Your second place in Fort-de-France was considered a surprise; was it one for you?
To be honest, yes. Finishing second, it was higher than what we had imagined before the start. When I was asked the question in Le Havre, I replied that I wanted to do better than in 2023, which was seventh, so second is very cool.
How do you explain going from seventh place in 2023 with Boris Herrmann to second place two years later with Francesca on the same boat (the former Malizia-Seaexplorer, a VPLP design from 2022)?
For me, there are several reasons. The first is that two years ago, after the first night, also in a big storm, we were victims of a pilot problem in the Bay of Biscay, after having pushed quite hard since the start. We spent six or seven hours repairing, we came out of it very tired, and we lost nearly 50 miles. That served as a good lesson for us, because this time, when we saw that there was another big storm at the start, we thought about our strategy, telling ourselves that we needed to sleep well to be able to have enough resources in case of a problem in the first hours of the race. And it turned out that we had another autopilot issue! Specifically, a connection problem with an electronic plug, which caused the pilot to do a 360 in 35 knots, which was not very comfortable. But because we had thought about our strategy, we had the right energy to make that repair in the ridge of the Bay of Biscay, without losing too many miles this time.
And the other reasons?
The second is that since this year, we have a V3 of foils. On The Ocean Race Europe, that didn’t really help us—we finished fourth—but that was more because it was a light air race, which is not the boat’s strong point. On the other hand, we had very good moments of speed in certain conditions, which were confirmed on the Transat Café L’Or, particularly in the trade winds in 15-20 knots. With the V2, it was very complicated to fly all the time, whereas here, the boat was doing really well. The third reason is that with Francesca, we have accumulated a lot of confidence due to our previous experiences, so we were not very concerned about the others for a large part of the race; we focused on our strategy, on what we knew how to do with the boat.
You were in the lead several times, notably coming out of the ridge north of the Canaries; how did you manage to stay in the leading pack afterwards?
During the whole trade wind period, there were three phases. In the first part, VMG in not much wind, Charal was incredible; it was in full foiling mode from 13 knots. We must have been 30 miles ahead of them coming out of the Canaries, and within half a day, we were 5 miles behind; it was very impressive! They really found good speed thanks to the work done on their rudders in recent years; I think everyone should look closely at that for future boats… In the second part, a long starboard tack, Macif was a little faster than us; those were good conditions for them, 17 knots not quite VMG downwind, but at the end of that tack, when it was time to bear away for a better VMG, we managed to do it better, so when we gybed, we were only 10 miles behind them. In the third part, VMG downwind in truly complicated swell, the boat was clearly better. With its high freeboard and all the gear stowed at the back, we were flying at 27 knots in 20 knots of wind when the others couldn’t fly all the time because they were plunging into the sea. The last night, the rudders even stalled two or three times because we were flying too high!
“I’m looking to put together
my own project”
When we understood that we had managed to hold off Mapei, which was more than 50 miles behind, and therefore that the podium, which had become our objective, was practically secured, we went into attack mode more aggressively against Macif, with whom we were neck and neck 24 hours from the finish. We made two or three extra gybes, found good shifts, that helped us gain 15 miles on them, we steered the whole time, pushed to the max, didn’t sleep, because we wanted to avoid risks at the finish; we finally finished two hours ahead.What is your feeling about this second place?
It’s a good year for me, since I won the Admiral’s Cup in July (with the Yacht Club de Monaco) and this second place is my best result in Imoca. I’m really happy because I worked a lot on Malizia these last few years, it’s cool to be rewarded, it’s a dream to finish the story with the boat like that!
Does this mean you are leaving the 11th Hour Racing project to return to Boris?
Not entirely, because Francesca’s project is managed by the Malizia team, so I will never be very far from her and I will continue to help her, especially with the transition to solo racing, which is not easy. But I’m not worried about her, because she already has good Imoca experience—she won The Ocean Race with 11th Hour Racing—and an Olympic background which means she is always looking to set up strategies to do better. She also did the Solitaire du Figaro, which, in my opinion, is a very strong point. To return to your question, I will indeed continue with Boris. The new boat arrives next summer, so we need to use the next eight months to work on the crew and be well prepared for the launch, because after that, we will be fully focused until The Ocean Race. As for the future, Boris is very motivated by the next Vendée Globe on Malizia 4; on my side, I’m looking to put together my own project, I hope this second place will help me to find sponsors and investors.
What type of project are you thinking of?
My goal is to be the first foreigner to win the Vendée Globe; for that, you need a good boat. Today, the most realistic plan would be to buy one; there are many Imocas for sale right now, with which it is possible to get a very good result, so it is the right time to invest. Now, I am 31 years old, my primary goal is to start a project and be on the starting line in 2028, I will still have many years ahead of me after that.
Photo : Olivier Blanchet / Alea
