Two weeks after announcing that she was withdrawing from the 2026 Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe at the helm of the Ocean Fifty Koesio, Audrey Ogereau has been selected by K-Challenge for the 2027 Women’s America’s Cup. More than enough reasons for Sailorz to sit down with the 33-year-old sailor.
Let’s start with your decision to withdraw from the Rhum — can you explain why?
It wasn’t an easy decision to make. As I said in my message on social media, everything initially fell into place for me in 2023 and 2024, with great projects, between the Women’s America’s Cup and the Ocean Fifty Koesio — the kind of programme everyone dreams of, especially for someone like me who didn’t come from offshore racing. Erwan (Le Roux) really took me under his wing, everything was set up to progress and reach the start of the 2026 Route du Rhum with solid confidence. Then, little by little, difficulties arose and we weren’t able to tick off key milestones.
What kind of difficulties?
It started with the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre — we retired in La Coruña, so I didn’t complete my first transatlantic race. Then in 2024, mainly due to scheduling — the Cup took up a lot of time — I didn’t race the Route des Terre-Neuvas, so that was another missed offshore opportunity. Moving into 2025, largely due to budget constraints, I couldn’t take part in certain training sessions or weather courses. I also wanted to do the full Figaro season to build my solo experience, but that wasn’t possible, even though I did race the Transat Paprec with Quentin Vlamynck, which was a great experience. And the year ended with the capsize during the Transat Café L’Or, meaning I once again missed the chance to complete a transatlantic in an Ocean Fifty. With all these setbacks adding up, I started to feel that something wasn’t quite right…
“Perseverance is important,
but it has its limits”
Was the capsize traumatic for you?
No, not really. I wasn’t afraid because we were inside, and we reacted straight away, almost instinctively, following the safety procedures. I think it really hit me when I was winched off the boat and saw it upside down — but more in a way of: “Wow, we’ve just wrecked our 2026 season!” Very quickly, I told myself: “Right, it’s like cycling — when you fall, you have to get back on quickly”, and I was lucky enough to do the delivery back on Le Rire Médecin. Day by day, I regained confidence on what was also a very reliable boat, but just after the Azores, through a bit of bad luck, something fairly minor happened that made me reflect again.
What happened?
In a wave, I was hit in the face by a winch handle and broke both my front teeth. I used the kit to clean the wound and apply a dressing to prevent infection, but during that time I started overthinking a bit, realising that things can still go wrong. I pictured myself making a mistake during the Rhum, being relatively inexperienced — because the better prepared you are, the better you handle these situations. All of this gradually sank in, and at the start of 2026, I saw that we were still looking for funding to run the season. The refit was running late, we didn’t know how many training days I’d get, bearing in mind I’d never sailed the boat solo, and as time went on, I realised that I couldn’t go into it having done just five or six days of solo sailing. I really believe in things either aligning or not, and there had been a series of signals — more or less significant — that ultimately led me to this decision. Perseverance is important, but it has its limits.
When did you tell Erwan and Koesio? And how did they react?
I made the decision about a month before posting on social media (on 20 March). It wasn’t easy to announce, because there’s always that fear of letting people down — Erwan, the sponsor, the team, everyone around me. Erwan and I are very close, we talk a lot, so I think he almost knew before I did, which is what he told me — and he completely understood. Throughout the project, he always reassured me so that I wouldn’t feel that pressure, saying that if I didn’t feel ready, even at the last minute, he would find a solution. It was the same with Koesio — I get on extremely well with Pierric Brenier, the president, and when I told him, he said: “It’s your call, don’t worry about the image you might project, no one really cares — it’ll be forgotten quickly and you’ll move on to other projects.” Honestly, I’m very lucky they were so supportive.
Will you still be sailing with Koesio?
I won’t speak on behalf of Erwan, but there’s a good chance the boat will be back at the end of April for the Mediterranean Grands Prix and targeting the Rhum — that’s the objective. Personally, I still want to sail on the boat both inshore and offshore with a reduced crew — I feel very comfortable within this team.
“I can’t wait to take the helm
again at 40 knots!”
In the meantime, things seem to be aligning again, as you were selected on Thursday by K-Challenge for the Women’s America’s Cup — can you tell us how that came about?
I responded to the call for applications and was shortlisted for the selection process. There were 18 of us rotating on the simulator, the AC Sailing video game, along with physical, technical and flight knowledge tests, as well as interviews — it was intense but very interesting. And I found out on Wednesday that I’d been selected. I’m really happy because I loved sailing that boat in 2024, and honestly, I can’t wait to get back at the helm at 40 knots!
Ultimately, is this a project that suits you better?
Let’s say it’s a project where I already have stronger foundations, because I grew up in inshore racing and close-contact regattas, whereas offshore was completely new to me before 2023. I also love the high-tech aspect, given my background as a mechanical engineer. In 2024, I really enjoyed going back over hydraulic schematics, cylinders, getting hands-on… That said, it doesn’t mean I won’t return to offshore racing, but likely after 2027, because I hope this project will last as long as possible. We were very frustrated with our performance in 2024 — this time, we’re coming back with real determination!
Photo : Orient Express Racing Team
