Left/opposite: the Guillaume Verdier designed JP54, built in New Zealand for Jean-Pierre Dick’s company Absolute Dreamer – it is hard to credit that such a spectacularly fast world cruising design is now entering its second decade. Ahead of its time, certainly, and in prototype form much too expensive to appeal to the wider commercial market, almost definitely, yet a stunning yacht when docked alongside the best of its current contemporaries. Dick’s brief to Verdier, and to interior designer Stephanie Marin, was blunt: ‘I want to see all-round Imoca 60 sailing characteristics and not just token nods to Imoca technology… at the same time I want a spacious world cruising yacht capable of being sailed fast and safely through the Southern Ocean by a small crew.’ No wonder costs ran away a bit. Below: Dick’s Verdier-designed ETF 26 foilers have proved the most nimble and fastest of the offerings at this size, able to foil steadily in as little as 8kt of true wind
him think for a moment longer. ‘That is… you shouldn’t be. Being
scared is not a good thing when you’re sailing alone. I’ve been there. It has espe- cially happened when I’m no longer in control of the situation. But you still have to try to stay calm. If you have a problem you have to stay calm and find a way to solve it. But sometimes you also need to sleep first, this is important. You easily make wrong decisions if you are very tired. ‘When you are exhausted, or scared,
you don’t see things in the right way any more. So it’s very important to get rest, stay calm. I remember one episode in par- ticular when I got scared. I couldn’t furl my sail and the wind…’ He hesitates, look- ing for the words, instead making a hand gesture and a whistling sound that describes the weather conditions he was facing better than words. ‘The sail was a big gennaker, so this
Never got the win But why was he so keen to do that parti - cular race? The Frenchman doesn’t need much time
to think… ‘Because it’s a Mount Everest for sailors. It’s the hardest race in the world, both physically and psychologically. ‘And I said to myself: you only have one
life. You will live alone in nature for three months, it is a violent experience, and it has to be the maximum challenge for a sailor. So I said to myself, OK, this is what I want to spend my life doing. And that’s how it’s gone. ‘I’ve won a number of major races in
Imoca, especially doublehanded, but my Vendée Globe story hasn’t really been quite as successful as I’d hoped. I got two fourth places, which are good results, but of course I wanted to be on the podium and preferably win the race. ‘Unfortunately I didn’t succeed, even
though I was in a position to do so on several occasions. In my second race I was leading for more than a week, and in my third race I was leading when I broke a sail. The third time I lost the keel between Cape Verde and the Azores but still finished in fourth place which I remain quite proud of.’
Primitive life in a cave Do you like being out there, I ask. ‘Oh yes!’ he exclaims, a big smile spreading across his furrowed face. ‘I have a completely different mentality
when I’m at sea. It really is my passion.’ He looks at me, asking if it’s OK for this to get a little personal. I nod, of course, that’s exactly what I want to hear. ‘It’s a bit hard to describe in words,’ he
says. ‘Sometimes it’s like I’m a Nean- derthal man in a cave, in a black carbon fibre cave.’ He laughs. ‘Everything is raw, wet and cold, and it’s noisy. ‘It’s a completely different life, not at all
like the life we normally live. I try to get some sleep when I can, do my weather analyses, eat, sleep, trim, make the boat go fast… it’s very primitive in a way. ‘It’s maybe a bit like being on a solo
mountain expedition, being alone in nature for a long time. You’re part of a team but still, out there, you’re on your own and in a very harsh environment.’
Being scared Do you ever get scared, I ask. ‘No, no!’ he exclaims, laughing. I look at him, without saying anything. Which apparently makes
quickly became a big problem. The furling line was broken.’ He looks at me. ‘I was in big shit,’ he says. ‘But I had to find a way to cope, and the only thing I could do was climb out onto the bowsprit. It’s almost 2m long and the waves were 7m or 8m high and breaking over the deck. The boat thundered away, close to losing control. If I fell in I’d be finished, even with a lifeline. ‘That’s probably the only time I’ve ever
been really scared. But I made it. ‘Then there have been times when I had
to climb the mast… in my third Vendée Globe I had to climb to the top of the mast six times, I had a problem with the halyard hooks that hold up the sails… I couldn’t get them down! ‘It’s quite terrifying up there when
you’re in the big South Sea. The mast is 30m high and the boat is rolling and heel- ing. It’s quite violent…’
2,600 miles without a keel ‘But over time you become more calm, even when things are crazy,’ he says. ‘First of all, you have to stop the problem from developing further, make sure it doesn’t get worse. Then you have to try to rest, and figure out how to deal with it.
SEAHORSE 39
RICHARD GLADWELL
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