A good arrival and a great welcome in Le Havre!

After a delivery sail of only 31 hours (Lorient to Le Havre) with quite strong weather conditions,  the Class40 Lamotte-Module Création arrived in Le Havre marina on Wednesday.  The following day they were out sailing again with a partner Transports Aubin.  The guests were delighted as they sailed with both skippers and at the end of the day assisted in passing the lock to join the other race boats in the Paul Vatine Dock.  The next day it was the turn of our partner Espace & Vie to come and encourage Luke and Tanguy!  Having travelled from Précigné, near Le Mans, the 20 colleagues were able to have a good exchange with our skippers about their profession, the project and the issues and challenges of the race.  This was followed by a guided visit around the boat and then a trip round the dock in a semi-rigide to discover the other race boats.  A great day!  

 

Update on preparations and objectives - with our two skippers.

How is the preparation going for this Transat Jacques Vabre?  

 

Luke:- It’s going quite well.  Already we’ve arrived in Le Havre having sailed through some quite strong weather.  It’s what we wanted, to test the boat for a final check before facing “braving the Atlantic” as they say.  We’re in the final week of preparation and for the moment it is going well!  

 

Tanguy:-  In fact our objective was to arrive in Le Havre with a boat ready and prepared without too much boat work left to do.  The big objective this week is to try to relax and rest up.  I like spending a few hours on the boat checking on things but what we really need to concentrate on is rest.  

 

What is left to do?  

 

Tanguy:-  ...Nothing major is left to do.  All’s good.  We’ve a small problem with the engine but that’s being fixed by the mechanics.  We have our fresh food provisioning to finish and fill up with fuel.  Our clothes are already on board, so really we just need to rest.  We have certain obligations to carry out, security briefings, some partner and visitor visits.  

 

Luke:- Briefing, security checks, some weather analysis to do.  With regards to the boat, it’s mainly ready.  For the moment we are quite confident and have spent a bit more time on our race start strategies (laughter).  

 

What’s the objective?  

 

Luke:-  Clearly the objective of our duo onboard the Class40 Lamotte-Module Création in this Transat Jacques Vabre is to perform well and we’re going to try and win a podium place.   However it’s still a mechanical sport and many things can go wrong but we have a good boat, we are a good duo and we’re well trained.  

 

Tanguy:- Yes our objective is obviously to win.  We’ve got some good strengths and a versatile boat.  It’s not the fastest boat but a multifunctional one and we think we can have a go at winning a podium place.  We’re a good team, Luke and I get on well on land as well as at sea and we are ver complimentary.  However we have never spent so long together at sea - so will it work for 20 days?  I think so and I believe he does as well.  There you go, we’re not afraid of saying that we are aiming for a win.  Obviously we’re not the only ones with that in mind or who have similar strengths so it’s going to be a hard match and that will be exciting.  

 

A brief word about your main rivals?  

 

Luke:-  The competition is very stiff this year.  There is “AÏna” with Ameryic Chappellier and Pierre Le Boucher who have won lots of races this year and there is also “Leyton” with Sam Goodschild and Fabien Delahaye.  There are also two new boats “Le Maxi Crédit Mutuel” with Ian Lipinski and Adrien Hardy and “La Banque du Léman” with Valentin Gautier and Simon Koster who might not have done as much training as they would have liked, but I think they have great potential.  There are also two Lift40s “Crosscall Chamonix Mont Blanc” with Louis Duc and Aurélien Ducroz and “Beijaflore” with William Mathelin Moroe and Marc Guillemot.  That makes for quite a few contenders chasing victory!  

 

Tanguy, what are Luke’s qualities as a sailor?  

 

Tanguy:-  Well Luke’s qualities...he’s a machine.  He’s big and he’s strong and very reactive to the constantly changing situations that often have to be dealt with very quickly.  I have never seen anyone as solid in that area, it’s a great strength.  And he’s a good sailor and a tough guy.  He’s not afraid of being uncomfortable, getting wet or not sleeping.  He has a good feel for the boat as he knows it well and he really knows how to trim and I think that is a real strength for this race.  Luke really knows his boat and he knows how to make it go fast, that’s great.  In fact he’s a good guy!

 

And Luke, what are Tanguy’s qualities as a sailor?   

 

Luke:-  Firstly he’s a great guy.  To be a good sailor you don’t need to be be a good guy but to be a good double-handed sailor - it’s a must!  He is one of the people I know who has done the most sailing this year.  He did the whole Figaro circuit, then sailed in Class40.  He put his boat in the water early and has spent many many days navigating.  He is someone who doesn’t give up easily, a tough guy who’s tenacious and can stay focused in difficult situations.  And he has a great sense of humour as he makes me laugh a lot!

 

What is the strength of your duo?  

 

Luke:- The strength of our duo is that we are two solo sailors, each sailing in their respective circuits, Tanguy on the Figaro and me in the Class40.  We have also both sailed in the Mini 6.50, each on our own boat - Tanguy in Série and me in Proto.  We get along well together so I take the view that two solo sailors who get on well together should normally work.  I respect his choices and his way of sailing and he likewise so we will succeed in making decisions together.  I’m sure we might make some mistakes but I’m quite confident in our partnership.  

 

Tanguy:- I feel that the strength of our duo is still developing.  Luke and I know each other, we are friends but previously we had never spent so much time together as we have after 3 months of training and the Tour de Bretagne à la Voile.  .....I feel that there is a kind of emulsion, bonding in our duo... I think our strength will be our cohesion.   

 

A last word?

 

Luke:- I must thank all our partners in this project: the Lamotte Group, Module Création,  Espace & Vie, Huchet BMW and many more.  A quick word of thanks to Transports Aubin who have an agency in Le Havre and who have helped us this week and with whom we shared the latest partner outing.  It is always a pleasure to see so many people visiting the boat - so a big thank you to everyone.  

And finally just to flag up again our charity - Fonds de Dotation Victoire.  Victoire is a foundation for children with multiple disabilities, for their families and their carers.  Please don’t hesitate to make a donation and follow their work on www.fonds-victoire.org