Luke Berry will this year be competing in the the main race of the 2019 season that will start on the 27th October 2019 - The Transat Jacques Vabre.  
Luke and his partners are very pleased to announce that they have chosen Tanguy Le Turquais as co-skipper of the Class 40 Lamotte - Module Création.  

A duo “born in Mini”  

Friends since the Mini Transat 2015, Tanguy and Luke, both “born in Mini” mounted the podium that year in their own class (Tanguy 3rd place in Série and Luke 2nd place in Prototype).  
They then pursued their own paths, that of a professional skipper on the Figaro circuit for Tanguy and that of a sales engineer for Luke up until the start of his Class 40 project last year.  
During training sessions in Lorient their paths crossed again and subsequently they then each invited one another to sail on their boats.  It was soon afterwards that Luke had the idea to ask Tanguy to be his co-skipper for the Transat Jacques Vabre. 

 

A performant pair 

After four years on the Mini 6.50 circuit and two years on the Figaro 2, Tanguy Le Turquais was chosen this year by Queguiner to be sponsored by the group and to helm the new Figaro 3.  They chose well as recently he finished 2nd in la Solo Maitre Coq, his first solo race on the boat - a promising performance just a few weeks before the start of the Solitaire du Figaro race which starts at the beginning of June.  
“Tanguy is a friend, we get on well and he has an excellent level in sailing as we saw in la Solo Maitre Coq (2nd place out of 47 on the first race in Figaro 3).  Also I wanted to sail with a Figaro sailor as these sailors leave nothing to chance.  They are very meticulous and rigorous and to win in Class 40 that’s exactly what it takes!  He is tenacious and incredibly willing.  I have absolutely no doubt that we will get on together when sailing and I think that we will make a very good duo”, confides Luke.  

Tanguy was quick to accept the offer, “I am really proud that Luke chose me to compete in the Transat Jacques Vabre on board the Class 40 Lamotte - Module Création and to be associated with this winning project.  It’s great to be chosen over many sailors with much more experience  and I can’t wait to get out and start our training together!  We get on very well landside and I’m sure that at sea we will find the right balance for this transat double-handed race”.  

Next objective:  qualification and training 

As soon as Tanguy has finished the Figaro Solitaire and Luke sailing with sponsors and partners, our duo will head out to sea in order to qualify for the Transat Jacques Vabre.  They will continue their double-handed preparations in September in Lorient where they will be part of a training group run by coach Tanguy Leglatin - an opportunity for them to compare themselves with other race participants.  The standard is high and there will be stiff competition but our two skippers will make sure that they are up to the mark - we can count on that!  
Following the de-masting in the Défi-Atlantique race more than a month ago, the team has had to adapt the planned programme for the current season.  And so recently for Luke  the emphasis has been more on logistics and administration in order to get the Class 40 repatriated back to Saint Malo from Guadeloupe; organise boat repairs and order a new mast.  However, even if the beginning of the Class 40 season hasn’t started as planned, Luke hasn’t forgotten to continue to sail!  In mid April he won with his friend, Fred Denis, la Plastimo Lorient Mini 6.50 on the Prototype 800 - Rousseau Clôtures lent to them by Erwan Le Mene (providing a quick look at Défi-Atlantique that was arriving that weekend in La Rochelle).  Also at the beginning of May he was invited to to helm Jean-Baptiste Daramy’s Class 40 Chocolats Paries Coriolis Composites in the Grand Prix Guyader in Douarnenez. 
The Class 40 Lamotte - Module Création will finally be back in the water on the 17th June for the first of many partners’ outings of this year.  This will be the beginning of a long series of trips as Luke and his team will be full-on with these in Saint Malo and La Trinité-sur-Mer until the end of July.  
Following that we are all looking forward to seeing our skipper and his lovely Class 40 get back to offshore sailing!