YANN RIOU
Since launching in July Tanguy Bouroullec has been sailing Cerfrance non-stop as he tweaks and learns his foiling Mini before the start of the 2019 Mini Transat. There are several other Minis flying with varying degrees of success, but what distinguishes Cerfrance is the enthusiastic commitment to the project of Team New Zealand designer Guillaume Verdier who has spent years thinking about a sophisticated but robust Mini foiler than can compete equally well in displacement mode – Cerfrance’s second place in this year’s light airs Transgascogne race was therefore especially encouraging... and especially worrying for Bouroullec’s Mini Transat rivals
he took part in that year; in 2014, aboard the Mini 6.50 prototype scow Prysmian 747 Pedote won every race he entered; in 2013 he only missed overall victory in the Mini Transat by a whisker (if the first stage of the race had not been abandoned when he was leading he would probably have won); he ended 2013 at no1 in the Mini 6.50 class rankings. Pedote’s previous campaigns include a successful year in the Mini 6.50 Series division, a season in the Figaro class (2010-11) and a Route du Rhum aboard the Class40 Fantastica. Thanks to his longterm sponsor, Prysmian Group, who have always kept faith with their Italian favourite, Pedote has now completed the purchase of the Imoca 60 Virbac St Michel, one of the first-generation Imoca foilers, built for Jean-Pierre Dick in 2015 and designed – of course – by Verdier/VPLP. Seahorse: The last time we spoke we talked about your successes in the Mini 6.50. With Prysmian 747 you were on the road to dreams – are they now coming true? Giancarlo Pedote: Yes, and as you’d expect I am now very happy! But you’re right, this really is a dream coming true. I’ll give more than the maximum to this opportunity as I’ve always done. In addi- tion, I now have 20 years of experience, of which 11 were spent racing solo, which helps. The fact of having the boat and having already finished the first qualifying race, the Bermudes 1000, on the podium (in third place and less than two minutes from second) gives me confidence professionally, I could not ask for more. I am more than satisfied with my programme. I would not like
a new boat. I am happy with what I have. I’m fulfilling my big dream. SH: Are there elements of previous campaigns that are particularly useful for the Vendée Globe? GP: No, not specifically. All experience and preparation is useful for building our programme with the Imoca; we are right at the begin- ning of this new story and must never stop learning. For example, my time sailing the Moth was the right way to approach foiling, even if the foiling is different on an Imoca; I really like this new way of sailing, not only at sea but also at a design level with the engineers
16 SEAHORSE
and architects – it is an exciting frontier to be pushing against. SH: A year to go till the Vendée… GP: I took possession of the boat in March, but the weather conditions were very bad and Jean-Pierre advised me against going straight out to start getting sea-miles with my new boat. In May we had the Bermudes 1000 Race, which meant 2,000 qualifying miles: a month and a half to learn a boat of this kind is really a very short time, so I went straight into sailing solo, or sometimes with my boat captain (who did not take an active role in the manoeuvres). The next qualifying race was the two-handed Rolex Fastnet,
followed by the 500-mile Le Défi Azimut and now the Transat Jacques Vabre. Then we will have the two solo transatlantic races in the 2020 Imoca Globe Series. The main objective is to finish the races to obtain the miles necessary for Vendée Globe qualification. SH: You’ve done an enormous number of long races but is a round- the-world race different? GP: I’ve always done only one ocean at a time and never been at sea that long. I think I have enough experience to feel comfortable, but I also believe my first Vendée Globe will be something unique. SH: How close are you to qualifying for the VG? GP: It is a big process. Basically I am registered, I am a candidate. The rules require you to participate in all the Imoca Globe Series qualifying regattas. There is a firm limit of 30 skippers for the Vendée – and the only ones who are certain to participate are the finishers of the previous edition and those skippers who bring a new boat. This rule was created to encourage the building of new Imocas, which is actually a good idea although not very helpful to me! [16 VG places are already assigned so there are just 14 left]. SH:What realistic expectations do you have for the Vendée Globe? GP: I don’t think much about it, because I just want to go and do my best possible race. The VG does not forgive grand expectations and hopes – anything I say would be either misleading or tempting fate! I have a sports project, we’ll draw the conclusions at the end. There will be eight new boats but I’m lucky because I already have
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