Opposite: the entry of multiple Around Alone and Vendée Globe veteran Jean-Luc Van Den Heede brought a surge of interest in the Golden Globe among the shorthanded community as well as the French general public; ‘VDH’ still holds the record for the fastest singlehanded west-about circumnavigation. One whose interest was prompted by VDH signing up is two-time Jules Verne winner Philippe Péché (above) who has attracted support from the same Vendéan company – PRB – that has already backed two Vendée Globe winners. The employees of this family business may have to wait a little longer than usual before celebrating the completion of their company’s latest singlehanded ocean racing adventure. Péché’s yacht is the Hustler 36 originally raced by Claire Francis
enjoy the adventure. It’s going to be an interesting journey… and a long one. ‘Soon after we confirmed Patrice Car-
pentier as race director we sat down with representatives from all the French mar- itime authorities. They opened the meeting by saying our Notice of Race was the best they’d ever seen. They have assessed the security arrangements and everything we are doing and are completely satisfied. ‘We are using the world’s best safety
gear, the same as for the Volvo or the Vendée for our size of boats. Survival suits, EPIRBs, tracking systems, GMDSS radios, skipper training, survival training, medical training. All to international best practice.’ So now it’s up to the sailors to get to the
startline. An amazing mix of characters from 13 countries: France (4), Britain (3), Australia (2), and one each from Estonia, Finland, Ireland, India, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Russia and USA. The youngest is 28-year-old Suzie
Goodall from the UK, while the oldest is Jean-Luc van den Heede, 72, the ‘grand - father’ of French solo sailing. The five-time circumnavigator already holds the record for the fastest non-stop
west-about solo circumnavigation – set in 2004. He finished second in the 1986 BOC Challenge, third in the 1989 Vendée Globe, second in the 1992 Vendée Globe and third in the 1995 BOC Challenge. Van den Heede, or ‘VDH’ as he is universally known in France, bought a Rustler 36 yacht in August 2015, now called Mamut, and spent the first few months testing her out in the Atlantic before starting a com- plete refit in his home port of Les Sables d’Olonne. He has since been sailing his meticulously prepared boat extensively. But there is plenty still to do, says the
former maths teacher… ‘I have to choose what kind of food I am going to buy and so on. Then there is the matter of water… and wine. More water than wine [laugh- ing] but there must be a choice of wine. It is nothing – an average of a bottle every four days. Good French wine. Most of it red, but I will take a bit of white because I hope to catch some fish in the Doldrums. ‘My goal is to finish within twice the
time of my record against the wind on Adrien. That took 122 days, which is still the world record, so this time I hope to be back home in 244. I am taking my old
chart and I am going to fight with my old boat trying to do in two days what last time I was able to do in one. ‘I am aware of the difficulties this race
poses. They are not inconsiderable. ‘The slow speeds of these classic old
boats with their long keels, the absence of weather information, the reliance on a sex- tant to plot positions and wind vane self- steering will make this race more difficult than the Vendée Globe. ‘But this is good. I want to relive the
conditions and challenges that my sailing predecessors enjoyed and I have optimised my yacht accordingly. New mast, new rigging, new engine, new sails, watertight bulkheads and new winches. I am very conscious of the problems that are likely to occur during our eight or nine months at sea and have done everything to make Mamut safer and more reliable. ‘I am also trying to get myself in the best
physical condition with the assistance of a physio, a coach – and my bicycle! But I think this passage is more in the head than in the muscles. ‘I have also rediscovered the environ- ment and comradeship I loved so much
SEAHORSE 51
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