Bénéteau’s competition division at the time, has only fond memories of the deal he did with Trentesaux. ‘Géry has excep- tional expertise in this type of boat, he has helped us to progress considerably. ‘For example, he had difficulty steering the First 40 with the original bulb keel. Against the architect’s advice he insisted on a straight fin keel; finally the Farr office were forced to admit that they had not necessarily got it right…’
With 40 years of experience Trentesaux always keeps an eye on the chart table even when he delegates the navigation. ‘He is himself a very good navigator,’ says Jean- Pierre Kelbert (of JPK), ‘and when Géry argues his point of view with a top Figaro player from the current generation who has perfectly mastered all of the modern route- ing tools, it can become very interesting… ‘But it brings a level of reflection that the software does not necessarily offer.’ In other words: he knows how to extract him- self from the routeing scheme provided by the computer, or at least put it in context and then ask himself the right questions. We still remember the catastrophic start of Fastnet 2015. For once Géry had left his paper charts and almanacs ashore, at the request of his teammates, whom he had forced to bring very small bags. The navi- gator was mistaken about the moment of current reversal (Trentesaux had the explanation a year later: an hour delay in the clock’s software, probably an error between English and French time). Carried past the line, Courrier du Léon took 39
The start of a dynasty – Géry Trentesaux’s father’s first yacht caught ghosting along in northern Brittany during the early 1960s
minutes to return to the right side. ‘I didn’t show it, but I was completely crazy.’ This still did not prevent victory by two and a half hours! ‘Nothing is won until you cross the line, nothing is lost either. Never give up: this has also served me well in business.’ Don’t give up: a very good helmsman in a big breeze, Trentesaux also knows how to push both his boats and his crews hard. ‘The Courrier spirit, always 100 per cent commitment, Géry is always the first to want to put on more “coal”’, according to Jean-Pierre Kelbert. And Géry’s faithful sidekick François Lamiot is also not to be outdone. ‘François is like a starving dead man, a hard man, he’s not here to play,’ adds JP with a rather serious smile. Onboard the Courriers ‘dormir dans les filières’ (sleeping on the rail) is not just a
Neutral helm. Reduced heel.
Properly depowered sail plan.
brave expression. The spinnaker stays up until the last possible moment when the wind picks up and is changed immediately if it eases. Nor is there ever any mention of ‘stroking’ the equipment because every Courrier is always rigorously well prepared. ‘Because Géry is a very busy man he can- not imagine taking time to race and not fin- ishing because of carelessness,’ explains Sam Marsaudon. ‘He would never take out a boat that was too fragile or not ready,’ adds Lamiot. ‘And in any case he knows well that the IRC does not favour extreme designs.’ Only fools don’t change their minds, but the history of the Courriers will inevitably end, perhaps in two years. Until then, while continuing to race in Dragons, Trentesaux wants to give himself the time to return with the JPK 1180 to the races that really interest him, but also those that have defined the Courrier story. ‘I started this pilgrimage on the Middle Sea Race, an event I had raced in 1982 on a C&C 45 while doing my military service in the mountains near the Italian border.’ In 2019, in addition to the RORC season, there will therefore be a return to the Middle Sea Race and Sydney Hobart. For 2020 he is thinking of the RORC Caribbean 600, which he has never raced before and is eager to discover, and the Bermuda Race, which would bring him back to the waters of the Onion Patch that he visited in the days of Formidable. ‘I should not really have named this
boat Courrier Recommandé but rather Courrier Pèlerin.’ [pilgrim post!]
IN A BOX.
Replacing a traveler looks like such a hassle. It doesn’t have to be. Enter Harken traveler replacement kits. Five component sets matched for perfect performance— for boats from 18-45'. Grab a box. Restore (or exceed) your boat’s original traveler performance— likely without drilling even one new hole.
The traveler is just too important to performance and safety to be left off the upgrade list. Box. Track. Fasteners. Done.
WATCH VIDEO SEAHORSE 51
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