, he broke one boat, he never won this race, and so it is a good story for him. And for me I am happy because it proves I am not too old to win something! It is good for me. If we talk about Gitana, well it is an old story. That box was closed a long time ago. But for me it is nice to prove to the offshore world that Seb Josse is a competitor, that is all. For me that is why I do this. I love sailing offshore on these kind of boats, I don’t care about the stories.
And what is the particular strength of this boat compared to the others?
Banque Populaire is a more polyvalent boat, it is not bult to fly so early but it is designed and made to go fast around the world, it is made to be good and fast in all conditions and it is not so hard to go fast on this boat.
How did the relationship start and develop?
We have known each other since we were 20 years old and always competed against each other. We did the same learning processes and been to the same training centres and so on. I did a little bit more sailing in multihulls than me. And so a lot of the time Armel would give me the lead for trimming the boat, that is the key of the thing, he wanted to use my background.
Armel has a reputation for being quite intense, you seemed to be a good influence, to find time to have a smile, a laugh together?
I am a good influence on everyone! And yes, I am good humoured with everyone. But with Armel I have to really prove myself first. He is very strict and concentrated. He has to learn that I can be fun but I am focussed and really professional. When we started to work together, he more or less said ‘if you are too much fun it is not possible to be so strong in your job.’ But I know I can do both, he knows now I can do both, I can be really focussed but I can be fun..
But to break the tension with a little levity from time to time makes for good chemistry? Yes it is important. It is a key to ocean racing to smile sometimes.
And what about the fleet now, the top boats are close?
The differences between the boats now are very small, one family of foils is sometimes better for one thing and on e for the other. Now as we see the fleet it was really close. And before the start of the race we thought we would see a race like The Figaro, sailing these boat at over 35 knots but seeing the other boat right next to you. That is what we expect now.
Is there any immediate gains to be made in terms of optimising further?
Now the gains are small, half or one knot here and there. And now going into this round the world race there is not much else to learn or apply before it, except this good balance we have found.
This solo round the world race starts on January 7th how do you think it will shape up?
We don’t know. It can be a really nice story or it can be a bit shit. We just don’t know. We have to wait until it is going and see if boats break and if they can be fixed. That is hard to say now.
But this Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre has been good for the ULTIM class?
We have proven the boats can go really fast, we have had high level competition and the fleet is the best of what there is, everyone is good with good boats. And all the boats arrived in good shape at the finish so this race has been very good for the class. It is the first race I think that
And what about new boats, anything in the offing?
The building process is so long, it is two years. So it is good to decide early. Gitana we hear are working on that.
